Life Connections

Therapy Intern

March - August 2021 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

The staff was phenomenal! They were friendly and supportive and always willing to offer advice. This office location is very laid back. The clients were great and I had the opportunity to work with the age group I was interested in. I was given needed information to complete school assignments. My field supervisor, Erin, is a rock star as well!

What I wish was different

I wish I was able to have more clients, though this is not the fault of LC, just of the area and it being summer time. I wish there was a little bit more training in therapy techniques but I was able to get solid advice from fellow therapists.

Advice

Make sure you ask for what you need. Don't be afraid to ask for more or less work.

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Therapy Intern

June - November 2021 • Cedar Rapids, IA

What I liked

Life Connections is a fantastic place to receive hands on experience. The therapists are willing to guide, teach, and enhance your internship. Life Connections has a strong telehealth capacity, and is able to connect with staff statewide. This is a growing company which strives to provide top notch mental health services to the state of Iowa.

What I wish was different

Advice

Life Connections provides mental health support to individuals, children, in-home family therapy, couples, people from all walks of life. Life Connections created an environment for the intern to learn and enhance your therapeutic skillset. Invest in this experience and opportunity, you will not be disappointed.

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MFT Intern

July 2021 • Bettendorf, IA

What I liked

I just started my internship last week and so far I really like how all the therapists in the office are so willing to help me and make me feel part of the office family right off the bat.

What I wish was different

I don't have any complaints, I got great training and was given resources to find information when I have questions and in needed personal support from anyone in the office.

Advice

As an intern there can be a lot of stress and tension just trying to figure out what all you need form the school and from the internship site. My piece of advise would be not to stress yourself so much over the details. While it is important to know what you need, the Life Connections team will work with you and help you achieve the needs you have for your school.

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Therapy Intern

August 2020 - May 2021 • Clinton, IA

What I liked

The environment at Life Connections was very welcoming. I was connected with therapists with multiple focused disciplines and varying strengths. Throughout my practicum/internship I was able to observe, co-facilitate, and facilitate therapy sessions in multiple environments. I learned school-based therapy as well as office-based therapy skills. I also had the opportunity to assist in developing policies and procedures for new programming. I was also connected with an MSW supervisor within the agency who was incredibly helpful and went above and beyond to assist me in my growth and learning.

What I wish was different

Anything I was interested in adjusting or suggestions I had, I shared with the Director of Interns and varying adjustments have been made in order to further improve the overall programming.

Advice

Life Connections is a great place for Master Level interns looking to grow and learn within the field of psychotherapy and addiction treatment. The environment is best suited for students who have strengths in time management and are somewhat self-motivated to complete their necessary requirements for graduation.

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Therapy Intern

May 2021 • Bettendorf, IA

What I liked

Life Connections is such a great clinic to grow as a clinician in training! I was hesitant to begin my clinical experience as a graduate student, but my staff and fellow interns have done a wonderful job of making me feel comfortable and at ease with this experience. The tools and resources for interns are easily accessible and truly help interns be successful while taking on a client caseload.

What I wish was different

Advice

One piece of advice is to get to know your colleagues on a personal and professional level. Your fellow interns and supervisors will work with you very closely, so being sure to get to know them can only help your experience!

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Therapy Intern

June 2021 • Anamosa, IA

What I liked

I've enjoyed working as an intern at Life Connections. Everyone that I've worked with has been friendly and professional. They've been very helpful in answering questions, which was important to me since this is my first internship. I have learned a lot in the first few months that I have been at Life Connections through observing different therapists and working on relevant support projects. Overall, I've appreciated my experience working with Life Connections and would definitely recommend Life Connections to others!

What I wish was different

Advice

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Therapy Intern

May 2021 • Cedar Rapids, IA

What I liked

The employees at Life Connections have been very friendly and welcoming. I feel supported and comfortable going to them with any questions I may have. They do a wonderful job on all documentation and I have had plenty of experience working on treatment plans, clinical notes, etc. They provide interns with plenty opportunities to shadow therapists and even have their own clients. It is such a great environment to be a part of!

What I wish was different

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask questions and build connections with the supervisors, employees, and interns. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help out with whatever you may need!

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Therapy Intern

May - December 2021 • Anamosa, IA

What I liked

The other staff at Life Connections were so supportive and helpful. I had positive interactions with all of the other staff in the office and they were so willing to assist me whenever necessary. I got to experience so many different therapy styles and interventions when shadowing all the different therapists, as well as, both school-based therapy and in-office therapy. This is a very supportive, welcoming agency with many great services that truly makes a difference in all areas they serve.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have done this as my second internship, closer to being done with my Masters program. It would have been interesting to see/tour/learn about all the different programs (Substance abuse, BHIS, etc).

Advice

There are so many helpful staff at Life Connections so feel free to ask them questions whenever necessary.

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Intern

May - December 2021 • Dubuque, IA

What I liked

Life Connections in Dubuque, and other office locations, have always been a very welcoming and safe atmosphere since I started in May. All of the therapists/providers were very helpful when it came to teaching me the ropes of how things work at Life Connections. My supervisor has always been open to my thoughts/ideas, as well as answering any question that comes up. The atmosphere makes you feel safe in a sense that anything you say will stay with them and you feel that you can trust them.

What I wish was different

The Dubuque Life Connections is very open minded and is always willing to listen to new ideas and new ways to help improve the office.

Advice

It's very important to make sure that you are hitting the hours that you need. The Life Connections office in Dubuque is more than willing to help you reach your hours, answering any questions you may have, and making sure you are gaining the experience that you need.

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Therapy Intern

May - August 2021 • Dubuque, IA

What I liked

The company has very good documentation which is amazing as an intern because you learn the correct way to document, what needs to be documented, and the time frame that documentation needs to be done in. The company also has a person who is the head of all interns which is important in professional development. The interns meet with this person weekly and it can really help you grow your skillset and talk about the barriers to treatment that are could be happening with a client.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Therapy Intern

January - May 2021 • Bettendorf, IA

What I liked

The Bettendorf Life Connections staff is welcoming and were supportive as I continued to develop my clinical skills as an intern. I was able to observe, facilitate, and co-faciliate sessions with therapists who each have different strengths, styles/theories of counseling, and populations they work with best. The variety of experiences I had during my internship allowed me to learn and grow my therapeutic skillset. Life Connections also does well in connecting with and providing multiple services for the community in which they find themselves.

What I wish was different

The Bettendorf Life Connections staff is supportive and open to suggestions from interns, which is appreciated.

Advice

Be assertive and look/ask for the hours that you need. Therapists at the Bettendorf office, as well as the other Life Connections locations, are helpful in assisting interns obtain the hours and experiences they need (particularly relational hours in my experience as an MFT intern). Also, ask questions when needed because the staff is more than willing to help you in your development as a clinician.

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therapy intern

May 2021 • Clinton, IA

What I liked

Life Connections has been a great company to be apart of. All the employees are kind, caring, welcoming, and dedicated to helping their clients to the best of their ability. The variety of clientele has provided a great opportunity to observe clinicians using different techniques and approaches with the client they are seeing. The therapists are all more than happy to teach interns and provide feedback on learning documentation, writing plans, and assessments. It is a great environment to be apart of.

What I wish was different

I am happy with everything right now as an intern for life connections and am grateful to have this opportunity.

Advice

My advice would be to live in the moment and take everything in that you are learning during your internship. The therapists at Life Connections are excellent and do everything they can to help you learn, succeed, and challenge you to leave your comfort zone. Don't be afraid and ask questions frequently. It is your education and they are happy to help you. Also, do not be afraid to leave your comfort zone!

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