Andrea from Anchorage, Alaska wrote in . . .
I will be looking for an internship and practicum site in July and I’m not feeling very confident about the process . . . .
Why would an agency want to bother with a student who knows so little and has no experience?”
I get questions like this every
“Oriang” by Amin Choc
semester and thought it might be useful to address this here so that others can read it, too.
Andrea, here’s what I know about why agencies, hospitals, and group practices want you . . . .
Interns tend to be full of energy, optimism, and enthusiasm. Who wouldn’t want those qualities on site when the staff is likely to deal with addiction, abuse, illness, and death?
Interns see with “fresh” eyes. It is easy after being in the trenches of mental health for a while to become complacent and sloppy. Teaching / supervising you helps us stay sharp.
Interns are cost-effective. This is particularly important for non-profit agencies and organizations who survive on a “shoestring” budget. These agencies often take great pride in being a training ground for new professionals – knowing that you will be lured away to more lucrative positions in a few short years.
Interns are often open to new information and new ways of doing things. Because of this, they are often more malleable to the culture and policies of a new placement – more so than those of us who have done things “our way” for a long period of time.
Interns that excel in their internships and practicums make great employees. Many sites for internships and practicums have a high rate of employee turnover. If you stand out in your placements, it is likely that you will then become an obvious candidate for those newly opened positions.
If you have been in the position of hiring/supervising interns and practicum student, I hope you’ll drop in here and leave a few words of encouragement and advice to those just beginning their journey in the mental health professions!
I am a therapy director for a community mental health center. With a full caseload, it is very challenging to keep up on the latest research and innovations in mental health. Interns bring these with them into the workplace. They help keep us educated.
Hi, Myke! Thanks for speaking up here — I completely agree.
Andrea – interns and practicum students are a great way for agencies to be able to provide those “blue sky” services that they all wish they could do, but can’t get the funding for. If you’re creative and ask prospective sites what they want for their patients that they don’t already do – you can develop a “special project” for that agency.
For example – for my practicum/internship I talked with a nursing home who wanted to do more reminiscence work with their elders; however, no one had time to develop a group and curriculum. As an intern I offered to focus the curriculum on group narrative therapy as an intervention for depression/anxiety, pilot three groups and train the social workers. That was my “in.” After that I found out that physical therapy had a high rate of drop out due to non-participation and was able to help by identifying those patients for whom depression was a factor in non-participation and address that problem. Finally, I also was able to become a resource for hospice when I heard that Mental Health services are not easily funded during the patient’s “transition” to hospice. As a free intern I was able to follow patients from skilled nursing care through the funding transition to hospice which helped many families to have continuity in one part of their care during a very stressful time.
These are just some examples but I would say, in short, the greatest asset of an intern is to be able to do what others can’t because the “funding” isn’t there. If you’re really motivated/creative – work with the agency to find grant work once you have done your special project. You should have some outcome and anecdotal data to write a killer grant!
J. Kipp! Welcome back! I love your observations about “blue sky projects!” That’s exactly why employers want interns and new professionals!
Hi,
I help MFT trainees and interns all the time in the job process. The biggest tip I can give is to work on your confidence and networking skills! It will impact every part of your job search. Check out the articles section of my website for tons of free tips 🙂
Miranda Palmer MFT
Hi, Miranda. I completely agree. Networking skills are key to thriving in the mental health professions. (You can read more about Networking in The Therapist’s Networking Guide Series.) We need them to find and foster resources for our clients, support our colleagues, and to build our private practices.
Thanks for joining us here at Private Practice from the Inside Out!