My Journey as a Intern Jeanine Hodge

Chapter 2: Feelings & Concerns What are your feelings and concerns as you begin your internship? Nervous, Eager and Ready to Change the World What do you see as your primary learning interests and needs? Gaining a better understanding of addiction The Onset of addiction What steps are needed to overcome addiction What are the issues that are most important to you as you plan your internship experience with your supervisor? Having a clear understanding of my role and their needs Learning about their mission and goals What aspects of your learning plan are you most excited about? Learning and interacting with clients What aspects do you believe will be most challenging? Being able to relate to clients and not come across as unconcerned

Chapter 3: Agency Context What particular elements of the agency context have you learned most about through your internship? Supporters, Community it serves, funding and mission How would you describe your agency’s context? Serves young adults who suffer from chemical & alcohol dependency 85% of clients live below poverty level 90% are Caucasian, 10% are minorities Depend on public transportation 70% comes from single parent homes 92% Highest level of education is high school 90% are uninsured State funded and ran How has your view of agencies and their contexts changed since the beginning of your internship? Only Drug Addiction program for young adults in Delaware Made me want to do more.

Chapter 5: Supervision From your internship, what have you learned about what you want and need in your supervisory relationship? Knowledgeable, Professional, Great communicator, Conflict resolver How have you handled your responsibilities within this role in terms of being an active and open participant in the process? Provided insight What particular challenges have you encountered in your supervision, and how have you handled them? Being viewed as too young, not being taking seriously Communication immediately How would you like to grow in your skills to use supervision effectively? Listen and be patient Based on your internship supervisory experience, what do you feel you need in a supervisor when you enter your first professional job? Patience, Fairness

Chapter 6: Discuss your experiences thus far in working with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Graduation- feeling overwhelmed (seeing everyone supportive of recovery) Family Day- organizing and orchestrated activities that included everyone

Chapter 7: Cultural Experiences What cultural differences have you encountered in your internship? Not being able to relate to people being addicted to drugs Why do they feel the need to turn to drugs Through your internship, what insights have you gained about your own culture and social location? People adjust and cope differently What insights have you gained into the cultures and social locations of the clients with whom you have worked? Despite the cultural differences, everyone can come together as one. How do you assess your current level of skill in working with people who are culturally different from you?

Chapter 8: Ethical Issues Supervisor must maintain a high level of professionalism. Example: Supervisor displaying inappropriate behavior towards a client.

Chapter 9: Reporting What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses in written and oral reporting? Conclude this portfolio entry by stating your specific goals for improvement and your strategies for accomplishing those goals Strengths Weakness Great writer Procrastinator Speak well within small group Dislikes speaking to large crowds

Chapter 10: Introspecting Describe what this internship has taught you about yourself, your sources of stress, and your ways of handling stress. You might consider the following questions as you develop your thoughts: 1.What have you learned about yourself in this internship? Love stress, I invite it. 2.What have you observed about the types of situations that cause stress for you (i.e. external stressors)? Family – Single parent Work – Full time School – Full time 3.What have you learned about ways that you impose stress upon yourself (i.e. internal stressors)? I try to take on too many things at one time 4. What have you learned about how to reduce and manage these stressors effectively? Exercise Family time What particular pitfalls are you learning to avoid as you deal with stress in your life? Trying not to be a superwoman Pacing myself

Chapter 12: Ending the Journey As your internship ends, what do you most appreciate about your internship experience? Seeing the many lives the organization touched What regrets do you have about your internship? Didn’t feel like I helped enough Lost opportunity to watch someone complete the outpatient programs   What are your feelings, wants, and needs as you leave your internship? Feeling –sad Wants – to do more Needs- self fulfillment What do you feel you need to do for your continued personal and professional growth? Realize that I cant save the world, but I can make a difference one person at time. I must pace myself

Chapter 13: Goals 1.What are your long-term and short-term career goals as your internship ends? Short term – Scream at 9:30 pm, Vacation, Give my son my attention, Find a job utilizing my degree Long term – Accepted into Doctoral program 2013, creating a non profit organization for at-risk youths 2. What would you like to be doing professionally five or ten years from today? Running my non profit 3. What specific steps, if any, do you need to take in order to clarify your career goals? Breathe & Re-evaluate 4. What are your next steps as you continue to pursue your personal and professional growth? How will you accomplish these steps?  Complete this class, Look for a job, Introspect 5.What is your timeline for the completion of various steps in this process? What do you feel you need to learn in order to accomplish your goal  5 years

Chapter 11: Letter to Intern Dear Intern, Welcome to the Gaudenzia “Fresh Start” program as their new intern. I am sure that you are excited and eager to contribute your skills to the agency. I am sorry that I can’t be there physically, but I hope this letter can help convey the amazing journey and friendships I have accumulated in such a short time as an intern. I have a couple suggestions that I recommend based on what helped me get the most out of this experience. Prior to meeting your site supervisor and discussing your learning contract, please go online and research the program. By doing this, it will give you a better understanding of the organization’s mission, values and goals. It also gives you better insight into the community that they serve and their needs. During your first week, you will probably begin to question where you fit in or if you are helping at all. But as you get acquainted with everyone, you will soon learn that each person plays a major role in servicing the clients and their needs. Everyone’s role is essential with helping the client overcome their addiction. Your role as an intern gives you the unique advantage of having an outside perspective which allows you to see how the organization is structured and what role everyone plays internally. Having an understanding that substance abuse not only touches the abuser, but also the lives of loved ones, is a must prior to interning at Fresh Start. To be afforded the opportunity to watch firsthand the many lives this organization touches is overwhelming. I can go on and on about the do’s and don’ts, but as with any journey; you learn as you travel. If you are ready to witness first-hand how this organization impacts lives, then you chose the right place. Please be warned, that the response is overwhelming. I am excited for you to experience your own journey at Fresh Start as an Intern. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need anything or have any questions. Warm regards, Jeanine Hodge, M.S.