Introduction: Say a Little about Yourself!! {by 5/29}
Yes, this is a bit cheesy, but it’s been a while and we need to break the ice. Please answer the following about yourself: (1) Name? (2) Where are you doing your internship (how’s it going?)? (3) What has been your most adaptive coping skill at your internship? (4) What are your thoughts about graduating soon, getting a job, and later getting licensed?
Your original post should be posted by 5/29. Post your two replies no later than 5/31. *Please remember to click the “reply” button when posting a reply. This makes it easier for the reader to follow the blog postings.
*Strong suggestion: Write all your blogs on a separate document. Then, copy and paste it. This will make your life easier and less stressful in case something “wacky” happens with technology.
*Your first post may not immediately appear on my website. I have strong spam filters. So, I may have to approve your first post before it is visible. I should only have to do this once unless you post in a different name and/or email address.
Dr. Adam M Volungis 
May 22, 2025 @ 13:45:55
Discussion for 5/29
My name is Paige Riendeau and I recently completed my clinical internship at Seven Hills Behavioral Health in Worcester. I quite enjoyed the time spent at Seven Hills during internship and plan to join their team full time starting this September once classes wrap up. My most adaptive coping skill that I used during internship was journaling at the end of each day. There were several cases that weighed heavily on my mind, so to avoid bringing that weight into my personal life, I wrote the difficult thoughts and feelings onto paper. This journaling aided in keeping me focused on my work during internship, without bringing the work home with me.
I have many mixed feelings about the near future. I am excited to graduate and grateful that I have a job lined up following graduation, however there are many chapters of my life that must come to a close as a result of this and that has been very bittersweet. In order to start this new journey, I must leave my current place of work, which I love very much. This will also be the first time in twenty years that I will not be in school, which is odd to think about. I look forward to having more time to put into my hobbies, but at the same time feel overwhelmed at the thought of so much unstructured time. In terms of getting my license, I am excited to begin the process of gathering my hours and preparing for the exam. I believe that getting my license will open up many opportunities. Overall, this is a very exciting yet overwhelming time, but I am hoping to make the best of it and finish off this program on a strong note.
May 23, 2025 @ 15:16:45
Hi Paige!
I fully identify with what you mentioned regarding multiple areas of your life coming to a close as we approach graduation and “the real world”. You describing this time as bittersweet perfectly aligns here, as change is often scary yet rewarding in the long run, especially when you are passionate about what you are transitioning into. Your attitude towards this next chapter seems positive and open-minded which is all you can ask for during times of change. You got this and good luck!
May 28, 2025 @ 11:04:21
Hey Paige! It sounds like you had a very meaningful experience at your internship at Seven Hills. It great to hear you will be continuing with Seven Hills in a full-time role. I really liked when you mentioned journaling as a coping skill that you use. I understand how hard it can be to carry the emotional weight of clinical work, and it’s clear you’ve developed a healthy strategy to protect your well-being while staying present for your clients. I get why you would have a mix of emotions after such a huge transition. Your ability to acknowledge both the excitement and the uncertainty is a strength—and a sign that you’re truly ready for this next chapter. Wishing you all the best as you close out the program and begin your journey as a licensed clinician.
May 28, 2025 @ 20:26:22
Hi Paige,
Congratulations about your upcoming full-time position at Seven Hills! It’s awesome that you’re able to stay there for your first job after grad school.
I completely agree with your sentiment about no longer having the role as a “student” after this semester. This is something that I was also thinking about mentioning in my own response. Acclimating to the work/life balance without the added component of school and studying will be a welcome reprieve for me, but also one that may take a while to adjust to at first!
May 23, 2025 @ 15:10:49
Hi everyone!! It’s been a hot minute since we have been together, and I am happy to reunite with you all! My name is Angela, and I just completed my internship at Spectrum Health Systems. Interning at Spectrum has been such an amazing experience, as I have always been interested in working with individuals diagnosed with a SUD, specifically OUD, and the team I worked with was extremely welcoming and professional. It has been really nice to reflect and see how much I have grown since starting internship to now completing it. I think my most adaptive coping skill at my internship site was setting firm boundaries with myself. Meaning, when I leave for the day, I also mentally check-out (oftentimes I will watch a guided mediation on YouTube). I am sure all of us understand that we work with individuals who have a lot going on and/or have been through some rough times; therefore, it has been important for me to leave everything “at work” and try my best to not take anything home with me. My thoughts about graduating and getting licensed are nothing short of positive. I believe this program has set me up for success; therefore, I feel well equipped and excited to hop into my next chapter and start studying for the LMHC exam (yikes!!). Regarding my thoughts on getting a job, I am happy to share that Spectrum offered me a full-time position as a clinician once I graduate and I accepted!
May 27, 2025 @ 10:43:12
Hi Angela, it is so great to hear that you enjoyed your internship, working with SUD and OUD sound really interesting. I have not had this experience myself and would love to know more about the work you did with this population. Congratulations on your full-time position with Spectrum, I hope it is everything you’re looking for! I appreciate your effort to separate work and your personal life, as that was something incredibly important to me as well. I am glad that you have such a positive outlook on your future, you’re going to do great things!
