Counseling and Social Services
Connect With UsInternships and Experience in Counseling & Social Services
Breanne Thornton Grace ’04 is a professor in the University of South Carolina’s College of Social Work. In her sociological research, she examines how UN solutions — resettlement, local integration, or voluntary repatriation — become durable through social citizenship, which refers to having access to things like health care, education, food, and legal representation.
The Department of Social Work and Family Studies offers a major in social work and a concentration in family studies. Family studies and social work are fields of study that build upon students’ liberal arts education to prepare them to identify the changing needs of families, develop the means to satisfy those needs, and explore policies and programs that address social problems and enhance human strengths.
Psychology explores the science of mind and behavior. As a discipline, psychology combines natural science and social science, and the St. Olaf Psychology Department includes faculty and courses that span the breadth of psychology including behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, clinical, cultural, developmental, personality, and social psychology.
Minnesota Department of Corrections Internships (wide variety of roles)
International Institute of Minnesota Internships
Laura Baker Services Association
The Advocates for Human Rights Internships
HealthFinders Collaborative Internships
Lutheran Social Services of MN Internships
Washburn Center for Children Internships
Summer research at other institutions
Explore more internships, research opportunities, and fellowships.
Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest
*With the exception of selective gap year and service programs, the majority of counseling and social services organizations hire on an “as-needed basis.”
Seek out opportunities to explore your interests, gain valuable professional experience, and develop new skills through Student Employment.
What types of roles are there for students?
There are a wide variety of opportunities available at St. Olaf!
Here are a few examples:
- Peer support and leadership roles, including Junior Counselor/Resident Assistant positions in Residence Life, Peer Educator in the Wellness Center, Peer Advisor in the Piper Center, TRIO Upward Bound summer staff, various roles in Admissions
- Community Work Study positions with local nonprofit organizations, including opportunities at the Greenvale Park Community School, the Middle School Youth Center, and the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI)
- Program assistant roles with Admissions, Alumni & Parent Relations, Athletics, Theater, the Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion, Camps, Conferences and Events, and various other departments
- Teaching assistant (various departments), tutor, or Supplemental Instruction Leader with the Center for Advising and Academic Support
Student Employment Resources
Student Employment Job Board – this is the best resource for identifying current openings on campus. Occasionally, programs will also share opportunities on Handshake.
Student Employment Guide – this guide includes many of the positions that students currently or have previously held at St. Olaf. If you see a position you are interested in, but do not see it posted as a current opportunity on the Job Board you may wish to reach out via email or by stopping in to the office to learn more about the role and hiring process.
Coaching and Resources
Counseling and social services professionals help individuals, families, and underserved populations achieve their goals in areas such as mental health, financial well-being, and educational and vocational attainment. To learn more about counseling and social services at St. Olaf, visit the Social Work and Family Studies Department’s website.
The Piper Center is eager to support you in finding internships and research related to counseling and social services. Please stop by the Piper Center anytime during business hours to have an initial conversation with a Peer Advisor. When you are ready to go further and meet with our counseling and social services career coaches Zoe Davis or Dana Rechtzigel, please schedule an appointment through Handshake.
Piper Center Events
Zoe N Davis (she, her, hers)
Assistant Director, Career Development and Coaching
Office Hours: By Appointment Mon-Fri; Drop In Mondays & Fridays, 3-5 pm Schedule an Appointment HERE
View Profile →Dana L Rechtzigel (she, her, hers)
Associate Director, Career Development and Coaching, Pre-Health
Office Hours: M-F by Appointment in Handshake; Drop In's: Thursdays 3-5pm Make An Appointment
View Profile →