Intern, Substance Use Programs & Engagement

National Council Internships

Internships at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing provide recent college graduates or current college students with a limited-term remote experience to grow within a professional area of interest. This internship is a part-time (20 hours/week) opportunity projected to start with a cohort at the National Council on October 1, 2025 and end on April 24, 2026. While this position can be done remotely from anywhere in the U.S., you must primarily work our Washington, D.C. business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

Internship Responsibilities

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is seeking a motivated Intern, Substance Use Programs and Engagement to join its Substance Use Department within the Strategy Office. This position offers a unique opportunity to support national efforts addressing substance use while gaining hands-on experience in program coordination, stakeholder engagement, content development, and event support.

Reporting to the Senior Advisor of Substance Use, the intern will contribute to key initiatives that advance the Council's substance use priorities. Responsibilities span communications, data collection, event planning, and cross-team collaboration. This role is ideal for students or recent graduates passionate about mental health and substance use issues, offering exposure to strategic implementation and member-facing programming. The successful candidate will build practical skills in stakeholder engagement, writing, and project management while contributing to impactful work in the field.

• Co-drafting the Substance Use Monthly newsletter and other communications.
• Supporting stakeholder engagement by reviewing and organizing CRM data on SUD-affiliated members, including referral patterns and coordination history; flagging records for follow-up.
• Assisting with coordination and promotion of events, including Recovery Month activities, webinars, and the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) track at NatCon26.
• Drafting Substance Use Disorder-related content for external platforms and professional audiences.
• Compiling and formatting data for the Monthly CEO Report.
• Supporting project management of deliverables across the SUD portfolio.
• Testing website links, forms, and user flows to ensure functionality and accessibility.
• Pulling and organizing contact information for targeted outreach.
• Taking notes during meetings and preparing concise summaries with follow-up items.
• Conducting focused research on specific substance use topics or legislation as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Current student in a graduate degree program, a fourth-year undergraduate student, or a recent graduate of an undergraduate degree program.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, in addition to ChatGPT and Perplexity AI, including AI Notetaking software (Fathom, Otter AI).
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to write clearly and concisely for various audiences and platforms.
• Basic research skills and the ability to synthesize information from multiple sources.
• Attention to detail, particularly for tasks like maintaining directories and compiling citations.
• Project management and organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn about professional etiquette for speaker coordination and event planning.
• Basic data management skills for tracking press mentions and deliverables.
• Strong interpersonal skills for interacting with speakers, team members, and potentially external stakeholders.
• Adaptability and eagerness to learn about various aspects of substance use strategy and public health communications.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States

Pay & Internship Program Benefits

• All interns are paid $20/hour.
• Remote work: We welcome applicants from all US time zones, with your knowledge that some required meetings and trainings are likely to occur in 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
• 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 mental health and substance use treatment.

Founded in 1969, the National Council is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of more than 3,200 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and the more than 15 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 3 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 240+ 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. We embrace individuals from all backgrounds and perspectives, welcoming people of all races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and ages, as well as veterans, people with disabilities, and those with lived experiences in mental health and substance use challenges to apply. We are committed to fostering a welcoming environment and recruitment process for everyone. If you require accommodation during the application process, please contact us at Recruiter@thenationalcouncil.org.