May 28, 2025 @ 10:36:10
this is Paige, idk why it gave me a weird username
May 28, 2025 @ 10:56:11
Hi Angela! A huge congratulations on completing your internship and accepting a full-time position at Spectrum—that’s such exciting news and so well deserved! It’s clear how passionate you are about working with individuals with SUD, and I’m so glad you found a team that aligns with your goals. I also found Ienjoyed working with individuals with SUD so I can understand although it can be challenging its very rewarding. I really appreciated what you said about setting firm boundaries and using guided meditation to mentally check out after work. That’s such an important skill in our field, and definitely something I’ve been working on as well. It’s inspiring to hear how confident and ready you feel stepping into this next chapter. Wishing you all the best in the summer sessions of classes.
May 28, 2025 @ 22:35:29
Hi Angela! It’s wonderful to hear you had a good experience at Spectrum. I’ve been considering applying to work there after graduation so maybe we can have a chat at some point about your experience. CHL doesn’t take clients with primary diagnoses of SUDS so my experience has mostly been limited to individuals further along in their recovery process. It would be great to get more experience in that area. As for your your coping strategy, my main one is the same! It has been incredibly helpful to mentally check out after working with clients, particularly on days when I was working with clients with PTSD.
May 31, 2025 @ 14:45:31
Hi Angela!
Congrats on your full-time position at Spectrum! That is so exciting!! I really hope it goes wonderful as you transition over!
I also wanted to praise you on your adaptive skill! The balanced you had to leave work at work, is such a great skill to have and I can see how helpful it was for you. This unfortunately is a skill that I struggled with while being at internship, and something I still need to practice. I liked how you watched a mindfulness video after work and found that grounding, I definitely need to give this a try!
May 26, 2025 @ 20:11:45
Hello Everyone, I hope all is well! 😊
My name is Rachel.
I just completed my internship a few weeks ago. I did my internship with Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health working in a 1:3 Community Group Home in Rutland working with clients aged 14-22. I enjoyed working with my clients and had an amazing milieu to work with as well.
The most adaptive coping strategy for internship for me was just doing one small thing for myself each day and setting firm boundaries. I worked a full time job as a case manager throughout my internship and serve on our board for inclusion, service, and belonging at my job as well. Balancing internship, full time work, and classes was definitely stressful at times. Having firm boundaries helped me leave work at work, and internship at internship. Protecting my time that I did have for myself allowed me to do something for myself in the midst of my busy schedule. As clinicians or anyone working in healthcare in general, self care and boundaries are important so we can give the best care possible. Doing something for myself each day in the midst of the busy schedule was very helpful for me, and helped me become more adept at taking time to relax.
I walked as a degree in progress student this past week which was such an amazing experience. This is my last semester, I just have this course, research, and my oral exam scheduled next week (screams internally). I am excited but also admittedly anxious about being done with school. I have an offer to stay at my current company where I have been for 3 years to work as a clinician (I am currently a case manager), but I am exploring my options.
I have never not been in school, so this being my last semester means the end of a chapter (for now). I started in this program during the summer of 2022. I had two weeks off in between finishing undergrad and starting here. I am sad to be done with school but excited to learn some new hobbies and travel. I have some trips planned for August & September. I have thought about continuing my education and getting a second masters in ABA or Public Health, but will take some time off before doing so. I am excited to begin working as a clinician and work towards getting licensed. I do know that I want to work with kids and families, either in a residential or school setting. I currently work at a special education program where I have been for 3 years, and I love the setting. I also loved working in residential for my internship. I am excited to see what comes next.
Hope it is a great semester! 🙂
May 28, 2025 @ 12:03:04
Hi Rachel,
It’s great to hear that you enjoyed working at your internship! You bring up a great point about scheduling time each day to do something for yourself. Especially when life can get really busy with different responsibilities, it can be challenging to do something for ourselves. As you mentioned, only doing work at work is very important for creating a work-life balance. Additionally, making it a routine can make it feel easier to schedule in time for self care. In regard to school, I feel the same. I also went right into this program after my bachelor’s. Even though I’ll be done in the fall, it’s going to feel different not having classes after that. I agree that this next chapter will hopefully allow us to have a little bit more time to explore other areas of self care like hobbies and allow us to focus fully on our careers.
Also, good luck on your oral exam!!!
May 28, 2025 @ 14:32:31
Hi Rachel! Congrats on everything you are so close! I really relate to your point about experiencing what it is like to not be in school for the first time and I think getting a chance to explore some of your own interests and hobbies and creating those healthy separations between work and home is a journey I am also looking forward to getting to explore. I think that is part of my own mixed feelings of overwhelm and excitement towards the future of okay now what do we do with this time !
