Career questions tagged population
How to navigate the unfamiliar and demanding nature of counseling school age children without falling apart?
Hi there, I am currently completing my second/last internship for my Master's in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy. My internship last year was with adults with acute and chronic mental illness. This year, I landed a last-minute placement with a nonprofit organization that places graduate Interns in schools. I am placed at an elementary school as a school counselor, however, I have never worked with school-age children in any capacity. I have a brief experience as a preschool assistant and have taken multiple developmental psych classes. The nature of the internship is going to be very hands-off (me doing everything from ground zero) from asking for consent forms to pulling students out of classrooms for a session which is putting me in a vulnerable place. I am not a very assertive individual. How to navigate the unfamiliar and demanding nature of this new experience without falling apart? P.S. I am expected to begin next week. Thank you!
