Intern’s Corner – Week Twenty-Eight

Hello everyone!

I hope you have had a wonderful week! This is my final blog post as an intern. Throughout this past week, I have experiences both excitement, sadness, and amazement.

During my first week as an intern, I created three goals for myself. Halfway through, I gave you all an update on my progress on these goals. I thought it only fitting I give you all a final update on my internship goals.

1. I will not let my anxieties and nerves get in the way of my growth.

Throughout my internship, anxiety has been a challenge I have worked hard to overcome. Although I still deal with it each day, I have not let it hinder my growth. I have become much more confident in my abilities and walk into each situation with more confidence than I ever could have before. As my grandma told me, I am “no longer the scared chicken who was afraid of her own shadow.” I am amazed with how much I have grown as a therapist, a professional, and a person with the support from the MTC team.

2. I will fully prepare for each day as best I can physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Although there were some days that I felt I was taking the day one hour at a time, I have improved on preparing myself. Since my first week as an intern, I have improved my diet, water intake, sleep schedule, and self care routines. While I am still no where near where I want to be, I have seen significant improvement over the past few months. I have felt more prepared for my day more often than I did during undergrad. I hope to continue working on this area moving forward to further better myself for my clients and team.

3. I will force myself to step outside of my comfort zone in all aspects that arise.

There have been many opportunities for me to step outside of my comfort zone throughout this journey. There are many things that I never thought I would have done when I started back in October. I never would have imagine I would lead a successful drum circle nor do a Facebook Live event. Both events were extremely out of my comfort zone but I pushed myself to do my best and learned a lot about myself. As I continue on a new journey as a profession, I will continue to find ways to step outside of my comfort zone. Who knows what else I’ll learn?

Thank You!

For those of you who have been following my journey, thank you for your support! Prior to internship, I had never written for a blog before. With each week, I became more comfortable sharing my thoughts with you. I have appreciated all the feedback I have received throughout this journey. Thank you for reading my thoughts each week!

I would also like to say a special thank you to my professors and instructors who taught me everything during my undergrad. At the end of my senior year, you told my class that we belong among the wild flowers. We would thrive no matter where we are. Although there were rough moments and hard challenges, I could not have made it this far without your guidance.

Lastly, I would like to say thank you to the team here at MTC. From day one, you pushed me in every aspect to improve myself and my skills. Thank you for both the tough conversations and the constant support over the past few months. I couldn’t have made it this far without you all!

Moving forward, I have the opportunity to continue working for this amazing team! I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me!

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and healthy!

Cicely McCain

Intern’s Corner – Week Twenty-Seven

Hello everyone!

I hope you have all had a fantastic week and have found time for yourself. This week, I completed my second-to-last assignment as an intern! This assignment consisted of reading and reviewing a book that would improve myself. I chose to read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, with the suggestion from my supervisor. This week, I thought I would share some of the eye-opening revelations I learned from this book.

Permission

One thing that especially stood out to me while reading this book was the idea of giving yourself permission. Permission to exist, to take up space, to make mistakes, to take chances, or to be creative. Oftentimes we can be halted in our endeavor to grow or create because we may not feel as though we deserve to.

Inspiration

Throughout this book, Gilbert described Inspiration and Creativity as a magical force that goes through the universe looking for a suitable partner to bring it to life. These ideas go around in search of someone who is willing to work with inspiration to create something beautiful. When an idea pops in your head while you are driving or washing dishes, that may be inspiration paying you a visit. Will you answer the call?

Courage

Courage can make or break your success. Pushing through your fears is no easy task but it can be the difference between reaching your dreams or letting those dreams pass you by. No one ever said success was easy. In fact, fear can be your compass towards growth. Are you willing to push through and see what’s in store?

Persistence

In addition to courage, we have to be persistent in our efforts. Very rarely will you ever be successful on the first try. As many of my professors told me, practice makes progress. The only way to reach your goals is to keep moving forward, no matter what.

Creative Living

Creative Living is the most rewarding way to live. When life becomes challenging, what do you turn to for a distraction or for relief? Music? Television? Books? Each of these are products of creative living. We as humans have the opportunity to spend our lives creating. Why not do just that?

When choosing to live creatively, you open up a world of possibilities. The most important aspect of creating is to create for you. Not for you possible viewers, readers, or consumers but for you. If someone else benefits or enjoys your creation, great! But it’s more than okay to simply create something because you enjoy it.

This week, I encourage you all to find a way to live creatively. You may not have the art skills of Picasso or the musical skills of Mozart, but as long as you enjoy it, that is the only thing that matters. This week, I might try to continue embroidery or crafting. What will you try?

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and healthy this week.

Cicely McCain

Intern’s Corner – Week Twenty-Six

Hello everyone! I hope you have all had a fantastic week!

This week, I stepped out of my comfort zone and did something new. I did a Facebook Live Event! This was not something I EVER thought that I would do. I especially never thought I would enjoy it to any degree.

In planning and implementing this event, I discovered a few things that helped make the process a bit easier. With social media becoming more and more important in branding and getting your company name out there, I though I would share a few of my tips and tricks that I discovered.

Make a Plan

Because you will be live, it is important to have a plan. What will you do to fill the silence? What will you do to entice viewers to watch? More importantly, what will you do to KEEP the viewers watching? For me, I chose to select and prepare a few songs that would be widely enjoyed by the adult population. I also selected a song for families for those who may have children watching. This allowed my to continue the flow and keep it fun!

Don’t Rely on Your Plan

With these event being live and real-time, you want to make sure that you are engaging with your audience. Depending on what your intent for the video is, you may engage and change your plan based on your viewers. While I used my prepared songs, I took time to answer viewer questions, as well as engaged with comments about the songs or events. The plan is there for only if you have little to no engagement from the audience.