May 27, 2025 @ 10:44:12
This is Paige btw
May 28, 2025 @ 09:00:44
Hi everyone! For those who may not know me my names Mariana! I just completed my internship at Spectrum Health Systems in Worcester. I really enjoyed my experience at my internship as it allowed me to become more confident and apply the tools and techniques I learned. When I started my internship, I was really anxious and hesitant to run groups but with practice and great teachers I became really comfortable and actually enjoy them now. I continue to work at Spectrum Health Systems and plan to transition to a full time clinician after this semester. Adaptive coping strategies that helped me survive over the last year included time management. All my friends laugh at me because I put every plan into my calendar, but I was very strategic on what I did or did not participate in. It meant setting a lot of boundaries and learning to say no to things in order to take care of myself and my priorities. Sleep hygiene and exercise were also big ones for me. I love my sleep and really tried my best to make sure I was getting enough sleep each night to be prepared for the next day (it wasn’t always successful, but we tried). Exercise was a challenging thing to continue depending on the semester especially the ones I was taking 4 classes in but I know I feel good when I work out so I worked on setting realistic goals each week on how many times I would work out with the minimum being 2x a week and I have been able to maintain that.
Regarding graduating soon, I just can’t wait! I participated in the graduate commencement last week as a degree in progress so that was amazing. I’m ready to close this chapter and put a focus on my career while also having so much more free time and less stress (hopefully). I plan to continue at Spectrum Health Systems post grad as I feel confident that I will obtain all my hours for licensure. I am lucky to work alongside a lot of Assumption Alumni that have received or are working towards licensure who have already provided me with resources, tools, and tips for licensure that I have made note of. Overall, I am really excited for the next steps!
May 28, 2025 @ 10:40:23
Hi Mariana,
I’m glad to hear that you had such a good experience with your internship and that you feel more confident as a result of your experience. Congratulations on your post grad position with Spectrum, I am sure you will continue to do great work with them!
I think it is really cool that you were able to manage your time so effectively throughout the last year. Prioritizing time for yourself as well as self care through the gym and such is soooo important. It sounds like you found a way to do a little bit of everything with your time and that is a skill I hope to develop further for myself. I look forward to seeing you in class!
May 28, 2025 @ 19:40:32
Hey Mariana! I loved that you put every plan on your calendar. Calendars and planners are such an easy way to stay organized and I wish I had utilized these tools a bit more over the past year. Classes, internship, and life in general got pretty hectic at times, but it sounds like you had some great ways to stay afloat and keep pushing through! I’m definitely going to be taking some notes from you and trying the planner this semester.
May 28, 2025 @ 10:53:52
My name is William Ritacco I just finished up my internship at community health link in Worcester, Massachusetts. I enjoyed my time at CHL and was offered a position when I graduate. I learned a lot about some of the struggles people encounter when having troubles with addiction. As I worked at the TSS which stands for transitional support services, one adaptive coping skill I learned during my internship was to set firm boundaries between your work and your personal life. I found it really important to create a more structured routine which in turn protected my mental and emotional energy. To do this, I would use mindfulness techniques in between my sessions, as well as talk to my supervisor to debrief when I need to and these practices help me stay present with my clients while preventing myself from burnout and maintaining my own mental health throughout the internship. I am excited to be graduating soon. I already have a job lined up. I am a bit nervous about taking the exam to get licensed, but I always get nervous for tests so that is pretty normal for me. I really look forward to settling in and working with clients since I have left my internship. I already miss working with the people I was working with. I am still working there on a per diem basis, but I wish I could be there more.
May 28, 2025 @ 11:39:14
Hi William,
It sounds like you learned a lot from your internship and it’s great that they offered you a position! You mentioned working with clients who struggled with addiction, did you know that this was a population you wanted to work with going into this internship? You also bring up an important point about setting boundaries. This is something that is really stressed, given the nature of this field and how easy it is to feel burnt out. It’s great to hear that you were able to have the support of your supervisor to debrief about sessions. Do you know if you’ll have the same supervisor once you graduate?
May 28, 2025 @ 17:09:00
Billy! That’s so awesome that you have a job lined up!! It sounds like you had a good relationship with the folks you worked with, which makes all the difference when it comes to work. When it’s time to study for the licensure exam, let me know. I’m great company … horrible study partner, but great company!
May 28, 2025 @ 11:16:41
Hi everyone, my name is Alyson. I recently completed my internship at Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services (SYFS). I enjoyed my time at SYFS, albeit challenging at times, working with different populations ranging from 8- 54 years old. I was able to do a secondary placement at Grafton Job Corps where the population was more diverse in regards to complex trauma histories and backgrounds. These clients often needed more coordination of care and had more chronic symptom presentation. I also really enjoyed working with those in my cohort at SYFS. There were multiple learning opportunities regarding trainings and meeting individuals who worked in different areas of the field.
My most adaptive coping skill at my internship was time management. Scheduling time at the clinic for working on documentation, preparing for sessions and case presentations, note taking, and homework helped me to feel less overwhelmed outside the clinic and make time for other responsibilities.
In regard to graduating soon, I’m definitely looking forward to it. I feel a bit stressed as I’m anticipating, and have heard from those in the field, that the workload post graduation will take time to adjust to. However, I feel like this program has helped me better prepare for what will be expected of me in my future jobs. Similar to what my peers have shared, it feels like an exciting and stressful time.
