This summer I completed my second internship at Lorain
County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (LCADA). LCADA is a non-profit
organization to help those struggling with addiction. When I started my first
summer at LCADA, I had no idea working with addicts was something I wanted to
do for the rest of my life.
The first summer at LCADA I was able to assist with the
suboxone program; the program designed to use medication (suboxone) to help the
opiate addicts with withdrawal symptoms and to block the euphoric effects
opiates have on the brain. I was able to observe the individual sessions, talk
to the clients, drug test the clients, and sit in with the client and the
doctor since suboxone is distributed by a doctor, not a counselor. The second summer at LCADA I was able to observe more of the
counseling principles. I was able to sit in on assessments, individual
sessions, and also family sessions. I was able to practice progress notes and
treatment plans and receive constructive criticism for what I should change and
also told what I did correctly.
Both internships at LCADA were very helpful to me for my future
goals. Although I did not know that working with addicts is what I wanted to
do, I know now that this is what I want. Working at LCADA gave me experience
through observation, which is important because you cannot learn to counsel
through a book. This internship helped prepare me for not only graduate school,
but also my future career.
