NEIU Internship Case Study

A doctoral degree combining both supervisory professional mental health counseling skills and counselor education has always been at the forefront of both my personal and professional goals. Being afforded the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision will allow me the ability to enhance my professional competencies and achieve my set goals. My primary desire is to obtain a position as a college professor that will allow me to nurture the professional growth and maturity of future mental health professionals. Pursuing the doctoral degree will simultaneously assist in developing skillsets that will further prepare me for advanced opportunities in not only teaching but supervision and research. Additionally, I desire to devote time and research to small rural communities to establish prevention based programs that will bridge communities as it relates to mental health challenges. A PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Capella University will afford me the opportunities to positively impact change in future professionals and the communities for which I serve.

I would like to add to your findings concerning your responsibilities as a student and the obligations of supervision. Kiser (2012) explains that effective supervisors are knowledgeable, supportive, and skillful in giving feedback. They must be willing to address difficult issues as they arise, teach their supervises important information and skills, model high standards of professionalism and expertise. I agree that social workers advocate for person or persons with mental illness. Involvement in policy practice is widely regarded as an important means for social workers to contribute to the development of policies that promote social and economic justice, improve the well-being of social services users, and provide opportunities for self-determination (Colby, 2008; Haynes & Mickelson, 2009; Hoefer,

Social workers in the mental health wing of the Woodstock General Hospital (WGH) are an integral part of an interdisciplinary mental health team that provide patient-centered care through both inpatient and outpatient services. They offer capacity-building program interventions to individuals, couples and families by providing single session walk-in counselling, groupwork, psychiatric evaluation, crisis intervention and inpatient support as well as long term counselling. There are specialized outpatient supports including early psychosis intervention, programs for eating disorders, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, programs for children and youth as well as programs specific to geriatric mental health. In

With a master 's level education in social work, I see myself envisioning clients’ health and well-being. As a student, I will study and practice techniques, beyond a generalist perspective, that will allow me to give clients hope and the ability to see something greater than what they are facing. Upon completion of a Master of Social Work direct practice degree and certificates in gerontology and mental health programs, I intend to become a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I will competently incorporate specialized skills in different professional settings while developing my knowledge of a wide range of social issues and professional standards. With commitment, I wish to develop skills that will enable me to create or find hidden resources and services for my future clients, create platforms through counselling for victims of trauma.

The professional counselor’s job title I interviewed is a Program Counselor for the Women’s Mental Health Unit at Riverside General Hospital. The types of services and programs she offers as a counselor for the women’s mental health unit are: substance abuse counseling with in-house residents, detoxification, transitional living for the women’s unit, outpatient program, and mental health counseling. She also aids in helping her clients in gaining custody of their children.

The mental health professional I interviewed was Carol McClelland of Freedom House Recovery Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Carol has worked with Freedom House for a year as the directory of outpatient services and is licensed as a LPC, LPCS, LCAS, CCS, and MA. Carol’s job requires her to be responsible for the direct oversight of all clinical operations and clinical integrity for outpatient services at Freedom House. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, along with a crisis and detox center that is available for contact 24/7. Carol has plenty of experience in the mental health field, such as working as a dual diagnosis/substance abuse outpatient therapist, working with the severely mentally ill, working as a criminal justice outpatient therapist, and also working in a methadone clinic. She chose this career after her experiences in working with mental health, and her extensive education in psychology and counseling. Carol stated that outpatient services was the most interesting out of her job experiences, so when she was offered the job at Freedom House, she accepted.

I had the opportunity to interview Rebekah Bohannon, NCC, LPC- MHSP, Regional Clinical Director of East Tennessee for The Next Door. This facility functions as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for currently incarcerated women. Services such as work force development, medical treatment, drug and alcohol treatment, clinical mental health services and a family enrichment program are just some of the services this facility provides. Rebekah currently provides clinical supervision to me, both at the graduate student internship level and at an employment level. In describing her role as a supervisor, she state, “working as a clinician is a wild ride, but working as a supervisor is an even wilder ride” (Bohannon, 2016). This provides an accurate description of the picture of clinical supervision I acquired from this personal interview, as well as, my experience with Rebekah operating as my supervisor.

