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Student Spotlights

Emma Thompson: Social Work

Emma was a Clinical Therapy Intern for Utah State Hospital during Summer 2025.

Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship.

I provided individual therapy to patients in the geriatric unit of the State Hospital. This expanded my clinical skills and provided me opportunities to practice what I learned in my classes.

What did you learn on your internship that you were not expecting to learn?

I learned the importance of self-care and how to balance my needs along with the needs of others .

How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?

I now am more interested in working with adults. I learned that connecting with people with different life experiences is not as hard as I anticipated!

Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.

I began to pray for my abilities soon into my internship because I felt so inadequate. I learned through personal inspiration that God is aware of me and of my patients.

Would you recommend this internship to other students?

Yes, I would recommend this internship to other students because it gave me the opportunity to learn more about those who are on the fringes. As I know more, the more I am able to advocate for and care about this demographic!

Is there anything else you would like to say regarding your internship?

It has been a period of growth, change, and hope!

This photo is from the hospital's birthday party, which I had the privilege to be part of. I learned to celebrate the small victories with my patients, such as getting outside to be part of the festivities.
This photo is from a State Hospital memorial at the Provo City Cemetery. While our understanding of mental health has grown over the past decades, we still have a long way to go. This is one of the motivating factors for interning at the State Hospital and for wanting a better life for my patients.