Resources for Interns - Western State Hospital Internship Program

July 07 2022

Friday Facts: October is Depression Awareness Month (Original Post Date 10/8/2018)

As we start into the month of October, we typically think of the pumpkins, scary movies, trick ‘r treating, and costume parties. However, something that we should keep in mind is that it is also Depression Awareness Month. This should be considered especially because many horror films are based off of the Hollywood view of how an individual in a psychiatric hospital would be and act–and it’s pretty terrifying–and it’s wrong.

We need to reject stereotypical and inaccurate portrayals of mental illness, and help other people become more aware of how these views add to the stigma and biases about mental illness, and how individuals with mental illnesses should be considered “dangerous.” We should aim to help people truly understand these illnesses and how they can impact an individual’s life. We should also work towards educating people about how individuals with mental illness are not always dangerous, and that most conditions, such as depression, can be successfully treated.

References
https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/october-depression-awareness-month#1

Hannah Sutherland, MA, LPA (Temp)
WKPIC Doctoral Intern

July 07 2018

Friday Factoids Catch-Up: Self-Care During Internship

In my first Friday Factoid of the month, I mentioned that it is important to create friendships over the course of your internship. I have learned it is not only important to have friendships within your cohort, but with other staff members at work who are not related to your department. I have been lucky enough to have developed friendships with several individuals who understand my quirky nature and who are not afraid of having fun at work.

This year has been filled with too many fun shenanigans to talk about in just one blog post. The two best shenanigans that have been talked about all over the hospital are our Unicorn Shirt days and Operation Cat Take Over. On a random Thursday this year, a group of staff members decided to wear “I am a Unicorn” shirts along with unicorn headbands. Not only did staff find these shirts entertaining, but several patients have asked if they could have the shirts.

By far the best shenanigan of the year not only started a department prank war, but WON the prank war. It is said that on a Sunday afternoon two awesome, dedicated, and creative people entered the office of Will Battle. Rumor has it that in 4 hours over 1200 cat pictures were hung across the entire office floor to ceiling with approximately 6 rolls of tape. Pictures of this office do not do it justice so if you are ever at the hospital make sure to ask if you can see the “Cat Office.”

Anissa Pugh, MA, LPA
WKPIC Doctoral Intern

July 07 2018

Friday Factoids Catch-Up: Self-Care During Internship

Many of the articles that provide tips on how to have a successful internship strongly encourage participation in self-care activities. We, as clinicians, frequently tell our clients to engage in self-care activities such as being outside, coloring, or listening to music. However, we are not always the best at taking our own advice.

I know over the course of this internship, I have had to work at incorporating self-care into my weekly routine. I have found that I not only need self-care activities outside of work, but also during my normal work day. One way I incorporate self-care into my work day is by getting out of the office for a few minutes several times a day. It started out just walking outside the building because there is always something to see on the grounds of WSH. At some point, I added a weekly Friday trip to Starbucks before seminar. On these trips, I realized I not only needed the caffeine, but I also needed to have a reward at the end of the week I could look for to. Now 10 months into internship, I may go to Starbucks more than is probably necessary, but it gives me a chance to get out of the office for a brief period of time.

Before you begin your internship year, I would suggest finding different ways you are going to incorporate self-care into your weekly routine.

Anissa Pugh, MA, LPA
WKPIC Doctoral Intern

June 06 2018

Friday Factoids Catch-Up: Having FUN on Internship

Congrats!!! You have officially matched with your internship placement for next year and that means one more stressful process cannot be taken off your long to-do list before graduation. But just like other portions of your graduate school career, the actual internship can be stressful. As clinicians we teach our clients a variety of coping skills to manage stress and instruct them to engage in self-care activities. However, we usually don’t take our own advice and I know this has been a personal struggle for be during my internship placement. That is why for the month of June the Friday Factoids are going to focus on how to survive your internship while not only growing as a professional, but also having fun at the same time.

There are a variety of articles online that give tips on how to have a successful internship and most of these articles incorporate the same aspects. Tartokovsky (2016) composed a list of “8 Tips for a Successful Internship.” Some of the tips from this were to learn as much as you can during internship, because you will most likely have a chance to do things you have never done before. Something new you learn on internship may even become your specialty in the future. Other tips discussed were talking with staff members and getting to know your cohort. Internship can be stressful at times and you are going to need people to talk to both at work and in your personal life.

As I near the end of my internship placement, I got to thinking about things I did over the last nine months to ensure internship would be a memorable experience. So over the next few weeks, I am going to show you some things I did as an intern that kept me calm including creating friendships, going on lots of Starbucks runs, and wearing unicorn shirts and headbands throughout the hospital. Yes, you read that correctly unicorn shirts because sometimes you need to a good laugh when things get stressful (There is picture proof this happened).

References:
Tartakovsky, M. (2016). 8 Tips for a Successful Internship. Psych Central. Retrieved on June 8, 2018, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/8-tips-for-a-successful-internship/

Anissa Pugh, MA, LPA
WKPIC Doctoral Intern

June 06 2018

Friday Factoid Catch-Up: The Porcupine Dilemma

Having a loved one with a mental illness can sometimes feel a lot like trying to love a porcupine. Schopenhauer and Freud have used a metaphor called the Porcupine Dilemma to describe what they feel is the state of the individual in relation to others.

This dilemma suggests that despite goodwill and the desire to have a close reciprocal relationship, porcupines cannot avoid hurting others with their sharp quills for reasons they cannot avoid. This typically results in cautious behavior and unstable relationships.

To work through this dilemma, if you have a loved one suffering with mental illness, consider the following strategies:

Get involved in a community support program for emotional support and camaraderie.
Engage in self-care.
Encourage your loved one to initiate mental health services.
Communicate openly about your feelings, wants, and needs.

Georgetta Harris-Wyatt, MS
WKPIC Doctoral Intern

Previous page 1 2 3 4 5 … 40 Next page

Innovative Psychology Internship Program in Western Kentucky. See what we are all about!

Teaching Excellence

Category Archives: Resources for Interns

Friday Facts: October is Depression Awareness Month (Original Post Date 10/8/2018)

Friday Factoids Catch-Up: Self-Care During Internship

Friday Factoids Catch-Up: Self-Care During Internship

Friday Factoids Catch-Up: Having FUN on Internship

Friday Factoid Catch-Up: The Porcupine Dilemma

Phone: 270-889-2741

Phone: 270-889-2811