Our Interview with our 2023-2024 Interns!
Q: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD?
Jeff:
“I chose the mental health field because my life experiences have shaped my morals and values to prioritize helping others. It wasn’t until I experienced the benefits of therapy myself that I truly understood its potential impact. Part of this self-growth included the realization that my previous career path didn’t provide the type of fulfillment that I was seeking in my everyday work. My five-year tenure as a mentor for Best Kids Inc. highlighted the potential connection and bond that could form through support and guidance. Taken together, these experiences led me to realize that I could make a meaningful difference in a field that resonates deeply with me.”
Katherine:
“I feel that my personal and professional purpose is best served by my passion of helping others. During undergrad, I realized I wanted to pursue a life of working with people and not for people, which is how I landed on declaring a Psychology major. Extinguishing the stigmas around mental health is a journey I want to be a part of!”
Q: WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR INTERNSHIP WITH HELP IN THE HOME?
Jeff:
“The biggest takeaway from my internship with Help in the Home is the importance of meeting clients where they are in their journey. Recognizing that each client is an individual beyond their diagnosis is crucial; everybody deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. By taking a person-centered approach built on respect, you can cultivate deeply meaningful relationships with clients, fostering trust and progress as they work to achieve their goals. Additionally, I had a preconceived notion of what a group home setting looked like, and I learned how compassionate and caring the care can be for clients when an agency prioritizes such an environment!”
Katherine:
“It truly takes a village. At Help in the Home, I have had the pleasure of working with all different kinds of people, with different professions, and different talents. HITH showed me the true greatness in finding the right village – teamwork, communication, and willingness to learn are what makes a village, like Help in the Home, so great.”
Q: ANY TIPS THAT YOU’D GIVE INCOMING SOCIAL WORK INTERNS?
Jeff:
“For future social work intern cohorts at Help in the Home, I recommend going beyond learning about your clients’ medical and psychiatric history. Build a strong rapport by taking an interest in their lives and see how you can utilize that rapport-building to foster a collaborative space to help clients achieve the goals they have for themselves.”
Katherine:
“Ask questions! Take advantage of your time in school and as an intern and absorb as much learning as you can. You have the opportunity to work with mental health professionals with various types of experiences, so learn as much as you can from them!”
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS? GOALS FOR THIS CAREER PATH?
Jeff:
“My advanced-year field placement will be with Embark Behavioral Health, which provides Intensive Outpatient Treatment and Partial Hospitalization Program for teens and young adults struggling with mental health and/or substance use issues. My goal in this field is to get my LCSW-C license and to work in a private practice setting providing therapy (individual, group, and/or family) for those who can benefit from such services.”
Katherine:
“Next year, I will be interning at McLean School. I am looking forward to experiencing a school setting, as one of my potential career goals is to be a School Counselor or School Social Worker. I also have an interest in court-involved individuals as a potential career path. I am excited to see what new experiences and opportunities are ahead of me and am so thankful to take all I have learned at Help in the Home with me.”
Thank you again to Jeff and Katherine for their commitment to excellence during their internship with Help in the Home. Please join us in wishing them a lifetime of success in their future endeavors!
Get even more inspired by reading the interview from last year’s cohort of interns and learn more about how the internship program and partnership with the University of Maryland School of Social Work came to be.
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