May 28, 2025 @ 19:09:08
Hi Alyson! I definitely agree with your point regarding time management and scheduling time to complete the collateral work for internship into the work day. Sometimes the paperwork could pile up, so it was important to stay on top of it! I also enjoyed collaborating with our cohort at SYFS and learning from our peers. 🙂
May 28, 2025 @ 20:38:39
Hi Alyson,
Congratulations on what sounds like a successful internship experience! It’s awesome that you were able to work with a wide range of ages and presenting problems.
Time management and scheduling is such an important and underrated ability that really makes a world of a difference when implemented effectively. It sounds like you were able to figure out what worked best for you in terms of completing all of your tasks before the end of the day, which is awesome! I had a similar method of mapping out my responsibilities across different blocks of time, both when I was in and out of office, so your mention of this skill especially resonated with me.
May 28, 2025 @ 12:30:47
Hi everyone! My name is Lindsey Guyton and I am currently in my final semester here at Assumption. I just finished up my internship at Arbour Counseling Services in Worcester a few weeks ago, which was an absolutely invaluable experience for my professional development. I had the opportunity to work as an outpatient therapist for children, teens, and adults with a variety of clinical presentations. During my time there, I worked on many unique cases that allowed me to gain experience with a variety of aspects of my position that I had previously thought I wouldn’t encounter until I was much further along in my career. With that being said, some days were much more demanding than others and would have been incredibly difficult to navigate without the use of adaptive coping skills. The most effective coping skill for me by far was remembering to truly separate myself from the position once the workday was done and on days when I wasn’t scheduled to work. This was difficult at first, since I was very enthusiastic about the job and wanted to go the extra mile to assist my clients, but I became much more skilled at remembering to take time for myself when I was preoccupied with my caseload. I did this in a variety of ways, but engaging in physical activity and listening to music were my top two self-care strategies for recharging and decompressing after a long day.
The fact that I will be graduating in about three months and starting a new job shortly after is incredibly surreal, to say the least. I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on these past two years and acknowledging how the knowledge and experience I’ve gained has been so beneficial to my professional development as an aspiring LMHC. Now that I’m nearing the end of my graduate education, I am ecstatic to begin studying for the licensure exam, working a new job and getting my hours, and continuing to apply what I’ve been studying and working towards in school to practical situations with clients of my own. I’m also looking forward to what this semester has in store, as I am taking many classes that I believe will serve me well in terms of enriching my clinical experience before my graduate experience concludes.
May 28, 2025 @ 14:25:11
Hi Lindsey! I completely agree with your point regarding creating that healthy separation and balance once the work day is complete. I think it is so important to set those boundaries for yourself to be able to check in about what things are sticking with us a little extra, and to then be able to share those things in places like supervision. I think it was definitely a learning curve to be able to switch work brain off, but definitely an important boundary to set.
May 28, 2025 @ 17:22:31
Hey Lindsey,
I’m happy to hear to you had such a wonderful internship experience. Your point about making sure you separate yourself from your work at the end the day was especially poignant given the context. When individuals are invested and enthusiastic about their work, taking time for themselves can often be overlooked and can lead to burnout. I hear you on the surrealness of it all – it’s good to hear you’ve been taking time to reflect on the journey so far.
May 28, 2025 @ 14:20:31
Hello everyone my name is Bella Conary and I recently just wrapped up my internship working in the adult outpatient at Community Health Link here in Worcester. It was a really awesome opportunity and something that I really valued in adult outpatient was getting to experience working with a variety of ages with my younger clients being 26 or so and even having the opportunity to work with a client who was 83. I also appreciated getting to really build a rapport and do some good collaborative work over the course of the year. I think my most adaptive coping skill at my internship overall was establishing a sense of routine with myself, particularly incorporating some meditating and breathing exercises into my wind down for nighttime as I found it was a a great way to help ease the mind and to queue to myself that it was time to relax and wind down, and helped me to maintain balance within my own headspace. Having a set routine and maintaining good sleep was super important to feeling rested and being able to show up at my best for work as well.
When it comes to thinking about graduating soon and getting a job and everything the future brings I am feeling both overwhelmed but also excited. Time really has flown by within the program and I cannot believe my time is coming to an end, but when I think back there has been so much learning that has happened that I feel equipped for what the future has to offer. I think transitions can always feel a bit overwhelming, especially as we are stepping out of school and into the helping world, but I am confident that we have all put so much work to get where we are and I am excited to be able to continue doing the work!
May 28, 2025 @ 19:17:25
Hi Bella! congrats on finishing your internship! I also found that good sleep hygiene was helpful in internship. Getting enough sleep made a big difference for me as well and making time for this is important. Practicing meditation was helpful for me as well to help me wind down and get any cases I had been thinking about out of my mind. I also feel that time has flown by in the program, but that we’ve also learned so much!
May 28, 2025 @ 22:37:30
Hi Bella! It was great working with you at CHL. What you said about developing a routine is very true and also not easy! I know I often start off with a solid routine at the beginning of the semester but struggle with following through as things get busier. With internship this was really something that I had to work on. Something that I know we’ve talked about before is how often we find ourselves staying up late to catch up on lost free time when we’re really busy!
