Importance Of Internship Experience

I have worked for the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (WVDRS) for over three years as a Rehabilitation Service Associate. During that time I have been given the opportunity to work with the clients that we serve on a regular basis. However, the internship experience provided me with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the rehabilitation process and what it means to work as a team with individuals to achieve goals. During my internship I was given the opportunity to work with students in high school sitting as well as students who were already involved in training services. Working with these students on a one on one basis provided me with the opportunity to use the counseling skills I have learned throughout

Working with clients that were in two different places in the rehabilitation process was a great learning experience. During my internship I was provided the opportunity learn more about the rehabilitation program and services through further training, as well as have the opportunity to work on my vocational counseling and guidance skills. I became more involved in the completion of client documentation and the procedures for completing case management notes. I had the opportunity to work with other professionals and learn more about the services our community rehabilitation programs provide. Many of the students that I worked with were referred to our rehabilitation technology unit for computer and driving evaluations. Referrals were also made for psychological evaluations. Records requests were completed to services providers. Having an opportunity to review these evaluations and reports was a valuable learning experience. Working with the multiple service providers enabled me to gain a better understanding of the needs of the clients and enabled me to assist in making the determination on the next steps required to assist the client in achieving their vocational goals. I was able to work and learn from other counselors the processes required to complete an Individual Plan for Employment and Individual Plan for Employment

Working with students has always been my passion, the internship experience only deepened my desire to pursue this career goal. A negative aspect of working with students would be that in some cases it is just not possible to support the student’s vocational goal. When this happens you feel like a dream crusher. I do not like to disappoint these students as it has been my experience that they hear so often that they cannot do, rather than they can do. So when I experience this I always try to work to assist the student in finding a vocational goal that closely relates to their original “dream job”. This experience did not change my service philosophy it only reinforced it. It is my goal to assist individuals in reaching their potential by providing encouragement, support, advocacy, team work and information. This experience only added to my experiences and provided me with insight into the challenges students face when transitioning from high school to post-secondary training or employment, as well as the strengths they possess in overcoming those challenges. I believe that by having this experience I have gained increased knowledge about resources and services available to assist transition student whether they are transitioning from high school or transitioning from training programs to employment.