Staff and advanced trainees in the KP Mental Health Training Program recently completed a successful and fun seven weeks working with fourteen high school students and six college students in four different KP Launch Summer Internship sites in June and July.
KP Launch is a summer jobs program designed to introduce underrepresented and low-income high school and undergraduate students to health care career options. Interns learn about real world job expectations, and acquire knowledge and skills related to a specific area of health care they are placed in.
For Interns selected for slots within the Mental Health Training Program, additional goals include equipping them with tools to fight stigmatization of mental health problems and promoting good mental health hygiene in their families, friend groups and communities, as well as to expose them to career options and pathways in mental health and to encourage them to consider these, given the great need for mental health professional in California, especially from underserved communities (see this link for more information about KP Launch: KP Launch – Diversifying the Future of Health Care (kaiserpermanente.org)
The high school students spent a “KPL MHTP Fun Day” all together at Six Flags in Vallejo, and every intern made an excellent and well received final presentation to their team on a comprehensive clinically related project. These young people were so impressive with their curiosity, perceptiveness, and sensitivity that we literally cannot wait until as many of them as possible return to us as advanced mental health trainees!
Contributed by: Aubyn Fulton, PhD
