Internship update

Hey everyone! As I spoke to my Dad yesterday he pointed out that I haven't written a blog in a while. There were some small circumstances where I didn't have the chance to get into the room where our computer was kept for long periods of time and so I apologize for how long it has been since I have updated.

My first update will be of my internship. I will be starting in January at Excelsior which is a residential treatment facility for girls ages 11-20 with extreme behavior disorders. I have 2 orientation days the first week of January and then the 13th will be my first official day! The area I will be working in is called the TLC section. Excelsior offers schooling and living quarters for the girls that have their disorders under control or can function with minimal difficulty. However, the TLC section is like a psych-ward, this is where some of the girls work on controlling their disorders before they can be released into the rest of the facility. It is like a rehabilitation center.

Some of the things that I will be doing there is sitting in on different group counseling sessions for different topics, and I will also be doing some evaluations for the girls that are just arriving at Excelsior. I will also be receiving my own clients, which I must admit is a little scary and exciting all at the same time. My main client load will be girls that suffer from conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and anti-social personality disorder. For about the first month or so I will be working with my supervisor and learning the ropes, but after that I kind of have free rein to do what I want to do. He is going to let me "spread my wings" and experience this amazing opportunity on my own and help me when I need it.

For about 6 months my life is going to be crazy! Starting the 13th I will be working 9-5 every Wednesday at Excelsior and Friday mornings until about noon. I will also be assigned research projects and regular paperwork to understand what the process is like. I will still be trying to work 40 hours a week at Children's so I will be going in there at 6am on the days that I don't work at Excelsior, and most days I will stay late. I may also need to go in on Saturday mornings to cover some hours as well. THEN... every other Tuesday I have my internship class from 5-8ish. It is going to be crazy. Lucky for me I have an amazing supervisor who has worked with me and is helping me figure out how to keep my 40 hours and is also more than willing to let me be gone to finish my Masters degree. She and our director are working on so many projects to keep me busy and finding ways to help me, I couldn't ask for better people to help me with this.

I am hoping to be done with my internship by the end of June but it may be a little longer. I need to have 660 hours and only 280 of that will be direct contact, the rest is all indirect (which is the hardest to get). I was supposed to have a graduation date of May but due to the schedule I need and the credits I need at school I pushed everything back to August to give myself time; although I hope to be done way before that.

This internship is going to be exciting, stressful, intense and full of surprises. I am so nervous but at the same time I can't wait to see what the internship brings. I am already brainstorming ideas to keep my emotions some what low. I know I will be dealing with a lot, just Mon-Fri and it is going to be hard. I will barely see Matt...but in the end of things it will be worth it. As my supervisor/friend keeps telling me "keep your eye on the light at the end of the tunnel." So that's all I can do. After I have started the internship I hope I can find some time to update everyone on how the process is going. Of course I will have my limitations on what I can share but I will do my best. Thanks for listening!