1) I have a strong feeling that my internship at Mental Health Peer Connection will prove to be a rewarding one.

Thus far, I have completed the intake and orientation at Mental Health Peer Connection. I have become familiarized with the aims of the agency, as well as what the agency stands for. I was informed that the Mental Health Peer Connection is just one of the five branches of the Independent Living Center. The Mental Health Peer Connection is an agency devoted to working with consumers of Mental Health services, who may or may not be physically disabled. Many of the consumers are so disabled by their Mental Illness that they don't know how to live a successful life. Many consumers are unsure of how to keep a job, or even how to have one, because their Mental Illness impedes their ability to hold a steady job. In addition, many of the consumers of the Mental Health Services are stricken by poverty because of their inability to keep a job. Those that are capable of holding a job are oftentimes nervous to get a job because they are afraid that their benefits will be taken away, such as their SSI's or SSDI's. There are many different employent positions at the agency, and each position focuses on a particular aspect of Mental Health Services. I have met many of the employees at the agency, and I am pleased with the information each one has provided me in regards to their duty within the agency. Another important thing to note about this agency is that all interns and volunteers must have had some background experience as consumers of Mental Health Services. It is important to be a peer when working with consumers at the agency, because it is important for the consumer to be able to relate to someone who has been through a similiar situation.

During my time as an intern, I will have a variety of different tasks that will keep me busy. My supervisor, Jeanne O'Day, has been an incredible help at getting my feet wet, so to speak. She has enlightened me with the various paths I can take in the field of Mental Health, and has served as my trainer to what I will be doing as an intern. Her plan is to have me shadow as many employees as possible at the agency so that I can get my head around the different duties associated with Mental Health Services. In addition, I will be a volunteer on the Peer Phone Line, which is located at Crisis Services. I will be answering calls to adults in need of someone to talk to. This is a perfect job for me because I am looking to become a Mental Health Counselor in the very near future. I will learn strategies that will enable me to be a successful counselor down the road. Also, once I start to build clientele on the Phone Line, I will be asking these individuals if it would be alright if I have them come to Mental Health Peer Connection to be a part of the Peer Counseling. I would be meeting face to face with these individuals, and taking case notes on what occurred during the counseling appointment. I believe that the plan Jeanne has for me will be beneficial to my learning experience.

As the first week of my internship comes to a close, I reflect upon the wonderful opportunity I have been blessed with. I am looking forward to learning more from this agency.

2) With week 2 done and over with, I am continuing to grow so much from this opportunity.

I completed my first assignment this week. I did a Peer Counseling session over the phone with a girl who is having chronic family problems and is struggling to make friends. We talked for about a half hour and I felt I could relate to many of the issues she was talking about. I made sure not to be the "advice giver" , because a successful therapist does not take on this role. Instead, I tried to get at the root of her problems and find out why it is she is having such a hard time making friends and why it is so hard for her to get along with her parents. I will be meeting her face- to- face within the next week, and I am looking forward to building our relationship together.

Also, I watched a video about the philosophy of the WNY Independent Living Project's mission. I found the video to be very informative, as it brought to light many of the issues people with disabilities have been forced to deal with in past years. Most of the video focused on the goal of the agency to assist disabled people in their goal to live as independently as possible. Disabled people would like to be treated as equals, and have struggled in the past to be treated as equals. The thing I liked most about the video was the section highlighting the achievements of several disabled people, such as the blind man who is a successful shoe shiner.

During the upcoming week, I will be shadowing a man named Kyle Bell at ECMC. He is a Mental Health advocate at Mental Health Peer Connection. The advantage of interning at Mental Health Peer Connection is that there is a partnership between ECMC and this agency, which could potentially open some doors for me in the future.

I am looking forward to the week to come at my internship.

3) This past week at my internship I shadowed around a Mental Health Peer Advocate, who is employed through Mental Health Peer Connections, but does his advocating at ECMC. On our journey together, I was first introduced to Kyle in his office on the fourth floor of ECMC, which is one of the two Behavioral Health floors at the hospital. We began our day by going to one of the psychiatric units on the fourth floor. Kyle asked the attendant at the desk if it would be alright if he could set up a meeting in the lobby on the floor to talk about the agency. Kyle informed me that most of the patients on this floor suffer from either addiction problems, BiPolar disorder, suicidality, or are Schizophrenic. Approximately 10 people showed up to the meeting, and I was instructed to hand out brochures about the agency and its aims, as well as pamphlets about upcoming events at the agency for consumers.

