NEW Faces - Student Interns

Finding Inspiration in Every Turn

One of the greatest features of working at a community behavioral health center is that there is always a new face to encounter, a new name to pronounce, a new culture to explore, and a new story to listen to. Through this website experience, we would also like to introduce you to the new and frequently changing faces of our student interns. CCS is a “teaching” facility. CCS provides a wide range of opportunities for students pursuing a career in behavioral health. We work closely with local, and other online universities, receiving referrals for various levels of student shadowing, practicums, and internship experiences. Our diverse rural, community-based program offers a supportive and collaborative environment, allowing student interns to develop their clinical skills and gain valuable work experience. With a focus on individualized and group training, our program prepares student interns for a successful career in helping others.

Metamorphosis

Occasionally, a CCS student intern will transition into becoming a full-time CCS employee; we welcome their innovation and energy. Also worthy of celebration is when that same student-employee evolves and becomes a teacher: clinically supervising and now teaching the new student interns. We honor their journey of transformation into leadership through long-term learning.

“Come Learn from us.

Come Teach for us.

Stay, and grow with us!"

Meet "The Intern"

Serena Daniels

Mental Health Intern

I am a student at South Dakota State University in the counseling program on the Marriage and Family Therapy track. I have learned so much working at CCS and am grateful for the opportunity to practice my clinical skills and learn from the other therapists here. I am excited to see where this internship takes me and what knowledge I will take away from this experience.

Cassidy Thyen

Mental Health Intern

I am a student at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND where I am working on my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. I was born and raised in central South Dakota, so I am grateful for the opportunity to be close to home and learn from so many experienced professionals in the field. I am looking forward to my time here, and I’m excited to see where this experience will take me after graduation.

Meet "The Student - Employee"

Devin Rihanek

Mental Health Therapist

My journey into mental health counseling began at South Dakota State University, where I pursued my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. During my time as an intern at Community Counseling Services, I was impressed by the supportive and encouraging environment created by the staff. Their dedication to treating everyone with respect and fostering success made my decision to stay with the company an easy one. The sense of community and commitment to professional growth at Community Counseling Services continues to make me feel at home every day.

Kyle Wormstadt

IT Specialist

I began my career at CCS as an IT Intern while attending DSU. Upon graduation, I was offered a full-time position and have been with the company ever since. Over the years, I have taken on increasing responsibilities and contributed to various projects that have enhanced our IT infrastructure. My journey at CCS has been marked by continuous learning and professional growth, allowing me to develop a deep understanding of our systems and processes.

Meet "The Teacher"

Kelsey Palmer

Outpatient Mental Health Counselor / Huron Clinical Supervisor

I started at Community Counseling Services in 2012 as a part time intern as a case manager in Madison working towards completion of masters for marriage and family therapy. In 2013 I started to transition from case management to mental health therapy with a focus on couples and families. I moved to Huron shortly after completion of school to become the clinical supervisor for STRIVE Team for Community Counseling Services . I also started the licensure process. The next chapter was merging the STRIVE team (which was a swell group of case managers) to the rest of the outpatient team which was other case managers and mental health therapists. Together we united and I ended my entire licensure process March of 2018. This journey will continue to continue as I currently am the clinical supervisor for Huron Outpatient Mental Health. I enjoy teaching, guiding, supporting others through their licensure process, coordinating with community partners and meeting needs of consumers.

Jessica Baum

Clinical Director

I started at CCS in 2003 as a Mental Health Intern—21 years later I am now the Clinical Director of CCS where I provide clinical support throughout the whole CCS agency. CCS has offered career advancement and support in furthering licensure/educational goals. I draw upon the years of experience and knowledge gained from direct implementation of skills and learning from colleagues to teach the next therapists and counselors at our agency.

CCS Alumni: "Forever Friends"

My journey at Community Counseling Services started in 2013. I just graduated from University of South Dakota and I was looking for my first professional job. Through my years here I have gain the experience and knowledge to be a life changing mental health therapist. I was able to gain the supervision hours to get my LPC and LPC-MH. I was able to be certified as a QMHP and help people on the toughest day of their lives. Through working at CCS I was able to get my student loans paid for as they are part of the National Health Corps. I have also been able to find advancement at CCS and became a clinical supervisor where I was able to develop the new generation for Mental Health providers and help people reach their license goals. CCS is a Community Mental Health Center which gave me the opportunity to work with a diverse population which developed a strong foundation as a new provider. In addition to developing as a professional in this field I have gain lifelong friends who have made the work place something I can enjoy and cherish. I felt like I had second family and they supported me when the unexpected happen in my personal life. I couldn’t have felt more support than I do at Community Counseling Service both professionally and personally.

Angela Meinen LPC-MH, QMHP

If you are interested in pursuing an internship, especially in behavioral health counseling, we encourage you to contact us to learn more about the available opportunities. CCS welcomes student interns in the following areas:

Addiction Studies

Human Services

Marriage and Family Studies

Mental Health Counseling

Psychology

Social Work

Psychiatric – Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Accounting

Human Resources

Information Technology

**Other Practicums/Internship: If you believe CCS would benefit from other areas of internship, please contact our HR Department. We are always open to discussing unique internship opportunities at CCS.

If you are interested in any of our internship opportunities, please download the internship application and email to HR@CCS-SD.ORG

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world."

- Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers)