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Local mental health center internship develops psychology major�s skillset

After exploring different counseling centers, Karabella Hernandez �22 discovered OneEighty as an opportunity to grow her therapy skills and psychology knowledge. Near ������˾�� campus, the organization serves as ������˾���s leading mental health, addiction, and domestic violence support center. In her APEX Fellowship at OneEighty, Hernandez shadowed counselors in their client sessions, assisted with administrative tasks and provided feedback to her supervisor on department operations, which provided firsthand experience in her future career path.

�I truly appreciate thatmyAPEX Fellowship allowed me to take this otherwise unpaid position and helped me to thread it into my career plans more holistically.�

�Karabella Hernandez

What interests you most about the work you did? What were some of the things you did each day?

�Perhapsthemost thrillingpartfor me was getting to shadow counselors with actual clients. As someone who learnsbestfrom observation, I picked up so much from these sessions on communication between counselors and clients, boundaries, ethics, and clinical documentation. Beyond shadowing individual, couple, and group therapy, I also attendedvarious staff and community meetings,providedfeedbackformultiple staff members,madeand recordedpresentations for the department,and assistedmy supervisor on a variety oforganizational and technologicaltasks. This all contributed directly to the development of skills relevant to my field.�

Who was your Fellowship mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position?

�ProfessorMatt Mariola[associate professor of environmental studies]was an absolutely wonderful faculty mentor to have for my summer experience. While facing many personal and professional challenges over the course of my internship, Professor Mariola was incredibly supportive and engaged in meaningful dialogue with me regarding my reflection essays and outside of them. The questions he posed to me pushed me to consider my experiences from many different angles and to make valuable connections between them, along withmy education and career goals at large.�

What are some skills you�ve learned that you seeyourselfcarrying forward into your career?

�The knowledge I gained regardingOneEighty’soperations in the outpatient departmentshowedmehow counseling centers operate and how they interact more largely with community partners or other mental health organizations. This logistical knowledge on components of the job ranging from electronic health records to intricate interpersonal relations really did help mepull my psychology basis from the more abstract or theoretical tomoredirect and concrete.I find this tobe incredibly valuable as I move forward with grad school andgetting mylicense. In addition, the professional communication and collaboration skills I developed in working with my supervisor and others, as well as the new boundaries and confidentiality ethics I learned to navigate, will be essential to continuing on my career path.�

Howhas the internship helped you to see what�s next for you?

�Getting to talk informally with so many counselors about the pathto their careers and learn about what they do intheircareers was incredibly beneficialformolding my own career trajectory. While I’ve known for a long time that I want to be a counselor, the experiences with practicing counselors only solidified this drive and helped clarify in my mind some of the finer logistical points of getting there, such as what a graduate thesis could look like and how licensing works. In addition, talking to my supervisor andOneEighty’sclinical director about grad school andaPh.D.vs.aDoctorofPsychologyhelped me visualize these paths better as I work to decide which specific graduate programs I want to apply to. I feel better prepared now to move my career plans from the abstract to the concrete.�

Is there anything else you want to share about your APEX Fellowship?

�Having an APEX Fellowship in conjunction with this particular internship encouraged me to reflect more critically on my experience in ways that I may not have thoughtbefore. Itruly appreciatethat my APEX Fellowship allowed me to take this otherwise unpaid position and helped me to thread it into my career plans more holistically.And nowIhavecontinuedto workwith OneEighty in a part-time positionandprovidedirect clinical services. I amalsointerviewing withcounseling Ph.D.programsandit isincrediblyrewarding to cite my experiences at OneEighty as evidence ofmyskills. My experiences at OneEighty havedefinitelyhelped me get to where I am today!�

Posted in Experiential Learning on November 5, 2021.