When the meeting was called to order, Kyle began by introducing himself and what he does as a Mental Health Peer Advocate. It is his duty to go around to consumers of Mental Health Services and encourage them to join Mental Health Peer Connections to be set up with a peer to help the consumer get back on their feet in life. Many consumers of Mental Health need assistance getting a job, or a place to live, or just need information about government benefits. This is what the duty of a peer is at the agency, and Kyle enlightens consumers about this information. Kyle also likes to share his personal stories in regards to his past experiences with Mental Health Services, and what led up to his diagnosis. He is very open about sharing his past issues of aggression, and his battle with loneliness, and his past desire to end his life. Kyle shares his stories to become more down to earth with the consumers, because people like to feel that they are not alone and this and there is hope. Kyle is one prime example of overcoming a hardship and fighting the battle. He is currently one successful man with a great career, a beautiful wife, and amazing children because he learned to get help for his Mental Health diagnosis. His main message was to never give up, because there is hope for everyone that puts their mind to it.

Upon hearing the wise words of Kyle and talking with him further, I could not help but feel touched by his message. Shadowing him was a great experience, and I look forward to keeping in touch with him.

4.) This past week was another learning experience at my internship.

Tuesday during my internship my supervisor and I called two of the people scheduled to do an "on the phone peer counseling session". Both consumers are unable to get to the agency due to physical disabilities and lack of transportation so we accomodated them by calling their house to counsel them. The first consumer did not answer her phone due to a medical emergency, as we later found out she was in the emergency room. My supervisor and I rescheduled her appointment to a later date, most likely after she recovers from her back injury. The second consumer we called did answer her phone and I spent about 30 minutes counseling her on her family issues and lack of a social network. She is very depressed because she has never had a boyfriend before and she is almost 30 years old, and she does not have any friends. It does not help that she does not get along with anyone in her family, and she still lives at home and does not have her own car still. She feels trapped at home, and is very hopeless that she will ever be happy with her life. After talking her through her problems and serving as a social support system, we made an appointment for her to come to the agency to set up a Myspace during the upcoming week. The consumer wants to set up a Myspace account because she feels this will be a way for her to meet friends and have a social life, in return.

The second day at my internship during the week was on Thursday. Thursday I began by doing some training in the manual for my upcoming volunteering on the Peer Support Phone line. My trainer and I talked about boundary lines, empathy, and the importance of good listening skills. After going over the manual for awhile, my supervisor and I decided to take a trip to Englewood Drop In Services. This is a clubhouse on Englewood that serves as a community building for those who are diagnosed with a Mental Health disorder. There are daily activities planned at the facility, and it is sort of a safe haven for those with a Mental Health disorder. Upon leaving the facility, I began to realize how incapacitating Mental Health disorders can be for some people, and how places like Englewood are beneficial for these types of people.

Another week has come and gone at my internship. Each week opens my eyes a little more to the field of Mental Health, which is such a rewarding opportunity.

5) This past week has served to be anothe rewarding stepping stone on my journey as an intern at MHPC.

This past Tuesday, I faciliatated another Peer Counseling session. I counseled a consumer that is overwhelmed with a large array of medical issues, including arthritis. The reason why she is so stressed is because she is only 33 years old and she feels that most people her age don't have to deal with these kinds of issues yet. We discussed ways of relieving her anxiety, such as getting a membership to the Wellness Center on Forest Ave. in Buffalo. She said she was going to get a membership during the upcoming week and that she feels this will be an outlet for coping with her medical issues.

On Thursday at my internship I held another Peer Counseling session with another consumer. This particular consumer is also plagued by a variety of medical issues, such as MS. She also has trouble coming to grips with her incontinence. Another reason for her stress is her upcoming mammogram at ECMC because she has some sort of growth on her ovaries. She does not receive much support from her family members, and she does not even speak to two of her sisters. This is a source of strain because she does not have any support systems besides her boyfriend to cope with her anxiety. We discussed various support systems that she can utilize, such as the Women's group at MHPC, as well as the Peer Counseling at the agency. We ended the session on a positive note, as she is happy knowing that she has various outlets for support.

