Senior, Serena Pizzi completed an internship with Abelard Psychotherapy based in Dedham, Massachusetts. Read on to learn about her experience!
If you’re interested in doing your own internship but don’t know where to start, make an appointment with your Career Advisor by going to Handshake.
What was your internship? Last semester, I had the opportunity to be an intern for Abelard Psychotherapy Inc. in Dedham, Massachusetts. Abelard offers medication management, in-home therapy via the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative, commonly known as CBHI, and counseling, including cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization, and reprocessing, known as EMDR.
What did you do as part of your internship? Throughout this process, I primarily focused on client satisfaction surveys, in-home therapy, therapeutic mentor referrals, creating a holiday recourse guide, obtaining personal contact with clients receiving care and those recently discharged from care, substance abuse prevention presentations, and even attending Zoom therapy sessions. I completed several policy overviews, pieces of training, and agreements. My internship placement had to do not only with children but also with communicating with their family members. Abelard Psychotherapy was a great internship because it expanded my ability to communicate with adults older than me on a different level. I could ask them personal questions about their background, history, family, and household issues that needed to be addressed. I found it rewarding to provide families with resources for those struggling with substance abuse. I found it rewarding that I was able to help lower-income families make sure that their children have access to holiday resources such as Christmas gifts and hot Thanksgiving meals.
How did you find your internship? I found this internship through word of mouth and by reaching out to people in my town who are involved with psychology.
Why were you initially interested in this internship? I was initially interested in this internship because it was flexible and allowed me to gain experience in my own office while also allowing me to work from home.
Has this internship helped you work towards your future career goals? If so, how? My experiences throughout this internship are incomparable to those in a classroom academic setting, which would teach me this information. I have learned what I could never learn in a classroom.
What was your biggest lesson/takeaway from the internship? The most meaningful lesson from my internship was that you never know what is going on in somebody’s life. Go the extra mile to make people feel safe and comfortable in your presence.
What advice would you give to someone interested in a similar internship opportunity? My first piece of advice would be to start by making an appointment with the Career Center; this will help you improve your resume, build your LinkedIn, and improve your interview experience. My second piece of advice would be to get your professional headshot taken for free when it is offered. Lastly, for anybody interested in similar internship opportunities, I would advise that any experience is better than no experience; try new things while you can. Place yourself in positions where you can go outside of your comfort zone to create new limits for yourself. The worst thing anybody can say is “no”!
I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and how much I have accomplished for Abelard Psychotherapy and myself and for furthering my knowledge in this field.