May 28, 2025 @ 14:28:07
( I’m not sure why this comment showed up without my name above) Hi Lindsey! I completely agree with your point regarding creating that healthy separation and balance once the work day is complete. I think it is so important to set those boundaries for yourself to be able to check in about what things are sticking with us a little extra, and to then be able to share those things in places like supervision. I think it was definitely a learning curve to be able to switch work brain off, but definitely an important boundary to set.
May 28, 2025 @ 16:49:56
Hello folks, my name is Yuri. Some people have called me Dimitr (Dim-eater) though.
I just finished up my internship at WPI’s student development and counseling center. It was awesome to say the least! I got to confirm my interest in wanting to work with young adults in a transitionary stage of life.
My most adaptive coping skill was taking time for myself during the day to go on some mindfulness walks. I enjoyed casually strolling up and down the hilly streets of WPI, exploring the campus, taking account of the interesting architecture and landscape as I walked to purchase an overpriced latte that I would nurse the rest of the day.
I try not to think too far ahead. You know, live in the moment, carpe diem and so on. I still have one class to go in the fall, so graduation is out of sight, out of mind. Just mentally preparing to start considering the idea of practicing for my oral exam right now. Baby steps. Getting a job has been on my mind though … this life ain’t easy when you’re broke, sis. I think I would like to continue in a college counseling setting while I get my licensure hours, but eventually my goal is to go into private practice.
May 28, 2025 @ 16:49:57
Hello folks, my name is Yuri. Some people have called me Dimitr (Dim-eater) though.
I just finished up my internship at WPI’s student development and counseling center. It was awesome to say the least! I got to confirm my interest in wanting to work with young adults in a transitionary stage of life.
My most adaptive coping skill was taking time for myself during the day to go on some mindfulness walks. I enjoyed casually strolling up and down the hilly streets of WPI, exploring the campus, taking account of the interesting architecture and landscape as I walked to purchase an overpriced latte that I would nurse the rest of the day.
I try not to think too far ahead. You know, live in the moment, carpe diem and so on. I still have one class to go in the fall, so graduation is out of sight, out of mind. Just mentally preparing to start considering the idea of practicing for my oral exam right now. Baby steps. Getting a job has been on my mind though … this life ain’t easy when you’re broke, sis. I think I would like to continue in a college counseling setting while I get my licensure hours, but eventually my goal is to go into private practice.
May 28, 2025 @ 19:27:08
Hello Dimitr,
Its awesome to hear that you loved your internship and have found the population you want to work with. A good latte and stroll sounds lovely. Sometimes you need to spend some money and time on yourself.
May 28, 2025 @ 17:26:34
Hi everyone! My name is Katie Aiken. I just recently completed my internship at Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services and I very much enjoyed my time there. I have always wanted to work with children, and I found the experience very rewarding. I feel accomplished in successfully engaging young children and working with them through various interventions. My most adaptive coping skill throughout my internship was journaling about my thoughts on a daily basis. I found it helpful to write down various positive feedback clients, supervisors, and peers have given me as well.
I am excited for the future and to get a full-time job. I am excited for a new chapter in my life in which I can focus on hobbies and have only one “thing” going on in my life. I feel as though for the past few years I have been juggling so many “things”; Part-time job, internship, schoolwork, class, etc. So it is a nice thought to have one primary job to dedicate myself to. I am excited for continued clinical experience with children and families as I work toward licensure, and I am also excited to work with a supervisor to enhance these skills as well.
May 28, 2025 @ 19:44:20
Hey Katie! I love the idea of journaling down the positive feedback that your clients, coworkers, and supervisors give you. I think when things get tough and when I am approaching burnout, it is easy for me to get down on myself and forget all of the great feedback I have been given. I will definitely be trying this in the future!
I also can’t wait to only have “one primary thing” to be concerned with as I feel I have sacrificed a lot of leisure and downtime throughout grad school to focus on academics. Looking back, I am regretting not having more of a balance. Hopefully less priorities means that this balance is easier to find in the future!
May 28, 2025 @ 20:21:29
Hi Katie!
It is great that you found your experience rewarding and were able to work with children as you wanted. Journaling is a great idea! we often recommend it to clients, but we dont do it ourselves. It is also interesting how you chose to write down the positives, so you now have a record of positive feedback that you can reflect on!
May 31, 2025 @ 15:03:10
Hi Katie,
Congrats on finishing your internship! I can definitely see your passion in supporting children and families, one of my passions too!
I wanted to point out your journaling and writing down positive feedback/comments that your clients/supervisors/peers have stated to you. I love this idea! I would journal from time to time but never stayed consistent. I defiantly want to incorporate this back into my daily routine again as it also helps me clear my mind.
Also, I loved how you incorporated the positive feedback that you received into your journaling. I did something similar! Though I did not write it in a journal, but I had this small like “altoids” can with a small notepad and a pencil inside, and I got to write whenever my clients, supervisor, peer stated something positive, and placed it back inside the can, to later look back on. Often times are work can be tough, and I know for myself, there were times I even questioned if I was ever doing enough, so doing this was defiantly a great reminder to look back on. Thank you for sharing this, because I think many of us should do this!
