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• Project Area Internships—Fall 2021

  Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA) is seeking to fill several part-time Internship positions to assist on various behavioral health and human services projects for the Fall 2021 semester. Interns will report to a Project Director and will be provided opportunities to learn and contribute to a variety of project responsibilities. High-level supervision/mentorship from project staff is provided for these internships. 

  Projects for which PRA is seeking interns include the following: 

  • SMVF TA Center (Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance Center), which offers training and technical assistance to strengthen and support local and state behavioral health systems serving SMVF addressing issues, including suicide prevention, crisis response, opiate addiction, homelessness, and trauma. The ideal candidate should possess first-hand knowledge of military culture and awareness of the unique needs facing SMVF.  SMVF Intern tasks will include literature reviews, resource archiving, and product development, as well as virtual meeting technology support and overall project support. 
  • SOAR TA Center (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery Technical Assistance Center), a national program designed to increase access to the disability income benefit programs administered by the Social Security Administration for eligible adults and children who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder.  The SOAR Intern will observe and contribute to virtual technical assistance, review SOAR Online Course practice case submissions, communicate with trainees and the SOAR team, and provide general contract support. 
  • SJC TA (Safety and Justice Challenge – Serious Mental Illness Technical Assistance) provides intensive technical assistance to the selected Safety and Justice Challenge jurisdictions that have targeted initiatives for individuals with serious mental illness. The SJC Intern will assist with preparations for IMPACT Network Meetings, as well as general research surrounding topics important to the SJC and related contract support. 
  • MHC (National Mental Health Court [MHC] database) – The MHC Intern will work on updating PRA’s national database of MHCs. Working with senior staff, the intern will undertake a national, multi-modal outreach and reassessment effort with the purpose of gathering the most up-to-date information about the existence and operation of MHCs nationwide. This information will then be used to update PRA’s national MHC database, which is currently housed on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. 
  • Research – The Research intern will provide support to the research team through some research administrative capacity and resource building (e.g., building empirical literature databases, templates, etc.).  

  Requirements  

  • Graduate-level student in a related degree program (e.g., social sciences, social work, public health, public policy, public administration, or associated field.) preferred; senior undergraduate level required. 
  • Some experience, knowledge, and/or significant interest in behavioral health issues, with specific knowledge of topics related to the desired internship placement, such as recovery supports, homelessness and housing, income supports, criminal justice, mental health courts, serious mental illness, and the behavioral health needs of service members, Veterans ,and their families
  • Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work within timelines; and 
  • Excellent writing skills. 

  To be considered for a PRA internship, interested candidates must complete a brief, required survey at https://pra.typeform.com/to/cYiE1WHR and send a cover letter (indicating position title) and resume via email (preferred) to email hidden; JavaScript is required or to Policy Research Associates, 345 Delaware Ave., Delmar, NY 12054, or fax to 518-439-7612. People of color, LGBTQ+ people, gender-nonconforming people, individuals with disabilities, Veterans, and people who speak a language in addition to English are encouraged to apply.    

  A leader in the behavioral health and human services field for over 30 years, PRA is a Woman-Owned Small Business funded by federal and state agencies, national organizations, and foundations. Guided by our company’s mission of “creating positive social change for people and communities through technical assistance, research and training” and our core values of commitment, inclusion, respect, and integrity, PRA conducts research and evaluation; provides technical assistance and training; and plans and facilitates major conferences, meetings, and other knowledge-transfer activities in the behavioral health field. PRA is known for its expertise on behavioral health issues related to juvenile and criminal justice; services for children, adolescents, and their families; recovery supports; service members and veterans; homelessness and housing; and violence.   

  We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, a recipient of the Times Union “Top Workplace” award, an Albany Business Review “Healthiest Employer” and an American Heart Association Silver Level Recognition award winner for Workplace Health Achievement.  
• Co-Director for the Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance Center

  Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA) seeks to fill the following full-time position to join a talented project team working as part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)-funded “Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance Center” (SMVF TA Center).  The SMVF TA Center offers training and technical assistance to military and civilian agencies developing and implementing strategic plans that build behavioral health capacity by implementing best policies and practices.  We are funded by SAMHSA and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide a central mechanism for strengthening behavioral health services and systems working nationally across military, federal, and state agencies and local community planning teams to address issues, such as suicide prevention, opiate addiction, homelessness, and trauma.

  Ideal candidate should possess first-hand knowledge of military culture and awareness of the unique needs facing SMVF.  This may include military Veterans and/or military family members whose lived experience can help inform the SMVF TA Center’s perspective to improve the lives of America’s Service Members, Veterans, and their Families.

