NAMI Southern Nevada Internship

Amanda Louie · 2023-07-04T05:18:10.366Z

• I believe that this internship benefitted my career in a multitude of ways. For one, it gave me a sense of what working in the field of psychology/mental health would be like. It also provided me with many diverse opportunities such as working on a mental health resource helpline, tabling events, and doing research/internal work. I believe the training I received to properly speak with individuals dealing with mental health conditions will greatly help me in my future career. I also learned a lot about the mental health system/resources through the helpline and I see that helping a lot as well. • Yes, I am a psychology major and my internship was with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, of Southern Nevada. So it dealt a lot with mental health resources and advocacy. • You do not need any specific educational requirements beforehand. I went through multiple trainings at the beginning of my internship that provided me with the necessary knowledge to be successful. • By dabbling in so many different roles, I was able to absorb so much information about my chosen field and it gave me a better sense of if I would enjoy it as a career. I think that this internship reminded me why I chose psychology. I wanted to help people and this internship allowed me to work directly with the community. It was a very rewarding experience and because of that, it solidified that I would like to continue down this path. • NAMI Southern Nevada is a Volunteer based organization so there are many ways to get involved. There are specific trainings for each program that they offer and their programs include presentations, support groups, outreach, and much more. The more involved you get, the bigger your role can be! If I wanted a similar job with a different organization, I may benefit from getting certified as a Crisis responder or even getting an M.A. in Psychology or a related field. • One piece of advice I would give is to seize as many opportunities as you can. My advisor really pushed me to branch out as much as possible and if it wasn’t for her enthusiasm I would’ve probably been too nervous to try half of what I did. Looking back, I am so thankful for the experiences I got so I encourage future students to push themselves out of their comfort zones!

I believe that this internship benefitted my career in a multitude of ways. For one, it gave me a sense of what working in the field of psychology/mental health would be like. It also provided me with many diverse opportunities such as working on a mental health resource helpline, tabling events, and doing research/internal work. I believe the training I received to properly speak with individuals dealing with mental health conditions will greatly help me in my future career. I also learned a lot about the mental health system/resources through the helpline and I see that helping a lot as well.
Yes, I am a psychology major and my internship was with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, of Southern Nevada. So it dealt a lot with mental health resources and advocacy.
You do not need any specific educational requirements beforehand. I went through multiple trainings at the beginning of my internship that provided me with the necessary knowledge to be successful.
By dabbling in so many different roles, I was able to absorb so much information about my chosen field and it gave me a better sense of if I would enjoy it as a career. I think that this internship reminded me why I chose psychology. I wanted to help people and this internship allowed me to work directly with the community. It was a very rewarding experience and because of that, it solidified that I would like to continue down this path.
NAMI Southern Nevada is a Volunteer based organization so there are many ways to get involved. There are specific trainings for each program that they offer and their programs include presentations, support groups, outreach, and much more. The more involved you get, the bigger your role can be! If I wanted a similar job with a different organization, I may benefit from getting certified as a Crisis responder or even getting an M.A. in Psychology or a related field.
One piece of advice I would give is to seize as many opportunities as you can. My advisor really pushed me to branch out as much as possible and if it wasn’t for her enthusiasm I would’ve probably been too nervous to try half of what I did. Looking back, I am so thankful for the experiences I got so I encourage future students to push themselves out of their comfort zones!