When I was told I would have to do an internship I thought, “Here we go.” I had a preconceived idea that being an intern meant doing everything others don’t want to do. I came to understand that an internship can be so much more than that. An internship can change your life completely. Mine is changing a little bit every day.
I have learned a lot throughout my internship experience, but something really important I learned is being an intern is more of a responsibility than people make it out to be. You need to learn things about yourself you never knew and be willing to grow. You have to be vulnerable and confident. It isn’t about learning how to do your job. It’s learning who you are and being confident in who you are so that you are able to do your job in the future. The day I walked in the front door here at New Visions Center (NVC) in Alexandria, I came in expecting to learn more about addiction and counseling. Yes, I have learned a lot about those things, but what I didn’t realize is the majority of what I’m learning is about me. It’s helping shape me into a better version of myself, which will allow me to be a better counselor in the future.
Learning about myself helped me immensely when working with clients. Right at the start of my internship, I was told many times by Doug Paulson and Mike Klein to just be myself when working with clients. That was really tough for me because I was always nervous to say the wrong thing. Then I put myself in the client’s shoes, I started to understand I resisted to opening up with someone who I could visibly see is uncomfortable with themselves. So, I did exactly that and was myself any time I interacted with clients. I never realized how much I could truly learn from them. Their stories continue to touch my heart each day and I always seem to learn something about myself. It’s heartwarming to me that even though I’m in a “counselor” position, the clients and I are actually helping each other on a daily basis.
Another thing I learned that is very important is that a treatment team should truly be a team. There isn’t one person here at New Visions Center who isn’t willing to give me an opportunity to learn more and to grow. I’ve never felt below anyone since day one. You have to be open to getting feedback and also confident enough to speak up when something doesn’t seem right. Then you come to a decision as a team on how to move forward. This has helped me as an intern especially with my confidence. I know if something goes wrong or if I ever feel uncomfortable, I can reach out to anyone and get help.
If I had to give advice to an intern coming in, I would tell them to work at being themselves. Be open-minded and understand every second you’re interning, you could be learning something new. Every time you learn something new, you’re growing. Be confident. We all join this field for a reason. Someone may need you. On the other hand, don’t be afraid to speak up about things that concern you. You may find that this really isn’t what you want to do and that’s okay. Talk to someone and come up with a plan to move forward. Don’t ever be afraid to advocate for yourself. Just be you.
So as I near the end of my internship, I am coming out a as a whole new person. I’ve learned I love this field, and it is what I was meant to be doing. It wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows. I had some really tough experiences and tough days where I contemplated giving up, but I came out stronger than ever having learned from those experiences. I reached out to the team and we all worked together to come up with good solutions. At the end of the day, this internship has been life changing and I will forever be grateful for everyone here at New Visions Center. I will never forget the moments and wonderful people who have helped make my internship such a great experience. I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned and apply it to my future career.