  Co-Director for SMVF TA Center

  The successful candidate for the Co-Director position will work closely with the incumbent Project Director to manage and guide the day-to-day TA Center activities, provide staff supervision and support, coordinate with federal funding agencies to develop and carry out the TA Center annual work plan. As one of the leaders of the SMVF TA Center team, the Co-Director will be oversee a diverse and talented group of individuals and ensure that they are successful in their efforts to provide technical assistance for strengthening behavioral health systems for SMVF, including facilitating strategic planning and action planning for the implementation of best policies and practices. This work involves cultivating on-going relationships with policymakers and cross-agency teams and partners, assessing needs, providing training, and disseminating appropriate and timely technical resources. Military experience, military family members, and/or those with knowledge of military culture preferred; behavioral or public health leadership experience, diversity, and recovery values are welcome.

  The SMVF TA Center Co-Director will share the following functions and responsibilities with Project Director:

  • Oversight and guidance for all technical assistance activities
  • Staff supervision as needed
  • Collaboration with project partners, including Project Officers, federal partners, subcontractors, consultants and state and local stakeholders
  • Development, monitoring and adapting of annual project work plan
  • Participation in quarterly budget reviews and monitoring
  • Adherence to program reporting requirements and monitor deliverables for quality assurance
  • Planning and facilitation of onsite or virtual strategic planning and technical assistance for military and civilian interagency behavioral health teams in states and territories
  • Assessment of technical assistance and training needs and monitoring for emerging themes and trends
  • Provision of targeted, culturally appropriate technical assistance or training based on subject matter expertise

  Qualifications

  Education: Master’s degree or higher; preferably in social sciences, social work, public health, public policy, public administration, or related field.

  Experience: Leadership/program experience specific to supporting the behavioral health needs of service members, Veterans and their families is preferred in addition to personal military experience, or experience as a military family member. State, local or program level leadership experience in behavioral/public health or related field, including project management, staff supervision, reporting, etc. Prior work developing and/or implementing behavioral health best practices with diverse populations, training/facilitation, and/or behavioral health research is a plus.

  Skills: Strong leader/manager with solid team building skills, innovative thinker, excellent trainer/facilitator, highly organized and detail-oriented, ability to work well in a fast-paced environment and adapt to change, excellent communication skills (oral and written), proficiency with Microsoft Office software.

  Position is full-time, immediate opening with competitive salary and excellent benefits package.  Remote applicants will be considered.  Significant travel is required.

  Interested candidates must complete a brief survey at https://pra.typeform.com/to/CVZb4YaD and send cover letter (indicating position title) and resume to Policy Research Associates, 345 Delaware Ave., Delmar, NY 12054, fax to 518-439-7612 or email to email hidden; JavaScript is required. People of color, LGBTQ+ people, gender-nonconforming people, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people who speak a language in addition to English are encouraged to apply.

  We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, a recipient of the Times Union “Top Workplace” award, and an American Heart Association Silver Level Recognition award winner for Workplace Health Achievement.
• Internship

  Background

  Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA), a leader in the behavioral health and human services field for over 25 years, is a small business located in Delmar, NY.  Funded by federal and state agencies, national organizations, and foundations, PRA conducts research and evaluation; provides technical assistance and training; and plans and facilitates major conferences, meetings, and other knowledge-transfer activities in the behavioral health field. PRA is known for its expertise on behavioral health issues related to juvenile and criminal justice; co-occurring substance use disorders; services for children, adolescents, and their families; recovery supports; service members and veterans; homelessness and housing; and violence.

  Description of the Internship

  PRA is always interested in hearing from qualified candidates interested in pursuing an internship. The internships typically involve various project tasks in several topical areas, including criminal justice, juvenile justice, recovery supports, and operations.  High-level supervision/mentorship is provided for these internships.

  Requirements

  • Undergraduate or graduate level student in a relevant policy or public health oriented degree program (e.g., sociology, psychology, criminal justice, public health, public policy);
  • Some experience, knowledge and/or significant interest in behavioral health issues, recovery supports, criminal justice, and/or juvenile justice;
  • Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work within timelines; and
  • Excellent writing skills.

  If interested please complete a brief survey at https://pra.typeform.com/to/wNXaDDmU and send a cover letter (indicating position title) and resume to Policy Research Associates, 345 Delaware Ave., Delmar, NY 12054, fax to 518-439-7612 or email to email hidden; JavaScript is required.

  PRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and was selected the Times Union #1 “Top Workplace” for 2018.