Abnormal Psychology Internship Analysis

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Something that stuck with me throughout this process is that no matter why someone comes in for counseling, it is that you cannot judge them. The office serves as a positive outlet for clients and they need to know that they can trust the counselor and they will not be judged. If there is judgement from the counselor (or any other professional in mental health), the client will take note of that and will not want to proceed with any form of treatment or intervention, and they could even become more isolated and fearful, which in turn means that they may not seek help again if they should need it. I have noticed an idea from abnormal psychology which is the idea that environment can play a role in mental illness. I see this idea in place …show more content…
I now know more about what it takes to be a counselor practicing in a solo office type setting, and the fact that you are a service that helps people, but you are also a business. You have to balance those things out with each other to ensure that you can help people because your business is stable. So in my everyday duties, I not only saw what happens from a mental health/psychology standpoint, but what happens from a business standpoint in terms of the “behind the scenes” of being a Licensed Professional Counselor. For example, I was not aware of the fees required to have and maintain a license in order to be a counselor. You also have to think about the monthly expenses like rent and how many clients you can take on at one time in order to provide them with the best possible …show more content…
CIS was an important course because I had a basic knowledge of computers and how to work with the office things on a daily basis. Another course that I thought was very important was the Psy 270 and 271 courses, which was a little shocking to me in this setting. The stats courses helped me gain a better understanding of programs for data, like Microsoft Excel, and more specifically, how to enter data and manipulate it for whatever the purpose may be. In my case at the office, I entered a significant amount of client data into spreadsheets to keep up with the current clients as well as making statements and for billing purposes. Abnormal psychology was also helpful in the sense that it gave me some background knowledge about both the DSM and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD codes). It was helpful going into this internship feeling that I had some enough knowledge about psychology, ICD, and the DSM to know what Kassandra and my coworker were talking

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