Next week at my internship I will continue my Peer Counseling sessions with consumers, as well as learn more about volunteering on the Peer Support Phone Line. I look forward to what is to come.

6) This past week at my internship proved to be the most fun and exciting yet.

This past Thursday I began the day with a Peer Counseling session with a consumer. This particular consumer is about to be 30 years old, but she is experiencing a great deal of anxiety and depression because of this upcoming milestone age. She feels as though she is very naive for her age, and that she never had the kind of life a 30 year old usually has had. She has never had friendships, or any kinds of social support systems. Even her own family has ostrasized her, and she often feels put down by her father and sister. She has absolutely no self-esteem because there has been no one ever in her life to tell her that she is a wonderful person. This has taken a toll on her mentally, as she feels life is not worth living anymore. She sees no hope that she will ever have friends, or get a boyfriend. She has not even kissed a boy yet, and this is tearing her up inside. All this consumer wants is to have a life, and to be able to call up a friend on a Friday or Saturday night to go out, but she doesn't have that. In an effort to find her support networks, I helped her set up a Myspace account. She is going to use this account to meet people. The consumer also does not know how to talk to people, because she has had so few social interactions in her life. I could tell that she has an extreme social phobia, because she had a hard time looking me in the eye. She didn't know what to say to me and she felt very ackward around me. We practiced through a role play situation how to communicate with people, and we ended our session by setting up another appointment to work on her communication skills.

I had another Peer Counseling session with a consumer on Thursday. This consumer is undergoing a great deal of chronic pain from her medical conditions. She has osteoarthritis, and she is only 34 years old. This is tearing her up inside because she feels she is too young to be dealing with this kind of problem. Any type of physical activity is difficult for her because it is too painful and it takes all the energy out of her. I suggested to her that she see a chiropractor to see if he or she can do anything to alleviate the pain she is having in her back. I also mentioned the idea of meditation and yoga to deal with the pain. We ended the conversation on this note and made another appointment for the upcoming week.

I realized one important thing this past week. During my Peer Counseling sessions I realized how much I truly enjoy playing the therapist, and how I am heading in the right direction on my career path. I am overwhelmed with the joy I am experiencing by having the opportunity to practice being a therapist at my internship.

7.) This past week at my internship I experienced a few different things.

I had two Peer Counseling sessions. The first one was with a consumer whom I had met with previously. She is overwhelmed with all the medical issues she is facing. We discussed her doctor's visit at ECMC she had recently because she had to get a MRI done to examine her ovaries. The doctor's were not able to see anything and she has to go back soon to get her ovaries re-examined. We also discussed the great amount of anxiety and depression she is facing as a result of her lack of support from her family in relation to her medical issues. She said that no one in her family cares about what she is going through, nor do they even believe some of the conditions she is diagnosed with. We also went off on a tangent and discussed my future plan to be a Mental Health Therapist, and how we both would like to own a puppy in the near future.

My second counseling appointment last week was with a consumer whom I have met with a few times now. She continues to experience anxiety and depression stemming from her lack of friends and social support systems. To make matters worse, she can't even rely on her own family for support as she says that they ostracize her. She has an incredible amount of social phobia, and she has a hard time speaking to me and looking me in the eyes because she has not had that much practice making conversation with people. She finds it difficult to communicate with other people because she feels she has nothing to talk about, since she never does anything. We practiced role playing a little bit, and this taught her a little about how to make conversation with people, and how to seem welcoming to conversation. We also went on Craig's List to look at the Personal Ad's. She even worked up the courage to e-mail a guy's ad that looked interested. She is hoping to establish a few friendships by going on Craig's List, because she is so lonely and is dying for companionship.

Also last week, I had the honor of shadowing my supervisor at Crisis Services during her volunteer time on the Peer Support Phone Line. I was able to talk to a few callers. The one caller is currently being hospitalized at ECMC and she was saying how she wants to get out but they are not letting her be released just yet. I will be able to have a shift on the Phone Line now that my training and shadowing are done.

