Intern, Communications for Mental Health First Aid

Internship Summary

Internships at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing provide recent college graduates or current college students with a 12-week remote experience to grow within a professional area of interest. As a National Council intern, you will model our organization values: showing a bias for action, helping shape the future, being a team player, being curious, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

All interns are paid $20/hour. This is a remote, full-time internship projected to start with a spring cohort at the National Council on Wednesday, January 22 and end on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. While this internship can be done remotely from anywhere in the US, you must primarily work during our Washington, DC business hours of 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM ET.

Please note that, in addition to providing a cover letter and resume for this position, we also ask for a writing sample of about 800 words. We recommend submitting an academic paper or professional writing project for this section.

Internship Responsibilities

The Intern will work directly with the Senior Manager, Communications and supporting team to conduct research, create written products, and contribute to general project management and support for a variety of projects, goals and strategies for the Marketing, Communications, and Events team. In particular, the Intern will support Mental Health First Aid initiatives and projects. We seek an individual with a passion for marketing and communications and an interest to learn. Responsibilities include:

• Project management support and coordination using Asana forms and calendars.
• Assist with the development of written content for internal and external communications, including social media posts, blog posts, press quotes, emails and more.
• Assist with national and targeted marketing campaigns in support of Mental Health First Aid.
• Develop and present marketing reports, including social media, email marketing, website, and more.
• Develop and manage brand review process for potential partnerships.
• Support marketing video strategy and development.
• Assist with event planning as needed, including for our annual MHFA Summit.
• Research for special projects assigned.
• Contribute to strategy discussions related to Marketing and Communications projects.
• Participate in professional development opportunities organized for interns, such as virtual meetups with organizational leadership, journal club, peer networking, and other professional development opportunities.
• Other duties as assigned by the Senior Manager, Communications.

Required Qualifications

• Current student (completed at least two full-time years of undergraduate study) or a recent graduate (in the last six months) in an undergraduate or graduate degree program
• Marketing or communications major preferred, not required.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook).
• Proficiency in social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn).
• Attention to detail and excellent proofreading skills.
• Strong work ethic with an enthusiastic, positive attitude, and the highest level of integrity.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others and the desire to be part of a committed team.
• Maintain regular and timely attendance.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to multi-task and meet multiple, simultaneous deadlines.
• Comfortable in fast-paced, virtual working environment.
• Extensive computer usage.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

National Council Internship Program Benefits

• Remote work: We welcome applicants from all US time zones, with your knowledge that some teams may require accommodating US Eastern Time.
• Relias Trainings: Free access to job-relevant trainings
• Mental Health First Aid: Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants how to respond to the signs of mental illness and substance use.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): An employee program that focuses on wellbeing by providing resources and solutions to help you through difficult times.
• Focus Time: Regularly scheduled on our calendars to reduce meeting burnout and give staff the time to focus on work.
• DEI Committee: Thought leadership on issues of social and health equity that affect you, the National Council, our members, and the field.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): 1) The African American and Black group; 2) LGBTQ+ group; 3) Lived Experience Collective (for those living with mental health or substance use challenges); 4) Abled and Disabled Allies Partnering Together (ADAPT); and 5) Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) group
• College Credit: This internship may fulfill college credit requirements in your college program.

About Us

The vision of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing is to make mental wellbeing, including recovery from substance use challenges, a reality for everyone. Despite overwhelming need, nearly 30 million people across the U.S. do not have access to comprehensive, high-quality, affordable mental health and substance use care when they need it.

Founded in 1969, the National Council is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of more than 3,400 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and the more than 10 million children, adults and families they serve. We advocate for policies to ensure equitable access to high-quality services. We build the capacity of mental health and substance use treatment organizations. And we promote greater understanding of mental wellbeing as a core component of comprehensive health and health care. Through our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program, we have trained more than 4 million people in the U.S. to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.

The National Council is growing to meet this moment. With an annual budget of $80 million, we’ve more than doubled our dedicated team to 290+ employees since 2020. Although we have office space in Washington, D.C., we operate as a remote-first organization, with employees working from their various locations across the United States.

The National Council is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is a core organizational value. To this end, we have a DEIB staff committee and multiple Employee Resources Groups (ERGs). We embrace individuals from all backgrounds and perspectives, welcoming people of all races, ethnicities, religions, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, and ages to apply. We also encourage veterans, people with disabilities, and those with lived experiences in mental health and substance use challenges to apply. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment and recruitment process for everyone. If you require accommodation during the application process, please contact us at Recruiter@thenationalcouncil.org.