An Intern's Perspective...

I entered practicum at such a nerve-wracking time with a pandemic going on that Art and Soul Art Therapy was the only place in Connecticut that agreed to take me on and I had other people telling me that a private practice wouldn’t get me the variety of educational practice I would need. I definitely see that they were wrong, because I had such an amazing experience at this site and I look forward to continuing at this site for internship. I feel like I received a wellrounded experience with individuals from all ages and diagnoses. Most importantly, I learned a lot about myself.

I was taught so many new techniques that I have never experienced before such as the BSOTR (Brief Solution Oriented Trauma Resolution), ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts), Stress Simulation (breathing techniques with video game play), group digital drawing through Aggie.com, parts work, and even group therapy with individuals dealing with physical/mental disabilities.

I learned to find more patience and let the client have time to process, I learned that silence is okay to sit in, I learned that I can work alongside the client if it benefits them, I learned that harm’s touch doesn’t have to be physical, I learned how difficult countertransference and termination can be, and I learned that I need response art in order to benefit myself and my clients. Briana was an excellent site supervisor and I plan to come back for internships if she will have me!

-Christina Standridge MAAT