May 28, 2025 @ 18:36:19
My name is Ashleigh Keller. I recently finished my internship at Attention Behavior and Cognition in Holden. I enjoyed my experience and gained a lot of confidence working with children and adolescents. My most adaptive skill has been the ability to compartmentalize. I found it difficult to leave internship at internship and found myself constantly thinking about clients and their needs. I have learned to let go of what has happened and let myself fully enjoy my personal time. I have thrown myself into hobbies such as crocheting, watching tv, and have started a veggie garden that I am quite invested in. Doing these things when I get home allows me to be productive, but mindful as well. I am very excited to be done with school (hopefully forever), and I will be working at my internship full time come September. I am anticipating the oral exam in a month and plan to take the licensure exam as soon as possible.
May 29, 2025 @ 11:31:40
Hi Ashleigh K,
Congratulations on your internship completion! I like how you separate your internship and personal life by engaging in activities such as crocheting, watching TV, and starting a vegetable garden. I believe doing things like that is definitely beneficial for your overall well-being, as you experienced.
I also really enjoy gardening. It is interesting to see a new life growing through the taking care of our small hands. Thank you for sharing!
May 28, 2025 @ 19:35:59
Hey guys! My name is Taylor, and I am so excited to be in this class with you all!
I recently completed my internship at Community Healthlink’s Adult Outpatient Program in Worcester. I really enjoyed my time here and wish I could have stayed. I feel like I built a lot of strong connections with my clients and was able to help them make progress toward their treatment goals, especially my clients who were in my DBT group. Getting to be a part of a DBT team was one of the highlights of my internship!
My most adaptive coping skill at my internship was to take a moment between sessions to pause and sit with my feelings. I tried to come from a place of curiosity and understanding to validate my own emotions and put a sort of “bookmark” in them for later. Working with a few of my clients meant weekly fires that needed to be put out and a lot of chaos, so I would also myself to make space for my own thoughts and emotions before moving into the next session. I feel like I need to strengthen my adaptive coping skills because I often found that having a lack of structure when there were assignments or when I was feeling homesick drove me closer to feeling burnt out.
Other than that, I am really excited to graduate soon and head back to Texas. I have really enjoyed my time here and believe my experiences will truly benefit me and my future clients. I am a bit nervous about networking and finding a job and getting licensed because there is a bit less structure there. Right now, and throughout my academic career, there was always a clear path and specific “next steps” to follow, but now there’s a bit more ambiguity which has been making me nervous.
May 29, 2025 @ 11:21:29
Hi Taylor,
Congrats on your internship. It is wonderful to hear that you enjoyed working in the DBT group. I believe you have gained a lot of experience from that, and your clients benefited from the support. It is amazing! I like that your adaptive coping skill was taking a moment between sessions to pause and sit with my feelings. I believe it helps us to enter the next session more grounded and emotionally available. Also, even a short break can encourage more in-depth clinical reflection by enabling us to think about what worked, what didn’t work, and what we might need to follow up on. Thank you for sharing!
May 28, 2025 @ 22:34:26
Hi all! I’m Meghan Guittar and I just finished my internship at Community Healthlink doing adult outpatient treatment. I’m very happy with how my internship went. I got experience working with quite a wide variety of clients. I worked with clients aged 20-70. I mostly worked with individuals with PTSD and schizoaffective disorder. The majority of my clients had comorbid SUDs. I appreciated having a chance to do manualized treatment while also learning how to adapt to meet clients where they were at.
The most adaptive coping skill I developed was setting boundaries around work. I would mentally “check-in” and “check-out” of internship each day. Once I put on my badge and clocked in, I avoided doing personal tasks (like homework or paying bills) when i had downtime. On breaks, I’d either converse with a coworker, read a book, or listen to music. At the end of the day, as soon as I clocked out, I’d log out of my email and do my best to not think about work until the next shift. If I had an idea or something I realized I needed to do, I’d write it down and handle it the next workday.
I’m feeling a bit conflicted about graduating soon. On one hand, I’m very excited to have more free time and getting a full-time job in the field. On the other hand, I’m really not looking forward to having to getting paid lower wages while unlicensed and trying to find a job that’s a good fit for me. I’ve been in school full-time for almost 20 years so not having classes or homework will probably feel pretty strange at first. I frankly haven’t thought much about obtaining licensure outside of looking at the requirements for the state I plan to move to.
May 29, 2025 @ 09:11:47
Hi Meghan!
Congratulations on finishing your internship, woohoo!! It is nice to hear that you had a positive internship experience! I really appreciate your comment on how after being in school for 20 years, to now approaching completing school and graduating, leaves you feeling a bit strange. I think this is so understandable and something you are not alone on! It is so common for big transitional periods of our lives leaving us feeling uneasy and unsure. Also, reading our classmates responses surely confirms that many of us share this same feeling. I am confident you are going to accomplish amazing things in your future, especially once you adjust to your “new norm”. Great job and congrats!
