This internship has benefitted my future career by reaffirming that working in the field of clinical psychology is something that I truly want to do. Being a psychology major, there are a lot of routes one can take after graduation, and throughout my college career, I have been going back and forth about what I really want to do.
Fortunately, my internship heavily ties with my major of study, and it was a very valuable experience to be able to intern at an actual mental health clinic. My duties included checking in patients and shadowing Spravato and TMS procedures. These procedures are still quite new, more modern treatments for mental health disorders that are considered a last resort when all else has not worked for a patient. Having the opportunity to learn more and actually witness how such treatments have made a difference in patients’ lives was very inspiring for me. My experience will continue to serve as a reminder why mental health is so important.
As for any educational requirements that may be needed for this internship, it is definitely helpful to have a psychology background or something similar in order to have a better understanding of the purpose and intent of a mental health clinic.
My specific tasks also included working with spreadsheets, so having experience and knowledge with Excel would be required too. In order to secure a full-time position in this field, I believe prior experience dealing with patients, HIPAA training, and general skills like critical thinking and professionalism are needed. In this field, every person is different, and there is no one right way of doing things, but we all have the goal of bettering the lives of patients.
After this internship, I will continue to prepare for graduate school for a PhD in Clinical Psychology. For the longest time, I was hesitant to pursue as such programs require extreme dedication, hard work, and commitment. However, my time at Calm Clinic made me realize that it will all be worth it by the time I am actually able to practice as a clinical psychologist. My only advice for incoming interns is to be proactive and make connections with both the staff and PA students at the clinic. Your experience is what you make of it.
Hi Kaela! It is so awesome to hear about your experience at Calm Clinic and how much it benefitted you and reassured you about your career. I think that experiencing how a mental health clinic works first-hand is an awesome way to get started in the field and to keep learning. I wish you the best of luck in your future and thank you for sharing!