Volunteer and Internship
Join the Movement: Volunteer to End Sexual Violence Today
The Sexual Violence Resource Center of the Bluegrass plays a vital role in our community by providing 24-hour crisis intervention for those affected by sexual violence. Volunteering with us is an impactful way to give back to and directly support survivors.
Volunteer Opportunities
As a volunteer, your primary role is to believe and support survivors, honoring their independence and fostering their strength. You'll gain in-depth knowledge of survivor rights, crisis intervention skills, and active listening techniques through our comprehensive, 40-hour training.
Requirements
Pass a criminal and child abuse/neglect background check
Complete our 40-hour training
Be 18 years of age or older
Reside within our 17-county service area
Roles Include
Support Line Advocacy: Offering 24-hour support to survivors and their loved ones. This role also assists staff with community engagement opportunities, office tasks.
Medical Advocacy: Providing guidance and emotional support to survivors seeking medical assistance after experiencing sexual violence.
Internship Opportunities
Now accepting internship applications for Summer and Fall 2026.
We are currently interviewing intern applicants for summer positions. Interviews continue through March 13, 2026.
Special notes for 2026:
· All internships are located in our Lexington office.
· We have limited supervisory capacity for clinical-level interns at this time.
Internship Information
We accept applications for interns of any bachelor’s and graduate degree levels, any major. We strive to provide individualized internship experiences geared towards accomplishing your educational goals while giving you valuable experience in the field.
We have 2 levels of interns. Intern 1s are for all bachelor-level students. Intern 2s are master’s level therapeutic-focused interns who are in advanced clinical practicums like advanced social work or mental health counseling.
Intern 1:
Level: All bachelors-level students, non-clinical-focused master’s students
Major Duties: Medical Advocacy & Support Line Coverage
A primary duty is to help us cover our 24/7 crisis hotline and provide medical advocacy to survivors in the hospital during internship hours. This involves completing the 40-hour training required by law, shadowing more experienced advocates in the field, and then going on your own. Interning with us will teach you how to support folks in crisis in a trauma-informed and caring space, equip you with the skill of advocating, and help lessen the burden of 24/7 on-call coverage for full-time staff.
· Other Advocacy and Prevention Work
In addition to emergency and crisis advocacy, Intern 1s work with our different branches to learn other client-based services. Beginner Interns shadow staff, join staff at trainings and tabling events, help lead school-based lessons, and engage in meaningful projects that meet the needs of the center while fulfilling your educational learning objectives.
Intern 2:
Level: Clinical and therapeutic focused master’s students
Major Duties: Advanced Therapeutic Services
Support therapists in screening new clients, processing client intakes, assisting in group therapy sessions, and other tasks as assigned. You may have the opportunity to oversee a small caseload of clients, though this is not guaranteed. Support other staff in building community partnerships, strengthening existing direct-client services, and initiating short-term programming to help build further client service. You may also have the opportunity to help center staff in training new volunteers and incoming/beginning interns in victim advocacy, though this is not guaranteed.
· Other Advanced Advocacy Services
If you don’t have the crisis advocacy skills and wish to develop them, you can also take on-call hours as part of your internship (see Intern 1 for details).
What you can expect after submitting an application:
Internship applications are processed on a rolling basis. Once submitted, a member of our team will reach out to schedule an interview.
If you have further questions regarding internships, please contact Dr. Amanda Allen at aallen@svrckentucky.org.