Think of Your Set

An important aspect of your video is the set. The background should be visually pleasing and enticing. The background should add to your video without taking any attention from you. It can be difficult to find the balance. Important components include the lighting, background decor, and placement of your camera. What would you enjoy seeing in a video?

Invite Others!

Facebook Lives by nature are best when you have an active audience to engage with! The best way to ensure this is to invite others. Make a few posts or tell your family and/or friends. Encourage those you know will come to lead by example by asking questions or make comments. This will encourage others who join to follow and will in-turn, make your event much more exciting to watch.

Just Keep Talking

The most awkward part of a video is watching someone stand in silence. It is important to fill those moments with something, be that music, talking, or making jokes. If you can’t think of anything to say, reintroduce yourself and the event to those who joined later in the video! No matter what, just keep talking.

Have Fun!

The most important part of leading an event of any type is to just have fun. If you are smiling, moving, and have high energy, your viewers will be more engaged and likely to stay on. Find ways to include a bit of yourself in your events! It can be as simple as adding in jokes, common phrases, or briefly discussing something you enjoy. Just have fun!

Although I am in no rush to lead another Facebook Live event anytime soon, I am more open to it than I ever thought I would be. One of my goals for my intern-self was to try new things. In the past two weeks, I certainly have between my drum circle and my Facebook live events. I hope to continue trying new things and pushing myself to try new things in my professional life!

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and healthy this week.

Cicely McCain

Intern’s Corner – Week Twenty-Five

Hey everyone!

I hope you have had a wonderful week.

As I near the end of my internship, I am beginning to reflect back to my senior year of undergrad. I had begun my search for an internship site while still finishing up my coursework. This was a terrifying task and I felt as though I had no clue where to start or how to navigate this process.

Don’t Procrastinate

Set a schedule for yourself! Give yourself deadlines for when you want to choose where you will apply, when you will put together the materials needed for these applications, or when you want to aim for your first interview. While many of these dates are out of control at the start, these deadlines will help keep you on track.

Know What You Want

Looking for ideal internship cites can be overwhelming. There are a number of factors to consider including location, setting, population, supervision styles, housing, and more. Before you begin searching, make a list of what is most important to you in an internship cite. This will help you narrow down your search.

Be Open

It is important to keep in mind that you are looking for a good fit, not a perfect fit. Know what aspects are non-negotiable versus what you are willing to give up. Is it more important for you to be near family for a place to stay? Or to have the opportunity to work with the population you enjoy most?

Prepare and Practice for Interviews

Interviews are one of the most important aspects of the process. When preparing, remember that it is a two-way interview. While your potential supervisor(s) are determining if you would be a good fit for their team, you should be determining if you would enjoy joining their team. Prepare and practice both questions you might be asked and questions you would like to ask. Make your first impression a good one!

Don’t Let Fear Get in the Way

It can be scary looking at the next chapter in your life. It’s okay and normal to be scared or nervous about what is to come. However, it is important to not let these fears hinder you from opportunities, experiences, and growth. As I stated in my first blog post, “Fear, uncertainty and discomfort are your compass towards growth.” (Celestine Chua).

I hope that these tips help you in starting the new chapters in your life. Remember that you are not alone and have those around you that can help you out. You will do great things!

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and healthy this week!

Cicely McCain

Intern’s Corner – Week Twenty-Four

Hey everyone!

I hope you have had a wonderful week and have been staying dry during these storms. One of my favorite things to do is listen to the rain while reading, painting, or watching TV. The rain brings me a sense of peace.

As much as I love rain, it can be a bit of an inconvenience at times. I have been planning a drum circle event for the team at MTC over the past few weeks. My initial plan was do play outside in the parking lot to encourage social distancing and enjoy the fresh air. As the date gets closer, the projection of rain has yet to go away. As such, I am working to plan a back-up in case the weather is not conducive for outdoor drumming.

There are a number of things that go into planning an event that can be overwhelming at the start. This has been the first event that I have planned myself. In the past, I have had committees and team members to help cover some of the responsibilities. This time, I am in charge of everything.

Who, What, When, Where?

The first step in planning an event is deciding what type of event you would like to plan and who will be in attendance. Next, you need to decide when and where this event will take place. For my drum circle, I knew the what and who but I needed to know when would be best for the MTC team. I sent out a google form with time options and selected the time that worked best for the majority of the team.

Why?

The next step is figuring out why people should come to your event. What will be provided? Why is it important to attend? What will the attendees gain from coming? For my event, I created a flyer with a fun picture, brief information, and the reason for coming. Drum circles are a fun way to spend time with your co-workers and take a step back to simply enjoy making music together.

The Game Plan

One of the most important parts about planning an event is planning the event. This part is the most time-consuming part of the process. To plan the most effective event, it can be beneficial to do research and/or ask professionals. For my drum circle, I researched important things to include in a drum circle and how to be an efficient drum circle leader. I also set up a meeting with someone who leads drum circles as a living. These experiences provided me valuable knowledge to best plan a drum circle.

Setting Up

The last aspect of planning an event is setting up. They type of event you are preparing will determine how long your set-up time can take. It is important to make a plan of action for when you set up your event so that you make sure you have everything prepared. For my event, I must plan how many drums or instruments are needed, how many chairs, and gather plenty of glow sticks.

Planning and event can be overwhelming and stressful but breaking it down into smaller stages can help make it manageable. I personally do best with “To-Do” lists that I can check items off as they are completed. I hope that this helps you determine how to plan your next event!

Thanks for reading! Stay safe and healthy this week!

Cicely McCain