I can't believe I'm now at the part of college that everyone talked about the last 4 years..internship! This topic was always extremely terrifying for me because of all the unknowns. Where would I go?! How would I afford to live for 6 months while having an unpaid position? What population will I be serving? All of these questions caused my entire class fear - but also excitement! We now have the opportunity to drive our own paths and dedicate 6 months of our lives to something that we just spent 4 years studying. Now the question is, what is next?
This has been something I have been thinking about during my first two weeks interning at Valeo Behavioral Health Care in Topeka, KS. During practicum at the University of Kansas, I only had one clinical that focused on mental health. At Valeo, this is their primary focus and mission. To be honest, it is such a change of pace to focus on one specific population, and it's certainly something I need to adapt to.
During my first week, I had a huge wake up call. I had one of those moments where I realized how truly blessed I am. It's one thing to know that you come from a great family, have a wonderful education, have food on the table, and people who support you daily. At Valeo, I am realizing that this isn't a norm for everyone. It has been difficult for me to see such young adults struggle to make it through each day, and older adults struggling to find their purpose. I just want to be there for everyone all the time, but I need to take it through each moment as well. Luckily, Valeo offers amazing resources to all of these individuals, and they truly want to be there for them.
You may be curious as to what I've specifically been up to during my first two weeks at internship. Well to begin, here I am with this blog! I wanted to start this blog to document my own personal journey and growth while I attempt to grow my own private practice. I've always been the conductor to my own train. I definitely do not see myself working a typical 9-5 desk job or have someone tell me what to do all day. I have the privilege and freedom to attempt my own career with this degree, so I want to give it a shot! My internship supervisor has really encouraged me to give it a go, and is allowing me to dedicate time for this at Valeo. For this first week, I've created a website, created a list of who I can reach out to to provide music therapy in northern Michigan, created intervention ideas, and the list goes on! I am starting to feel prepared for my new found future, and I'm excited to change the music scene in northern Michigan.
Don't worry, I've been focusing on my actual internship too. This week I researched different mental health diagnosis such as, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and anorexia. All of these diagnosis (and more) will show up during my internship experience, so it's important that I know my facts! In addition, I've completed all of the necessary trainings as an intern at Valeo. Looking forward, I am planning out group interventions for consumers and songs for a tone chime choir! I am eager to start conducting group sessions and having individual clients in the next few weeks.
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