What I'm Doing

Many people have been asking what exactly I'll be doing in my internship. I hope this answers most of the questions people have! If not, I'd be happy to share any additional information with you!

Some Objectives:

1. To gain experience of an adult mental health department provided by the National Health Service in Scotland. This hospital is a generic mental health department that takes referrals for all mental health problems. It offers a range of group work as well as individual treatments. While in the placement I will attend local and departmental meetings, and be involved in all staff activities in order to achieve the goal of understanding how the agency functions. I will spend time with various staff members, including clinical and counseling psychologists and other trainees in the field, to learn about the different roles and how they fit together to provide a comprehensive service to those with mental health issues.
   
   
2. I will be given the opportunity to observe as much clinical work as possible throughout my time at the hospital. Throughout the experiential placement, I may be given the chance to help co-facilitate group meetings, sit in on individual sessions, work through the intake process, and observe neuropsychological and cognitive assessments. All these opportunities would involve supervision by a licensed clinician at the site. I will also be able to accompany staff members through their additional work in the community.
   
   
3. I will undertake at least 2 research projects while I am on staff. The first project is to evaluate the efficacy of the groups run at this facility. Pre and post group data will be collected, analyzed and translated into a report to help the hospital staff evaluate the treatments being offered. A second responsibility will be to support other on-going projects. One of these projects concerns processing questionnaires patients complete before entering into the hospital's services in a meaningful way.
   
   
   By pulling myself out of my comfort zone and immersing myself into a new culture, this experience will provide me with a multicultural perspective of mental health care. It will be interesting to see what stigmas are associated with mental health in Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. I am curious as to what resources mental health consumers have in the community, what services are offered, and who seeks and receives treatment. Finally, I wish to explore the roles and responsibilities of different mental health providers in Scotland, and what place Counselors have in this system. I feel that this opportunity will broaden my own world view, challenge my own biases, and encourage my growth as a counselor-in-training.