Becoming a supervisor will allow me a behinds-the-scenes look at the paperwork and practices used to determine an individual’s assistance plan. Learning the role of a supervisor will add to the knowledge needed to build my own organization. It will also provide me the opportunity to learn more about the processes and assessments of interviewing clients and families before admitting them. I will also be able to analyze the data used during therapy sessions to create assistances plans that are tailored to the needs of the individuals. These plans are also progress reports that are submitted to the state to help researchers gage what techniques are working and how they can be

Our clinicians trained professionals in the Mental Health field and have obtained a Masters degree level. Upon completion of the degree our qualified professionals have obtained licensure by following proper board required examination and hours of supervision. Our professionals in the associate level are also receiving proper supervision and consultation as required by the board in order to become fully license. Our intake coordinator works with providers and community partners in order to deliver a professional and timely processing of referrals made to our agency. The front desk receptionist makes sure that our clients feel welcomed into a safe environment and ensures proper processing of payments as well as directs questions and concerns appropriately. While Deepest Needs Counseling provides Outpatient therapy services, in an effort to provide the highest level of service; we partner with professional psychologists and psychiatrists in the area. Based on client’s needs, referrals for services are available in order to accommodate further evaluations and/or medication management

You are completing your graduate work at a local university by participating in an internship at a private mental health clinic. As a part of your internship, you were asked to cofacilitate a group for men and women with relationship difficulties.

Educational methods for evaluating depression care skills must include interactive performance-based strategies, common in other helping professions. For social work students, clinical exposure via field internships focused on geriatric depression care is one valuable method. However, not all students are offered these

McIntyre informed me that having a Bachelor Degree in Social Work was rewarding; Nevertheless, she wanted to become an inspiring therapist. Therefore, she applied for the master program at Arkansas State University. She was accepted and in the summer of 2014, she started grad school. She did her additional training for the grad school at Day Spring Behavior Health. She was trained in diversity, social work value and ethical, and economic injustice with clients. Afterward completion of 60 credit hours and 400 field hours, she graduated with her Master Degree in Social Work, May 2016.

When a person has earned their Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy they can apply for their intern number with the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS, 2012).  Once all the required hours are met, then the client

Mental and emotional health can have interpersonal, and social impacts; I want to provide evidenced-based mental, emotional and behavioral health interventions within the context of families, communities and larger systems, to children and adolescents. My goal as a licensed counselor will be to develop a collaborative relationship where each client feels empowered to act as an expert in developing effective coping skills, manage anxiety, depression, navigate difficult life transitions, and enhance communication skills and relationships. Reflective practice and self-evaluation will be an integral part of my practice. This also means being able to set my experiences, values, privilege, beliefs and biases aside during counseling sessions and allowing the clients goals and needs to take precedence. In order to be well-rounded in my profession, my day-to-day functions will include, assessments, psychological testing, counseling, personality testing, teaching, treatment plans, referrals, coordinate services, case-management, client-family- community education, documentation,

What is the most essential knowledge that social workers students must have to work effectively with families? The social work profession has always emphasized the importance of strong family functioning. When families are successful in meeting their goals, individuals and society as a whole thrive. Throughout the history of the profession, social workers in child welfare, child guidance and mental health have worked with families to ensure that children are safe from abuse and neglect, that parents know ways to manage emotional challenges of childhood and that families know effective communication processes to resolve the symptoms of mental illness. Over time, however, the approaches to building effective family interventions have changed and schools of social work need to be attuned to the demands on agencies to offer services that are effective. Students who want to work with families must graduate from their academic programs knowing how to deliver effective interventions. In order to best educate students for this, faculty at Springfield College School of Social Work have participated in curriculum development workshops at the Wheeler Clinic in Plainville Connecticut.