May 29, 2025 @ 11:00:31
Hi everyone,
My name is Han. I completed my internship at the Counseling and Assessment Clinic of Worcester, LLC. I truly enjoyed my time there, and it was an incredible blessing to learn from my colleagues and work directly with my clients. Particularly, I had the opportunity to work with diverse clients with different backgrounds and various mental health issues.
The most adaptive coping skill I utilized during my internship was practicing gratitude exercises. I found that the practice of living with gratitude is a powerful tool, as it helps me see that life is a gift. During my internship time, I am grateful for everyone I meet and every client I have helped on their journey. This enabled me to balance between doing my job as a therapist and my personal life. Besides practicing gratitude exercises, I enjoy spending time in nature, which always boosts my physical and mental well-being.
Time passes so quickly that I will be graduating soon. My thought is that I am truly blessed to study here at Assumption University, and I am profoundly grateful to my professors, friends, and everyone I have met here at AU. I am excited about the next adventure that God and my congregation will have for me.
May 29, 2025 @ 12:55:16
Hi everyone,
My name is Melanie Bonilla, and I recently completed my internship at Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health as a Day School Clinician. Working at Devereux gave me the opportunity to work closely with children and families, which is something I’m truly passionate about. However, I was exposed to the side of clinical work that I was not expecting or ready to experience. As a grad student, I was expecting to spent more time doing worksheets and talk therapy since this was what we would do in classes and seminars. But my internship was heavily focused on crisis management, since most of my residential clients were experiencing crisis related to family, academics, identity and personal needs, which taught me strong crisis management skills that would be helpful in my future.
One of my most adaptive coping skills during internship was taking evening walks. This gave me the space to reflect on the day, listen to worship music, and enjoy the peace from nature, as it helps ground me.
I am really looking forward to finishing my classes in August. I am excited to shift my focus from doing school work and assignments to building my career and planning my future. I am currently in the process of searching for full-time positions, and while there are some challenges, I feel hopeful and excited for the future as LMHC.
May 29, 2025 @ 16:40:37
Hi Melanie,
Congrats on finishing your internship! I can definitely relate to how there were aspects of our internships that were not necessarily expected. There is only so much that can be learned within the classroom since we cannot always account for everything and I am glad we had these experiences to learn the different nuances within the field. It sounds like you have gained invaluable knowledge from your placement and I can hear how passionate you are about working with children and families. Also, as the weather gets warmer, I will definitely be enjoying evening walks too – it’s so nice like you said just taking in the peace of nature.
May 29, 2025 @ 13:26:46
Hi everyone! My name is Ashley for those of you who may not know me! This class and CBT for anxiety and depression are my last two classes before getting my diploma in August. I recently finished up my internship at Seven Hills Behavioral Health as an Outpatient clinician out of the Gold Star Boulevard location in Worcester. At my internship I saw clients between the ages of 3 and 22, as well a their families when applicable. I enjoyed this internship very much. For starters, I love working with kids and was thrilled to get more experience with this age group in a clinical setting. I found that the staff was very supportive and that I was able to utilize what I was learning in the program in my therapeutic practice. Moving forward, I accepted a position as an outpatient clinician at Norwood Behavioral Health as it is closer to my new apartment in Boston for September. I will be seeing a very similar population to that of my internship and am looking forward to expanding my knowledge and expertise in the field. As I already walked at the graduation ceremony last week, I am looking forward to completing my oral exam next month and and finishing up my last few credits this summer! I plan to start preparing for the LMHC exam as well this summer. My internship and this program has made me confident in entering my new position in September and beginning my hours toward licensure!
The most effective coping skill I used during internship was doing yoga or meditating at night. This was helpful for me to wind down and slow my body down before bed. Oftentimes after internship I found that I was running around trying to complete tasks and was unable to relax before bed, making it difficult to sleep. When I got home I tried to take a few minutes to sit, stretch, and take some deep breaths with relaxing music on. This allowed me to slow down and clear my mind of racing thoughts after a long day.
May 29, 2025 @ 16:31:00
Hi Ashley,
Congratulations on completing your internship! I am glad to hear you had such an amazing experience at your placement. As someone who worked primarily with adults, hearing your experience working with children and families was interesting. It sounds like you have gained invaluable knowledge from this experience and will be highly prepared for your new position! Also, definitely inspired to get back into yoga/meditating, I have not in a while, but I resonated with what you had said – it’s a great way to wind down at the end of the day and super relaxing.
May 29, 2025 @ 14:37:35
Hi everyone!! It’s Maura. I haven’t been in class with most of you all in a while, and I’m excited to see everyone again. I just wrapped up my Internship at Youth Villages Intercept Program. I loved it. I was able to gain so much experience working with families, many of them in dire situations, really in need of support. The work we did was oriented around stabilization of the family unit and the identified child in the referral, but I was able to connect with various family members in the cases that i carried, and this was such a unique experience.