In the week to come, I will be continuing counseling, as well as shadowing the Benefit's Advisor at Mental Health Peer Connection. In addition, I will be joining a staff member at Kensington Square to sit in on an addiction group. Also, I will be starting my first shift on the Peer Support Phone Line. I look forward to what is in store for the week to come!

8) Another week has come and gone in the journey as an intern.

Last week I was kept busy while my Supervisor was on a vacation. On Tuesday of last week, I shadowed the Benefits Advisor at Mental Health Peer Connection. I got to learn more about the difference between SSI and SSDI, and what exactly all that means. Kristen, the Benefits Advisor, spoke about the common myth most people have about benefits. Most people are under the impression that the moment they return to work that their benefits will be taken away from them. But, as Kristin stated, this is not the case. If a person with a Mental Illness wants to go back to work, it is Kristin's job to educate the person about the benefits they are still entitled to receive. I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with her and a consumer. This particular consumer was a great learning experience because she was a particularly difficult consumer to deal with. She was extremely stressed out and upset at the time of her appointment because she has been so down in the dumps ever since she got into a car accident. As a result of this car accident 2 years ago, she now suffers from brain injuries as a result. She is also in a great deal of physical pain from the accident, and as a result, has been terminated from her government job. She feels she is stuck in a jam, and she is extremely lost with what to do with her life. She desperately longs to have her previous life before the accident, as she says she was perfectly happy. Ever since the accident, her life has gone completely downhill. She lost her job, her marriage is in a strain, and she is running out of money because she is only relying on her husband's income to survive. The consumer was having a hard time focusing on the task of getting her intake done, as she often went off in different directions when she was speaking. It was very difficult for her to focus on the questions she was being asked without going off on a tangent. This was a great learning experience as far as the kind of people I will be dealing with in the future as a therapist, and this experience also showed me how I will have to learn to redirect a client if he or she starts to go off on a tangent for too long.

On Thursday of last week I had the honor of sitting in on a support group at Kensington Square called Double Trouble. The focus of this group is recovery from addiction. The people at this group are not only overcoming an addiction, but also have a Mental Health diagnosis as well. I listened to the group members speak about their run in with alcohol and/or chemical addictions in the past, and their recovery. It was especially heartwarming to hear the individual stories about each person's recovery and what they learned from the whole experience. It was amazing to hear how much inspiration these people have despite all the hardships they have been through. I would love to return to this group in the near future to learn more about each person in the group.

I had many great learning experiences from these situations. These learning experiences are definitely helping me learn more about the field of Mental Health.

9) This week I only was able to attend my internship on Tuesday, as opposed to my standard Tuesday and Thursday schedule due to my GRE's that took place on Thursday. Besides the point, I made a productive day out of my Tuesday at MHPC.

I started off my day on Tuesday chatting with a consumer that I Peer Counsel.  She came into the agency for a Peer Counseling session, but this time I had my supervisor sit in with the two of us to make it less ackward.  I have been having trouble with this particular consumer because I find it very difficult to relate to her and make conversation during our counseling sessions.  She tends to go in circles when she talks because she is fixated on the idea that she will never have a good life because her past was so terrible and she will never have any friends.  It gets frustrating to me to keep hearing her say the same thing, and I am having trouble dealing with her pessimistic nature.  It is difficult to communicate any type of positive intervention strategies I have because she is so set in her thinking that nothing can help her.  By having my supervisor in the room with us, it sort of broke the ice a little bit and warmed her up.  Perhaps the little progress so far we have made is because she has extreme social phobia and maybe our one on one interaction is too anxiety provoking for her.  We managed to discuss our interest in music, and we chatted a little bit about guys and relationships.  I felt by the end of our time together, the my supervisor and I had made progress with the consumer as far as getting her to see a bit of optimism for the future.  We decided that we would all go to lunch together next week at a restaurant called Amy's Place down the street.  We decicided to go to lunch together because it would be more interesting to sit and talk over food instead of always being cooped up in the agency.  This would also be a way for the consumer to break free from her comfort zone and get out into the community around her.   

