Self Reflection

During the course of this quarter, I believe I have made significant growth not only educationally or professionally but personally as well. Struggling to maintain myself afloat has been an admirable task; this has been possible due to adherence to time management. In previous years, I would tend to procrastinate, however, with the increase in intern hours and increased work load, I have forced my self to start on projects early so that by the end of the quarter I am not overwhelming my self. Similarly, at work I have been able to apply the knowledge and skills learned in school and in field. I have increased my level of empathy and compassion for the population I work with, this in turn has increased the quality of the working relationship. In addition, as a husband and parent, this quarter has enabled me to be appreciative of the support. My wife and children have been as great source of resilience.

Currently, I continue with an open mind with a willingness to absorb and learn as much as possible. As a student, I am still afforded the opportunity to make mistakes, a luxury not available to others. So, while I have prided myself as a quick and efficient learner, I continue to challenge myself to make mistakes, learn and grow from them. As a practitioner, my level of confidence continues to grow. I entered field with minimal clinical work and was somewhat skeptical as my competency level and also skeptical of the population being served. However, as I gain exposure to a wide variety of settings and cases my confidence increases. I understand that I will not be an expert in the field or have the answers to every presenting problem, but as long as I become familiar to where to find them or who to ask, this will help my confidence as a practitioner. I feel grateful for the opportunity to intern at my current site. My supervisor is open and available to discuss and or process any experiences I encounter. Overall, I feel welcomed and accepted in the agency.

I believe being exposed to the field is my most helpful experience. Conducting, assessments, group sessions, individual session, family sessions have all been instrumental in my learning process. I am a visual and hands on learner and have found myself in the early stages of internship becoming frustrated. I wanted to be set free, feeling this is the only way for me to gain meaningful exposure and development.

Many of the clients being served share similar characteristics and experiences as my self. The difficulty is removing my self from their experiences, since I often feel that if I was able to overcome obstacles and difficulties in my life, then why they can't. I have come to understand we all share different experiences, no one client is alike. Increasing my self awareness and employing appropriate interventions and using my supervision have been useful in dealing with these feelings.

Reflecting on what has hindered my experiences as a learner,