My Internship Self-Appraisal

Internship Self-Appraisal Paper

My personal philosophical view of how others learn, develop and change was broadened during practicum. Initially, my belief was when someone is faced with a challenge, they should not spend a lot of time dwelling on this problem but rather find a solution quickly and move on. However, during my internship at HAS, I became aware and knowledgeable of the process that occurs in learning, growing and changing, specifically with individuals who suffer from substance misuse. My experience working with individuals with substance use disorders allowed me to see the difficulties they experience with change. Change is difficult without assistance from someone to offer the tools needed in order to learn and grow. Many …show more content…
It would be to my benefit to become versed in these treatment modalities especially if I continue in this field and because these theories are also effective. During internship, I began developing my own counseling style. I became aware of certain things about myself. I had to be authentic because I was no good at imitating another counselor 's style. I am open, supportive, patient and non-judgmental. I wanted the participants to know it was ok to be themselves and that they would still be treated with respect and kindness. The participants were experiencing other issues in their life besides substance abuse, and being supportive helped ease their fears about going through this journey alone. Another important component to my counseling style is being non-judgmental. This population is stigmatized and being judged lowers their self-esteem and causes them to become angry. Participants often came to me and complained about the treatment they were receiving and those angry feelings compromised their sobriety and treatment. For this reason, I remained non-judgmental and encouraging towards the participants. Finally, having patience was a necessity because at times, I became frustrated at the participants for behaving like children. However, I learned it was a way for …show more content…
I thought about the things I heard and wondered how they felt after opening up old wounds and not be able to process those feelings. I prayed that they would not use, and in a few cases they did, and died. As I stated during practicum, their struggles were the same regardless of race, age, educational level, economic status, or gender. The disease of addiction does not discriminate, and once I truly understood that statement, I was able to realize my own biases. I became more tolerant, compassionate, and empathetic towards individuals who suffer from substance use