In addition on Tuesday, I volunteered on the Peer Support Phone Line at Crisis Services.  I chatted with a few callers, with various concerns.  One caller just wanted to chat about his day, and another caller just wanted to vent about the economy.  I think that being a volunteer on the phone line will be such an eye opening experience for me as a future counselor.  I will be exposed to so many different situations and different types of people that I will be potentially dealing with in the future.   

Overall, it was another great week in my journey as an intern. 

10)

This past week at Mental Health Peer Connection proved to be another step in my journey as an intern.

Tuesday of last week was spent taking a consumer out to Amy's Place on Main Street for lunch.  This is the consumer that has had troubles with making friendships over the years and is thus convinced her life is going to be a failure.  My supervisor and I thought it would be a good idea to bring this consumer out into the community so that she can slowly overcome her social phobia.  Once we got to the restaurant, we began to talk a little bit more about the consumer's job at a factory, and how she hates working third shift.  We also discussed the guy she is currently interested in and the anxiety she is experiencing as a result of the situation.  The consumer feels that she never has anything to talk about because she does not do anything in her life except work because she has no friends to go out and experience life with.  Her and I also discussed ways of making friendships, such as volunteering at ComPeer.  I mentioned that volunteering is a great way to get out into the community and meet people, while also being of service to the community. The consumer seemed to like this idea. 

After leaving the restaurant, my supervisor and I then went to her polling place because it was Election Day.  She had an assignment from the agency to try and use the voting machine for people with disabilities as a way of assessing how fair the local community is at accomodating those with physical disabilities at the polling places.  The workers at the polling place seemed to have a good grasp on how to use the machine for the physically disabled, which was a good sign.  The only problem was that the place was handicapped accessible but the door to the entrance was locked as well as not marked that it was the handicapped entrance.  The reason my supervisor had to take the time to do this was because MHPC is part of the WNY Independent Living Project which assists those with physical disabilities.  The agency has a duty to assist the WNYLP with its goals and aims for the physically disabled in the community, and my supervisor was certainly assisting by letting the agency know if the polling places were accomodating to those with physical disabilities. 

With the end to another week, I feel more enlightened about the field of Mental Health, as this is what I hoped for at the beginning of my experience.

11) This was a busy week for me at my internship.

On Tuesday I had a Peer Counseling session with a consumer.  This particular consumer has a variety of medical issues, including MS, arthritis, incontinence, along with various mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, just to name a few).  The main reason this consumer has sought out counseling is to have a companion to talk to because she does not have a lot of social support networks in her life.  Her family has ostracized her, and she does not speak with 2 of her sisters or her brother.  This has created distress for the consumer because in her eyes your family should always be a source of support no matter the case.  Also, she comes to counseling to chat about her medical issues because her boyfriend who she lives with does not enjoy listening to her concerns.  He becomes overwhelmed when she talks about all her medical problems because he does not know how to react to the situation.  So as a Peer Counselor, I listened to the consumer with an empathetic ear and tried to offer her comfort in her distress.  After she chatted with me about her medical problems, she began to tell me a bit more about her pyschological issues.  She mentioned to me that she believes she has Seasonal Affective Disorder because she becomes very blue during the long winter months.  She said she only gets really depressed when there is not a lot of sunlight, which has led her to believe she has SAD.  I suggested that she speak with her psychiatrist or counselor to gather more information about this disorder.  I told her that in the meantime she should try to keep active to avoid being depressed, because in my past experience I know that I get depressed when I have idle time.  I suggested that she workout at the Wellness Center or read a book to keep busy.  The consumer seemed keen on these ideas and we ended our session on this note.

In addition, on Thursday I spent the day at Crisis Services on the Peer Support Phone Line.  I chatted with several people during my shift.  One particular consumer was most definitely a learning experience.  This consumer was an elderly lady who had recently become blind.  She does not get along with her family members and she lives alone in an apartment building.  She is also a recovering alcoholic and she mentioned to me that she is thinking about having a drink this Thanksgiving.  I asked her how long she has been sober and she said about 19 years.  Upon hearing this, I encouraged her to think twice about this decision because she has gone so long without falling into temptation and she should not ruin her recovery by having a drink.  I suggested that she attend a self help group called Double Trouble, which is held at Kensington Square.  The man who runs the group is an employee of Mental Health Peer Connection and I happen to think he is a very nice and knowledgable man.  I have sat in on the group in the past, and I told the caller that this would be a great group for her to attend because it is geared toward people that are recovering from an addiction, but who are also diagnosed with a mental illness.  I ended the call with her upon saying this and I encouraged her to seek out help.

