For the fall semester I decided to intern with Safe Nest. They are a nonprofit organization in Las Vegas that helps aid victims of domestic violence. As a psychology major, I thought this would be a very educational internship for me. I thought this would be a great experience for me to work on my crisis management skills, my compassion skills, and also how to cope with compassion fatigue in situations where I feel stressed. In the beginning, I signed up with the crisis hotline. This involved me going out to the scenes with an advocate and providing resources to the victims. My shadow shifts went well, but as I continued I learned for myself that I was not in the most comfortable state responding to these calls alone. I lacked the skillset of an advocate and I didn't have enough training to be able to help the victims in need. Therefore, about halfway through I switched to helping at the domestic violence shelter and that is where I finished my internship. I enjoyed the shelter way more. It felt more intimate, and I was able to work one on one with the ladies and their children. I provided them with any items they needed (hygenic, food, etc.). I got to watch and play with the babies and children, and I also did some clerical work like monitoring who came in and out of the shelter. In addition, I got to help set up events, which I also enjoyed. My favorite event was the Run For Hope 5K we did to raise money for more animal care at the shelter. All in all, this was a great experience. It showed me what I did and didn't like, and all the staff members were flexible with me and my changes. I'm grateful for the people I met through this organization, and I think it was great exposure for my career experience in the future.
