 Can you make this paper better I took part in an internship at a psychological family clinic called ‘FACT center’. The clinic was made up of a common area for clients to wait in, as well as several rooms used for therapy and academic sessions. There was also a break room where the interns could sit to work. This room was where I spent most of my time, when I was not observing a session. My duties were not specified when I was recruited, but it quickly became clear that my role was to aid in any projects or assignments given to me by my supervisor, Dr. Rima Balshe. An example of these assignments would be a presentation I was tasked to produce with a co-worker. This presentation was for a conference event called ‘International women’s Day’, it focused on informing parents of neurological disorders, their symptoms and treatments. I put in a lot of effort for this particular assignment, as it was going to be presented to an audience and would reflect on the reputation of my boss.
I ran into a few issues when completing the previously mentioned assignments. An ongoing problem I ran into was that my technological skills need some improvement. Luckily my peers were able too help in this field, yet I do make it a goal to hone these skills over then next few weeks. An unconventional problem that I ran into was that the clinic I worked at had a very poor internet connection. Keeping in mind that most of my tasks involved research, meaning internet was crucial, working under that condition was difficult. However, I got around it through doing some research at home and downloading articles so that I can read them freely in the clinic. The skills needed at the clinic, were mainly composed of research and taking notes while observing sessions.
Aside from the slight issues I faced, most of the tasks I was given were cut and clear. They were also within my scoop of knowledge and skills. The tasks were things like research on a specific topic, observing a session and taking notes. Additionally, I got the chance to use some organizational skills, which I had previous experience with, as I am part of a club in university called ‘DCC’ aimed at organizing and coordinating events.
I set a few goals for this internship. Firstly, I would like to learn a little bit about the professional psychological world. Secondly, I want to get an idea of what a psychologist’s schedule looks like. Finally, I aim to learn as much as possible about therapy, how clients are treated, and any other practical skills that I am exposed to in this internship.
There were a number of ethical principles in place. The first, was that consent was taken from the therapist/doctor and the client, in this case the parent of the child. Another measure was that all the work I did in terms of research was taken from an academic source, as well as run by the doctor using them. Additionaly, I was not allowed to interact with the clinet during a session, which I was observing, as not to affect the session.
When giving my work to my supervisor, I consistently ask for feedback to ensure my work is on point. Most of the time if any changes are needed my supervisor lets me know at their earliest convenience. I chose to take the mindset of not taking offense to any criticism and often times my mind directly goes to thinking of ways to implement and improve my work using said criticism. This has resulted in a significant improvement in my work. Nevertheless, I occasionally asked one of my friends to help in some of the work, particularly if they had a higher level of skill that was suited for the task given.
Overall, this internship has taught me about the extent of my skills, as well as challenging me to overcome the skills I lacked in. Despite the difficulties, I believe I have done a great job of working around these obstacles. I found the internship to be stimulating and has provided an environment for me to learn and grow. 