12) This week at my internship was a busy one for sure.

On Tuesday I had 2 Peer Counseling appointment with consumers.  The first consumer was the lady that is diagnosed with several different medical conditions.  She is struggling to keep healthy as a her ailments sometimes get the best of her.  That day her arthritis and emphysema were bothering her and this was causing her to be distressed.  She is worried that her emphysema is going to get worse if she does not quit smoking.  We chatted a bit more about her past experience with a horrible doctor that she said scarred her for life.  She was told by this doctor that she did not have a learning disability and he accused her of lying to him about her medical conditions just so that she can take advantage of the system.  He refused to believe that she had Irritable Bowel Syndrome and MS, and thus she was left unproperly treated for 11 years with him.  She told me she is writing a letter to the Medical Review Board to tell them about how terrible of a doctor he was and how he ruined her life.  Although it is too late to sue him, she wants to get the burden off her shoulders and tell the Medical Review Board what happened.  This will allow for relief for her.  We also spoke about what our holiday plans were, and she told me that she is upset that nobody bothered to call her from her family to invite her over for dinner.  She said she was going to spend the holiday at home with her boyfriend having a small dinner, and she said she was going to make a few phone calls to people that she cared about. 

The second Peer Counseling session I had this week was with the consumer who has social phobia.  She is extremely depressed because she has absolutely no friends and she is losing hope that she will ever meet anybody who will befriend her.  She told me that she tried volunteering at a local hospital and that was no help because all of the volunteers were like 3 times her age, which was no help in her effort to make friends.  She is also having trouble talking to a guy she is interested from work because she is afraid to return his calls because she does not know what to talk about with him.  She feels she has nothing to talk about because she doesn't do anything with her life.  I told her to set up an appointment with me to rehearse ways of making conversation with people, and we are going to do this next week together.  I also told her that when she comes in next week that we will work on setting up a Match.com account so that she can meet people through the web site. 

On Thursday of this past week I attended the Grief Support Group at the agency.  This was very informative and I am glad I had the chance to attend.  Although only one man showed up to the group, I learned a great deal from him.  He was grieving because of the loss of his close friend.  He said he feels partly responsible for his death because he knew he was having health problems and he did not do anything to encourage him to get to a doctor. He said he is slowly but surely getting through the days without him and to help with his grief, he goes out with 2 of his close friends to Dennys every Saturday for a depression support group that meets there. 

After I attended that group, I went over to Crisis Services to work on the phone line.  I chatted with a few regular callers while there who enjoy talking to me.  I had a new caller who was upset because of the loss of her boyfriend.  She said that her boyfriend died about a year ago and it was deemed a suicide, but she thinks it was more of an accidental death.  He had 30 beers in one night and he ended up killing himself from doing so.  She said that she thinks that he would not intentionally try to kill himself and she thinks that it was all an accident.  She is having a hard time coping with his death and is extremely depressed to this day. She is living in a group home right now and she told me that she has just started to hear voices.  This was a rather challenging call for me to get through because it was sad to hear her story.  I could not even imagine losing my boyfriend from a death and not being able to get closure.  I told her to try to make it to a grief support group to help her cope with her loss.  Talking with people who are going through the same thing could help her in many ways. 

This week was most definitely a learning experience.  With only a week left to go at my internship, I am going to enjoy my time at the agency while it lasts.

13) This week was the second to last week at my internship.

