Adyson interested as a Psychological Technician with the Utah State Prison.
Describe a day in your life as an intern.
In my current position, I am an intern at the Utah State Prison working in the sex offender treatment program. My duties include managing clients in my Pre-Treatment groups and life skills classes, teaching those classes, and facilitating group therapy discussions.
What industry/job specific skills did you learn?
Confidence in public speaking, how to conduct group therapy, specific psychological assessments and testing
What are three things that you learned from this experience that could be applied to other settings?
Project management - We have daily duties that we are responsible for, and projects are something that we do on the side. This has been helpful for me to prioritize my time in the most efficient way.
Leadership - I create my own schedule, and this internship is very self-driven. This has given me the opportunity to decide what works best for my schedule as well as my students when teaching.
Openness in communication - I have had the opportunity to have open communication with my supervisors on difficult work subjects as well as personal issues that have come up.
What was your favorite part of your internship?
I have loved the opportunity to play a role in the recovery and treatment of my students.
What was your least favorite part?
Sometimes the material that we deal with can be emotionally taxing.
How did this experience affect your future goals?
This experience inspired me to pursue a PhD instead of a Masters. This decision was sparked by conversations with supervisors, their education experience, as well as my passion for this field that has deepened through my experiences.
How did you get your internship?
I applied through BYU and did a couple of rounds of interviews with the supervisors of the program.
How did this experience contribute to your growth (personal, academic, professional, etc.)?
This experience deepened my professional experience and growth because this is the first role I have ever had that is completely applicable to the field I want to work in. It has also contributed to my personal growth as far as emotional maturity and development, communication skills, time management, as well as confidence in my abilities.
