Spotlight on Service:

Rachael
Intake Intern
Support & Recovery

Today we sat down with Rachael, an Intake Intern at our Support & Recovery Services program. Rachael has been with us since August and was happy to share a little about her experience!

Volunteer Services (VS): How did you become interested in interning at Support and Recovery Services (SRS)?
I am an MSW candidate at UNE and the program requires us to gain experience through internships. I was familiar with Catholic Charities because I had previously worked with a Catholic Charities program in Boston. Also, a clinical director at SRS graduated from UNE, so that’s been a great connection.

VS: What do you do on a typical day?
My internship involves a little bit of everything. On a typical day, I’ll lead some intake meetings. These involve talking to clients and asking them to tell you their entire history. For me, this has been a chance to develop my communication skills and practice how to have difficult conversations in a way that leaves people better off than when they came into the office. I also handle some of our walk-ins. All SRS clients need to have insurance (Maine Care). Because I’m not a paid staff member, I can sometimes work with walk-ins who do not qualify (for full services) because they don’t have insurance. It’s nice to be able to work with these individuals and connect them to resources. I’m getting to do a little bit of case management too, which is also a good experience.

VS: What have you gained from your internship?
This internship has been the most that I’ve worked with adult clients, and it’s been interesting to gain experience working with this population. It has also been a great opportunity to learn more about services and resources in the Portland area and work on coordinating services and making referrals. The work that I do here challenges me to get creative in trying to provide services to people in need.

VS: What are your future plans?
I may want to continue working in this field, but I also have some experience working in schools with adolescents. I graduate in May, so we’ll see what the job search brings!