On Tuesday I had a Peer Counseling session with a consumer.  This is the consumer I meet with on a weekly basis to counsel her through her problems.  We talked about our holidays and how she was surprised to hear from some of her family members.  She has been ostrcized by her family members and to hear from them on the holidays was a pleasant surprise.  She said that she sprained her ankle while doing yoga at her gym, and that she was experiencing some pain as a result.  She said that her emphysema was bothering her on that particular day, but that she is lucky that she only has a mild case.  We talked about her upcoming colonoscopy at ECMC and how she was nervous for the procedure.  The preparation is difficult for the procedure, and she is nervous to hear the results.  I counseled the consumer on ways to stay happy during the winter season, because the consumer said that she thinks she has Seasonal Affective Disorder.  She has been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and the winter triggers her blue feelings.  I suggested that the consumer buy one of those lamps that produces light, because it is supposed to be helpful to those with SAD.  I also suggested that the consumer keep busy with hobbies because having less idle time can decrease depressing feelings, or at least this is what I have found to be true in my experiences.  The consumer said that going to her craft group helps her to keep happy, and I suggested that she continue to go to this group, as well as perhaps taking up another hobby group during the winter.  I also mentioned that she go to the gym as a means of releasing some of her sadness.  She said that she has a membership to the Wellness Center and that she plans to go more frequently once her ankle is healed. 

On Thursday, I did a shift on the Peer Support Phone Line.  I had a variety of different phone calls, ranging from easy to difficult.  I chatted with a few regular callers about the holidays and how their days were going.  One of the more difficult calls I had to deal with was from an extremely depressed caller.  This girl was telling me that she was having suicidal thoughts and that she felt life was not worth living anymore.  I had to do a Lethality Assessment with her, and I immediately had to direct her to call Crisis Services.  She complied with my instructions thankfully because I did not want her to be in harms way.  I have found that working on the phone line has given me the best practice at being a counselor.  I have enlightened many callers on different tactics to coping with stressors, and many callers have not heard of these techniques before. I have found my advice of not worrying about the future to be extremely helpful on the phone line.  As simplistic as it sounds, most people do not digest this helpful hint.  Oftentimes people get so caught up in worrying about what could happen in the future that they forget about the present moment and how they are feeling.  Anxiety often stems from worrying about the future.  Anxiety can dramatically be reduced if we live in the present moment and absorb what is happening in the here and now.  We can not control what is going to happen in the future, but instead focusing on what can be done in the present is the best way at avoiding being overly anxious.  I have dealt with anxiety problems in the past and I know that this is easier said than done, but I assue people that it is a strategy that has to be worked on and perfected.  Thought stopping is another amazing technique for dealing with anxiety.  Stopping a stressing thought at its start can be highly effective.  For some people, a stressful thought can snowball into a chain of anxiety provoking thoughts and eventually this leads to the physiological response of anxiety, like panic attacks, sweaty palms, racing heart, etc.  Sharing the knowledge I have learned in my psychology classes has been helpful to many callers.  I am proud to say that I have helped so many people deal with their problems in an effective manner, and it makes me feel even better that I am putting to use the knowledge I have learned in the classroom.

With only 8 hours left to complete for my internship, my time is coming to a close at MHPC.

14) This week at my internship I finished my remaining 8 hours in order to complete my requirement of 120 hours for the semester.

Thursday was my last Supervision meeting as an intern.  We discussed what I liked about my internship, and what I did not like.  I mentioned that I liked everybody at the agency, and I felt that everyone did a great job at introducing me to what their particular job is all about.  I learned a lot about all the different sorts of things that can be done in the Mental Health field.  I also liked how everyone was very laid back at the agency ,which made coming to my internship a lot easier.  I am a person who can get stressed out easily by new situations, so being at an agency that was laid back was definitely a plus.  I liked the fact that I got first hand experience Peer Counseling individuals as well as the opportunity to intern on the Peer Support Phone Line.  The only thing I did not particularly like about my internship was a consumer who consistently did not show up for appointments.  I know that MHPC does not like to cut off services to consumers that do not show up for appointments, but I believe that my supervisor should have been a bit more straightforward with her that it is very rude to not show up for scheduled appointments. I understand that Mental Health consumers may find it difficult to show up for appointments because their mental illness may be hindering their ability to get out of the house and go, but in my opinion, I believe that the consumer should not sit and complain that things aren't getting better for her if she is not willing to take the initiative to get out of the house and get to the agency.  The only way she is going to get better is if she starts showing up for help and stops making up excuses for not coming in.  I know it sounds a bit harsh, but it is only the truth.  Counselors can not perform miracles, and it takes effort on the part of the consumer to come in for help.  Plus, it is also rude to monopolize my time as an intern by saying you are going to come in, and then you don't.  It screws up my plans for the day.  I guess this was my biggest peeve about my internship.  I felt a little more could have been done by the agency to stop consumers from not showing up for appointments with me. 

