Name: Abby Krauss
Class Year: 2023
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Downingtown, PA
Internship Organization: EBS Childrens Institute of West Chester
Job Title: Psychology Intern
Location: West Chester, PA
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
EBS Children’s Institute is a multidisciplinary clinic that provides psychological services, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and feeding therapy. I shadow a licensed professional counselor (also known as a psych therapist) in her sessions with her patients, who are typically three to fifteen years old, and who have a wide variety of needs when it comes to psychological support. I sit in on about ten to twelve different sessions a week with different patients and interact with the kids and support the therapist in the activities and exercises she does with the kids. I also participate in some of the administrative work that is necessary when providing psychological services, including managing client information and insurance.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I applied for this internship because I was very interested in the fact that EBS is a multidisciplinary clinic that focuses on children. In the future, I would like to work towards opening a multidisciplinary private practice to support kids in all facets of their lives. I was thrilled to see something similar to what I hope to accomplish in the future close to my hometown, so I reached out and was able to secure an internship with the head of their psychology department. I did not apply for the internship with the intention of participating in the summer internship program through BMC, but I am very thankful for the support it has provided me in combination with the internship experience.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of this internship is working with the kids. I have been working with kids since I was twelve or thirteen and really enjoy helping them learn and grow as well as have fun, so I have known for a long time that I want to work with them. When I discovered that my academic passion was psychology, I decided to dive into developmental and child/adolescent psychology as it combined my two interests for my future. Therefore, getting to interact with the kids while supporting their mental health has been an amazing experience. I look forward to working with the kids every day and find it very rewarding when I am able to make a positive impact on them.
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?
I did not expect to learn so much about the administrative side of providing psychological services but I find it extremely helpful when thinking about my future in this profession. I have learned a great deal about health insurance and how services are covered and under what circumstances, which is very useful since I would like to start up my own practice one day. This internship has not only given me invaluable experience actualizing what I am learning in the classroom, but is also helping me to learn about everything that goes into providing these services as well.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.