The Kluge Internship in School-Based Mental Health is a program for minority undergraduates at Columbia University. During the academic year, Kluge interns work in conjunction with mental health professionals in various school-based clinics throughout the Washington Heights community.

Under the leadership of Dr. Owen Lewis and the supervision of New York Presbyterian Hospital personnel, the interns not only work closely with students receiving mental health services, they coordinate recreational activities and act as tutors. They also attend team meetings with clinic and school staff during which they are able to provide unique insights into the behavior of their assigned students. At weekly seminars they receive instruction in child development and psychopathology, often taught in the context of “their” cases.

The Kluge interns are an important supplemental resource for the school-based clinics in yet another way. As many come from backgrounds similar to the children with whom they work, they are both inspirations and role models.