Also on Thursday, I attended the Grief and Loss Group at the agency.  The focus of the group is to help people cope with any sort of grief or loss they are dealing with.  I heard several different stories from a few people.  One man came to the group because he is having a hard time dealing with his identity.  He was sexually molested at an early age and he is still traumatized from the event.  Another woman at the group had been raped and is having a hard time dealing with herself upon the traumatic event.  Another woman said she just went through a terrible divorce and is having a difficult time being alone in the city and dealing with the fact that her ex husband never loved her.  It was heartbreaking to hear some of these stories, but the guy that runs the group had some very wise words of wisdom to say. I felt touched by the fact that part of grieving is going through stages, and that the most important part of a loss is coming to accept the new way of life you have. 

My remaining 4 hours for my internship were spent on the Peer Support Phone Line Saturday at Crisis Services.  I had a lot of calls.  Luckily, there were no crisis calls and all the calls were people just looking to chat because they were lonely.  I had several callers mention that they do not care for the holidays because it makes them depressed.  I said that this is completely normal for a lot of people, especially for those people that have lost family members or are not close with certain family members.

My internship is officially done. It was a wonderful experience.

15)

I learned a great deal from this experience as an intern at MHPC.

First and foremost, I learned the type of people I would like to ideally counsel in the future.  I would like to work with adolescents in a school setting, like the counselors at Canisius.  I really do not think I would like to be a counselor to adults who are in extreme poverty, like the type of people I dealt with at my internship.  It is very hard for me to relate to these people and it made me a bit uncomfortable when dealing with them.  I feel my interests mainly lie in adolescent issues and I feel I could help them a great deal more than I could help adults.

Also, I learned that some people really think counselors can perform miracles.  I really think some consumers of Mental Health Services need to get a better grip on reality.  Counselors can only help as much as consumers are willing to give.  By not showing up for appointments, or not taking into consideration what the counselor is saying and making changes to your lifestyle, nothing is going to change.  Being relieved from distress involves making changes, whether it be behavior or cognitive changes.  I understand social phobia may get in the way of someone's ability to get out and receive help, but it takes will power.  Change is the key word for seeking relief from distress.

Also, I learned that counselors are not simply advice givers.  Counselors offer solutions to problems, but they do not tell consumers what to do step by step.  It takes a bit of work from the counselor to help the consumer come to their own conclusions and decisions.  Consumers are the best at deciding what is going to help them, and counselors just are along for the ride to steer them in the right direction. 

Also, I learned how important it is not to be judgemental with consumers.  I had a consumer tell me that she uses marijuana to relieve her depression.  As much as I wanted to say that it is not a healthy coping mechanism, I had to find other ways of helping her arrive at that conclusion for herself.  It is not my position to be a mother to her and say that it is wrong to use drugs, but I suggested other healthier ways of coping with depression.  I can not judge people as a counselor, and that is very important to know.

Finally, one of the most important things I learned was the type of problems I will be dealing with as a counselor.  I have talked to people with a variety of different problems. Some of the problems I have had to counsel people on are medical problems, depression and anxiety symptoms, lack of friends or social outlets, suicidal thoughts, relationship issues, and coping with the loss of someone.  I have been exposed to many different scenerios and I have learned how to counsel people in these types of situations from my supervisor. 

Another very important thing I learned now that I think about it is that having prior experience with a mental illness will make me much more of an effective counselor.  I have dealt with depression and anxiety in the past, and I think this will help me relate better to the people I will be working with.  I have had previous experience with a psychiatrist and a counselor, which is to my benefit as a counselor.

Overall, I would not trade this experience for anything.  Being an intern helped me gain first hand knowledge of what it is like to work in the field of Mental Health services.  It is so much better to see with your own eyes what being a counselor is all about, rather than just reading it from a textbook.