Therapists in the making

Before joining Health Care for the Homeless as Registered Nurse Case Manager, Alex James, RN, LMSW, (left) completed a internship under the guidance of Clinical Program Manager II Tammy Montague, PhD, LCSW-C (right).

“I didn’t know that a workplace could be this supportive,” Alex reflects on their internship with supervisor Tammy.

Alex James, RN, LMSW, remembers that many students in their fellowship program wanted to intern at Health Care for the Homeless. “It was my first choice.” 

To become a licensed social worker, Alex and other graduate students need extensive internship experience alongside their coursework. Alex had already spent a few years providing care in the community and in the Emergency Room as a registered nurse. “I really struggled with how homeless patients were treated and how many people didn’t have access to care,” they said. “I think nursing and social work go hand in hand.”

Tammy Montague, PhD, LCSW-C, agreed to oversee one intern from the University of Maryland School of Social Work program, in addition to leading a team of 15 staff. 

“I was looking for someone for our work in supportive housing, especially in seeing clients that have comorbidities—not just homelessness but also mental health or substance use,” Tammy explains. “Alex was a great candidate.” 

From September 2024 through May 2025, Alex spent two days a week as a clinical learner, with support from Tammy and Case Manager Danielle Turner. Alex offered therapy sessions and intensive case management for a caseload of five clients who recently moved into housing. They met people in their homes, at the clinic or at nursing facilities. When a case manager had someone who could benefit from therapy, they introduced the client to Alex. 

Alex learned from Tammy’s direct clinical guidance and her years of experience in the field. “Our goal is to have clients reach self-determination,” says Tammy. “We are experts at services. They are the experts at their lives.” 

As an agency, we partner with Baltimore-area programs to offer training for the next generation of clinicians. In the last year, our staff trained more than 20 future therapists, psychiatrists, doctors and health care leaders. 

This year, we hired Sydney Elliott, LCSW, for a new Clinical Training Specialist role. She helps to onboard staff therapists and oversees development of students in the field. Investing in clinical learners, “makes for a better trained group of new clinicians,” says Sydney. “You never know what kind of new perspectives they will bring. And the more hands-on experience serves them and their future workplaces.” 

Case in point: A few months in, Alex liked the internship so much that they applied for a nursing position and started working non-internship days at Health Care for the Homeless—as a Registered Nurse Case Manager. 

Now graduated and fully licensed, Alex is the one sharing insight with prospective interns. And Tammy passed the student supervision baton to another teammate. 

“Alex can go almost anywhere. I'm really excited for their professional career,” Tammy says. “They're going to change our whole way of thinking.”