Our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work has allowed us to bring on amazing Master of Social Work and Bachelor’s of Social Work interns. The MSW interns are trained to do everything our Care Coordinators do under a more watchful eye while the BSW interns fill the role of a Community Manager with the guidance and collaboration of a Senior Care Coordinator.
During the Fall 2022 through Spring 2023 semester, we accepted Kevin and Shannon, two master’s level social work interns from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, into our intern program. We also had one bachelor of social work intern, Olivia, from The University of Maryland, Baltimore County. These interns have successfully completed our program and are now an extension of the Help in the Home family in the mental health field!
Enjoy this interview where our interns give you insight into the inner workings of Help in the Home, and what sets us apart.
Q: Why did you choose the mental health field?
Kevin:
“I wanted to work with people and make a difference. I didn’t really feel like I was doing that in my former career. I felt like I had a lot to offer people that I wasn’t leveraging. I have my own personal story of people helping me make my life better and I wanted to help other people do the same.”
Shannon:
“My older half-sister Christina majored in psychology in college. Also, my great-aunt Patricia Berne is a psychologist and author. This inspired me to take my first psychology course in my sophomore year of high school. I really loved it and took advanced placement psychology my senior year. Then I majored in psychology in college. After graduating, I started working for a residential psychiatric treatment center in Florida, and I’ve worked in the mental health field ever since. After more than a decade working in the mental health field, getting a more specialized degree seemed like a natural next step.”
Olivia:
“I didn’t specifically choose mental health as a career. I was definitely interested, which is why I chose the internship position. I thought if I really liked it, it could be something to expand. It is also something I deal with at work.”
Q: What is your biggest take away from your internship with Help in the Home?
Kevin:
“I think there’s a couple. One of the things I learned was how to meet people where they are and what that’s really like. It’s something we’re taught about in school but internships are the way we learn how to actually practice that. Another one was that, the differences I make in people’s lives aren’t always what I expect or predict they will be. I had preconceived ideas about what making a difference in someone else’s life would be. Just showing up and being authentic, it’s a more organic process than I realized. The relationship really is the most important part.”
Shannon:
“I know it might sound cliche but communication is so important. You are working with a team and it’s really vital to keep everyone up to date on what’s going on with your clients. Even subtle changes in behavior should be noted and shared. Providing mental health support to individuals with severe mental illness can be really complex and you want to make sure everyone’s on the same page.”
Olivia:
“When I came into this internship, I was looking for experience with services that clients with mental health diagnoses would receive. My biggest takeaway was that there are just not enough services across the board for people with mental health diagnoses. Even when people have private pay resources and support systems in place, there is still a lack of services. I don’t think people really understand what goes into this work. It’s very detailed but most services are very general.”
Q: Any tips that you’d give to incoming social work interns?
Kevin:
“Come with a fresh and open mind. Everyday is a new learning experience. Pay attention to little things. Go where the client leads you.”
Shannon:
“Figure out your self care routine and stick to it. It doesn’t have to be complicated but it should involve things like making sure you have proper rest and nutrition. My routine involves planning meals so I don’t have to worry about what I’m having for lunch while I’m in the field. It also means some sort of daily movement which for me is usually walking or yoga. I also do my best to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Being present for your clients is really important, so take care of yourself to fully show up for your clients.”
Olivia:
“Manage your time well. Make sure you stay up to date with everyone at the SLC. Even if a client’s not on your caseload, this is a community so you’ll be interacting with everyone, even clients you’re not specifically assigned to.”
Q: What are your next steps? Goals for this career path?
Kevin:
“My advanced placement is outpatient clinical care with adolescents at Healthy Foundations Group in Bethesda. Eventually I plan on being in private practice. I’m a SUDIF fellow and I plan on working with adolescents and adults with substance use disorder and co-morbid mental health diagnoses. I’m also interested in working with process addictions and codependency.”
Shannon:
“I’ll continue to work with Help in the Home as their Outreach Representative and yoga instructor, which are positions I’ve held with them since October of 2019. My advanced year field placement will be with Jonah Green and Associates, an outpatient mental health practice in Kensington, MD. After graduation, I will be working towards my LCSW license so I can eventually have my own practice.”
Olivia:
“I’ll graduate with my bachelor’s in social work and a minor in psychology in December of 2023. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to work at Interfaith Works. I currently work at their women’s shelter. I really like working for homeless services and doing crisis intervention work. I do plan on going back to complete a masters degree but I want to take a year off to make sure I choose something that I really want to do.”
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