Our work at YV is intense, we see families who are referred either by their DCF team, DMH via the ER or whose children have court involvement. Oftentimes these cases come into treatment with stories of trauma we could not even imagine on our own. This kind of work often weighed heavy on me and I found myself leaving my work day still thinking about the youth and families i worked with. In order to keep myself well, I made sure that i had a clear distinction between work and home. If i were to do work at home, i was doing it in my office space (a tiny room off of my garage, LOL) that i made cozy and personal to me, where i could be most productive. Having time in my own space and with my partner that was free from my work overturning into life, was so important to me. I made sure that i spent time with friends and loved ones whenever possible outside of work hours.
Personally, I cannot wait to graduate. I feel as though we have all been working hard for ages for this time, and we all deserve it. I have nerves about studying for and passing the licensure exam, but ultimately know that i will be able to get it. I know that i will be staying at Youth Villages once i complete my masters, so for me, i am not too nervous about job searching. I do have big dreams for my future though and am so eager to learn all there is to know about private practice and other areas we can expand our knowledge in. I like the work i do, and that i did in internship, but know that it wont be sustainable for me forever and look forward to this class, where we are all going to be picturing what our future looks like after we accomplish our Masters education.
May 31, 2025 @ 22:12:30
Hello Maura,
Hello Maura,
I enjoyed reading your post! I especially loved reading about your internship experience. It sounds like your placement really emphasized not just the individual level of the client, but systems as well such as the family, DCF, DMH, etc. As clinicians in training it is super important to focus on both our individuals and the systems that they are in to support them.
I completely agree with what you said about your home office! It sounds like you had a cute space to be able to work in. It is important to make your work space comfortable and comfortable as you stated. I am excited for you about having a job lined up at the place you already are! It sounds like you had a positive impact on the team and clients in that case. Keep up the great work!
May 29, 2025 @ 16:17:49
Hi everyone, my name is Gigi and I recently finished my internship at UMass Community Healthlink (CHL) in their adult outpatient program. Interning at CHL was an invaluable experience and I had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of under-served individuals across the adult lifespan presenting with varying disorders and unique experiences. As I reflect on this experience, I am incredibly thankful for the support I had within this learning experience from supervisors, professors, and peers. Different insights/perspectives were and continue to be critical as we provide care to vulnerable populations. It was a privilege to watch my clients grow and I plan to continue within adult outpatient services, ideally specializing on women’s mental health.
I would say one of the most adaptive coping skill for me was the “cheesy” self-care. Sometimes it is easy to forget how effective things as simple as exercising, reading a good book, or taking time for rest can be. I think it is especially challenging when we have so much on our plates and are struggling to navigate different stressors. Managing those responsibilities tend to feel more pressing, and in result, we tend to put self-care or other pleasurable activities on the back burner (even though these are important too). Routine scheduling was necessary to ensure I had times set for me while trying to create a steady work-life-school balance.
When thinking about the next milestones of graduating, getting a job, and licensed, I am both excited and nervous. I am eager to see where the future takes me within my career development. Although we will be receiving our Master’s degree, I am aware that this is by no means the end of our learning journey and welcome new experiences to grow. I am nervous regarding the new transitions on the horizon, but I am open-minded and again, excited to see what the future holds.
May 31, 2025 @ 22:20:15
Hello Gigi
I enjoyed reading your post! I especially loved reading your comments on self care. Although it can seem cheesy at times, the things you talked about like exercising and reading are great things we can do as future clinicians. Little things like that have a positive impact when our plates are full and we have to manage the stressors you were discussing.
I also enjoyed hearing about your internship experience. It sounds like you had a positive experience, and it also sounds like you had a positive impact on your clients. You mentioned that you were interested in working in adult outpatient in the future, I am wondering if you have plans to stay at CHL or are you looking at other options within the adult outpatient setting.
Keep up the great work!
May 29, 2025 @ 17:18:51
Hey guys my name is Helen Bugaev! I completed my internship at Spectrum Health Systems inpatient residential program. Honestly, 0/10 do not recommended. The place was a disaster when I first started. We had 4 case managers then everyone ended up quitting and I was the only case manager for 1-2 months and since then we have had 3 case managers that quit after 2 weeks so it’s awesome. Some coping skills I have incorporated were time management and setting boundaries with my residents. Having sessions scheduled daily as well as giving myself time for paperwork and taking a break for myself was crucial to make sure that I don’t burn out during my work day. I am so excited about graduating this August and starting my new job in September at Northeast Health services. I am excited to finally just focus on my work and not work and school. I am looking forward to my new job helping me get my LMHC so I can start my own private practice in a few years.
May 31, 2025 @ 14:43:00
Hello Helen,
I enjoyed reading your post! I am sorry to hear that you had a difficult experience with internship. That sounds so frustrating!
I completely agree that time management and setting boundaries are integral to self care. Not only for us as clinicians, but also modeling these for clients as well. I am excited for you about having a job lined up, that sounds like a great opportunity! Best wishes in your last semester. Keep up the great work!
May 31, 2025 @ 23:08:39
Hi Helen,
I appreciate you sharing and being open about your unpleasant experience with internship! While no one wants an unpleasant internship it seems it has atleast showed you want you don’t want in your future experience. I hope wherever you choose to go next is a way better fit for you! Best wishes!