This funded internship provides students with coursework and experiential training in recovery support services. Students are required to complete the Human Services minor and take two semesters of MHS 4850 Internship in Human Services. During their internship, students will receive stipend funding each semester for two consecutive semesters. Upon completion of the coursework and their internship, students will also receive funding towards tuition reimbursement.

Requirements for the internship program include the following:

Completion of the Human Services minor program, which includes these courses:

1. MHS 2441 Couples, Families and Intimate Relationships
2. MHS 2330 Career Planning
3. MHS 3426 Diversity Issues in Human Services
4. MHS 3052 Helping Skills for Human Service Providers
5. MHS 2090 Introduction to Human Services (prerequisite)

Additionally, students will take MHS4850 each of the two semesters of the internship:

6. MHS 4850 Internship in Human Services - two consecutive semesters (total 6 credit hours), which requires that students work at a residential substance use treatment facility for 10 hours per week.

Funding is available to UCF undergraduate students who are accepted into the UCF-Aspire Recovery Support Specialist Training Program.

• Students will take two consecutive semesters of MHS 4850 Internship in Human Services (total 6 credit hours) and receive stipends of $2500 per semester for two semesters (total of $5000). Prerequisites and corequisites apply.
• Upon completion of the UCF Human Services minor (total 9 credit hours) and the two semesters of MHS 4850 Internship in Human Services (total 6 credit hours), students will receive $3,000 for tuition reimbursement.

To be eligible for the funded internship, and later an apprenticeship, students must be accepted into the UCF Recovery Support Specialist Training Program. The application is available via Handshake. Please be sure to attach a one- to two-page resume, two letters of recommendation and an application form.

Applicants will be required to attend two interviews. The first will be with UCF-RSS faculty, and the second will be with Aspire Health Partners. Students must be successful in both interviews to be accepted into the program.

Applications are accepted early each semester (spring, summer, and fall). Please see Handshake for application deadlines or contact ucfrss@ucf.edu.

Application Accepted during the spring, summer and fall semesters.

Please email us at UCFRSS@ucf.edu with any questions.

Application

1. How do I apply to the UCF-Aspire RSS Program?
   Applications are accepted through Handshake.
2. Why might the application close early?
   Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; therefore, the applicant pool may be closed prior to the deadline if students are selected for the RSS positions.
3. What does the interview process look like?
   Applicants will apply through Handshake. Once your application is reviewed, you may be invited to interview for the UCF-Aspire RSS program. There will be two interviews. The first will be with UCF. After the initial interview, you will be required to interview with an Aspire Health representative for potential placement at a site. Your acceptance must be agreed on by both UCF and the Aspire representatives.

Level I: RSS Internship – Aspire Site

4. What does a recovery support specialist do?
   A recovery support specialist understands and implements individual treatment plans, records patient behavior and provides a safe, supportive environment for the patients. They may provide and record patient medications and assist in daily activities, whether therapeutic or recreational.
5. What will a typical day (10 hours a week) look like during the internship?
   The typical day for an intern will depend on the site to which the student is assigned. Recovery support specialist are also called behavioral health techs at Aspire Health. Aspire Health’s behavioral health techs are involved in many different tasks, such as helping with transportation, monitoring clients as they move about the site, facilitating some of the psychoeducational groups and house meetings, doing safety checks and room searches and assisting with mealtimes. The supervisor/manager of the behavioral health techs at the sites would be gradually assigning responsibilities as the intern becomes used to the sites. Initially, the interns will be shadowing the behavioral health techs and becoming familiar with the clients and the program structure.
6. What might the internship on-site schedule be like?
   The schedule for the interns will be worked out at the site. Evening and weekend work will be possible. There are always techs on duty; however, late evening hours are not encouraged. It is up to the manager/supervisor to approve the intern’s schedule.
7. What is the dress code for Aspire?
   Aspire typically requires business casual dress for all employees. Aspire’s employee handbook states no denim, no revealing clothing, and no offensive slogans. The site manager/supervisor could answer that question more specifically.
8. Do I need transportation for the internship?
   Transportation is recommended as the internship may take place at one of several Aspire sites off UCF’s main campus.
9. Does Aspire require the COVID-19 vaccine for interns?
   Aspire is not currently requiring a COVID-19 vaccine for employees or interns.
10. Do RSS students have the same holiday breaks as the university offers?
    Students are expected to work between semesters. Students can discuss time off with site supervisors. Students follow the site calendar.

Academic Information and Stipends

11. Do I have to declare the Human Services minor?
    Through the recovery support specialist program, students will complete the minor by taking all core Human Services courses and the internship course as electives. For the program, you do not have to declare the minor, but you will complete the minor through the RSS program.
12. When are stipends dispersed?
    Stipends are typically dispersed mid-semester.
13. What is the stipend amount per semester?

14. What grades do I need to maintain to remain in the internship?
    Among other requirements, students must maintain a “B” average in Human Services courses to remain in the internship.