The Charlton School

Psychology Intern

July - August 2019 • Burnt Hills, NY

What I liked

I loved how I was able to get the perspectives of several different jobs on a daily basis. I am also grateful that although was am not qualified to sit in on personal counseling/therapy sessions, I was able to form great relationships with some of the students and get a sense of their backgrounds and why they may have behaved/acted the way they did. Although I didn't contribute to their academic performance directly, I found myself to be a support system for the students and while it was stressful at points, it definitely changed my perspective on many aspects of mental health.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had more of a defined/useful role at the school. The staff expressed that they were grateful to have me around, but when I wasn't sitting in on meetings or group therapy sessions I felt useless.

Advice

With vulnerable populations such as mentally ill high school girls, be careful about how close of a connection you have to them- let them know you are there for them but are not obligated to be available at every second of every day. They need support but also need to learn independence- it's a difficult thing to balance.

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