The first month of working in my social work internships has definitely been a transformative experience. Here’s a little re-cap of my experiences so far with these different organizations.
Tulane Parenting Education Program:
- How are you progressing on your defined leaning goals?
Having defined learning goals for the Parenting Education Program has really helped shape what my experiences have been. I feel like I’ve gained a lot of different perspectives from those working in the different facets of therapy and intervention. I’ve gained a more in-depth understanding of what different types of graduate degrees in psychology can do in terms of what different services each allows you to provide. I have realized that I’m definitely more interested in pursuing an LCSW program, as opposed to a PhD or PsyD, because of my interest in clinical work. Also, I’ve learned about how to administer different forms of psychological assessment to children, such as the Crowell Task, which is something I’ve really enjoyed.
- How are you monitoring your growth (i.e. how do you know you are learning)?
Each week, all of the interns here have been having meetings with our supervisor where we discuss topics like career development and advancements in the field of intervention and assessment that have been really enriching my time here. These meetings have been a really great opportunity to reflect on what we’ve been learning each week and have allowed me to see my internship in the larger context of a career.
- Of what are you most proud right now? Why?
One of my favorite moments here so far was working with Dr. Julie Larrieu in analyzing video tape of a still face procedure administered in our office. I watched the video with her and was able to offer my interpretation of the assessment and hear her critique as well as assist with the clinical write up for the client’s file. She has really helped me develop the language used in clinical reporting and it was really exciting to receive positive feedback for my first attempt. It certainly was a moment where I felt like I have really learned a lot with the program.
- How are you building skills as a result of this internship? How will they be transferable (to academics, future career plans, on/off campus involvement, etc.)?
Working with T-PEP has made me feel very confident that this is the type of work I want to pursue for my career. In terms of skills, I have learned a great deal on how to administer psychological assessments, how to view parent-child interactions from a clinical and diagnostically focused perspective, and how to manage reporting the work being in the program to the agencies (the Department of Child and Family Services) that contract us.
Metropolitan Center for Women and Children:
- How are you progressing on your defined leaning goals?
The best part of working at Metro has been becoming more familiar with the elements of abusive relationships as well as how to identify the warning signs and respond proactively. I am exposed every day to the survivors of violence and feel like I’ve gained a lot of experience helping this population and catering to their specific set of needs.
- How are you monitoring your growth (i.e. how do you know you are learning)?
I’ve been able to reflect on the different skill sets and situations with my supervisor, Smitha Paul, as well as the center’s Child Advocate, Brittney Puyau, throughout my experience here which has really helped me be able to articulate my work at Metro.
- Of what are you most proud right now? Why?
While working with Smitha, I took my first domestic violence crisis call on our hotline, which while being completely nerve wracking, was really exciting. I was able to fully respond to the survivor’s story as well as make my first call sheet report which felt like a huge step toward working with clients on my own. Also, I created a computer system to help with the center’s grant reporting process that I’m excited to pitch to our director.
- How are you building skills as a result of this internship? How will they be transferable (to academics, future career plans, on/off campus involvement, etc.)?
A lot of my time with Metro has been assisting with day-to-day operations in the non-profit sector. I feel like this experience is one that is easily transferred to other non-profit work, in any field. Also, working with the existing technology of an organization in order to create more efficient data communication is a skill that could be utilized in any company or group.
Dr. O’Brien’s Social Psychology Lab:
- How are you progressing on your defined leaning goals?
Working in the lab has definitely given me the most hands on experience in terms of data management and running experiment. I’m about half way done with my first project in the lab which has increased my understanding of data and statistical analysis. Also, I’ve been able to run three participants on my own in an ongoing experiment in the lab, which has been very exciting.
- How are you monitoring your growth (i.e. how do you know you are learning)?
By nature of working continuously on a single project, I can see my progress as the summer goes on. It’s really great to see how my work builds on itself as I continue working with my current data set.
- Of what are you most proud right now? Why?
Running participants by myself was a really awesome experience because I felt like I was directly contributing to a project that is a lot larger than myself. It was exciting to realized that data I directly collected will be most likely used in published research regarding stigma.
- How are you building skills as a result of this internship? How will they be transferable (to academics, future career plans, on/off campus involvement, etc.)?
Again, hands-on experience here I think is the key component of this internship. Having worked in a lab setting, I feel more qualified as someone who can consume and critique research articles than someone who has not. Also, I feel that data management skills are useful in most professional settings in order to promote efficient use of information.