Samantha Ness

Company/Organization: Youth Emergency Services and Shelter of Iowa
Company/Organization website: https://www.yessiowa.org/
Destination: Des Moines
Timeframe: Fall 2016
Advisor/Coordinator Email: enloe@iastate.edu

Responsibilities

Supervise daily and nightly routines to meet the needs of children living within the shelter; provide support and interact with youth in trauma sensitive sessions; coordinate and facilitate group activities; assume a leadership role within family counseling to create calm and effective solutions.

Accomplishments

The most valuable learning experience I've had is being with youth when they're having a "moment." By that, I mean being triggered by something that makes them think about past traumatic experiences which, in turn, causes them to be extremely upset. During these encounters, I took what I learned in training sessions and applied it to the situation. It was incredibly valuable applying what I had learned to a real world situation.

What advice would you give?

Go for an internship that is applicable towards what you want to do with your career. Don't worry about if it's paid or where it's located. The experience will either reaffirm your interest or teach you it's not the path for you.

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