Paige isn’t a stranger to working in a clinical, therapeutic setting. Before beginning her master’s program and internship, she worked at an inpatient psychiatric care facility. But she soon realized she wanted to experience different clinical settings. That's when she found the internship position at Sevita. Now she's delivering outpatient care and therapeutic services for her clients.
With her curious and compassionate nature, she’s seen progress and her impact even with the most elusive and difficult clients. Like a nine-year old who hid under his covers until she rambled on to herself about liking to play video games. That got him out from underneath and talking!
With her curious and compassionate nature, she’s seen progress and her impact even with the most elusive and difficult clients. Like a nine-year old who hid under his covers until she rambled on to herself about liking to play video games. That got him out from underneath and talking!
"I wouldn’t have had as much autonomy over my own practice, had I not done this.
I feel like I’m doing my own thing. I’m not under the puppet strings under a supervisor.
It’s much more free, more self-directed (with support) than other programs or opportunities I’ve come across."
I feel like I’m doing my own thing. I’m not under the puppet strings under a supervisor.
It’s much more free, more self-directed (with support) than other programs or opportunities I’ve come across."
You chose this internship because it offered some experiences you didn’t have under your belt yet. How did your manager or team help you feel supported?
"It was definitely a bit intimidating at first because I went in thinking I was totally not capable or qualified, or maybe that I was going to have a little bit of ‘imposter syndrome’. But I met my supervisor before even starting because I had my interview with her and she was my direct supervisor from the beginning, so that helped.
Then I started meeting with a peer coach here at Sevita, and that was a great experience because I had never had that kind of support before---meaning someone that wasn’t a direct supervisor but more of a peer or co-worker who is at your level of position. They guide you through the process, do intakes with you, answer any of your questions."
How is your internship helping you grow personally/professionally?
"This internship is the best choice I could have made because I'm gaining those 1:1 skills that I was seeking in my previous internships, and was worried I would come out of my program without having and only studied it in books."
What do you look forward to most about coming to work?
"I look forward to having those moments, those aha moments when I feel like I’ve connected with those clients or drawn something out of them that I didn’t realize I was capable of or progress they make I didn’t think would happen, and feeling like I’m making a difference for them. I really like working 1:1 with clients more than the other clinical experiences I’ve had."
What advice would you give others considering doing their internship at Sevita? Definitely utilize the supervision options. It's helpful not only to get hours, but it's also great to hear your peers' perspectives of the clients they're working with and share situations I'm coming across with clients to get suggestions and feedback.
What do you do outside of work to relax? Or a fun fact about you your co-workers wouldn’t know? I play golf! I played golf in high school and undergrad, so that’s something I do for fun now. And I’m a major foodie, I love sushi and love trying restaurants in the area. I’m not by any means a chef, but I do cook and love cooking pasta – that’s my signature food!
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