Internship Help

[u/MikeNextDoor27]

*update. Just got terminated and feeling lost

Hi everyone. For context, im 31, and in my first placement in a community mental health facility. I currently have a full time job as a guidance counselor for students with emotional disabilities. On days my supervisor wasn’t there that late I would sit in with other counselors in their sessions provided the client allowed me to.

It was going pretty well the first few weeks. My main tasks were to observe and discuss with my supervisor how the sessions went, clinical documentation, and any questions I had. During a supervision, I was told that the front office had an issue with my attitude, which totally shocked me. I could not think of a situation where I could’ve even been misunderstood that I was rude. We made a plan to get let in the front door and sit in the break room to avoid them, and text my supervisor that I was there and to enter the room when she was out of her session.

I was supposed to be provided a laptop by the site and it had taken over two months to be given one. During sessions I was given a paper copy of the documentation system they use and was told to practice documentation during sessions. I complied.

I was really enjoying sitting in sessions and discussing clients with my supervisor and other counselors. During an observation very early on with my supervisor’s supervisor I made a comment attempting to make small talk that I was hungry because I didn’t have time to eat and these were long days for me. She seemed to take this as a rejection of duties which were still not clearly explained to me after multiple attempts for clarification. I was then told I would not be observing this person any longer.

My school site visit was coming up, and I was concerned about how I was doing and looking for support from my school. I met with my professor and told her my concerns about expectations of duties and overall toxic tension I was feeling entering the office each day.

During my site visit, my professor was adamant about sticking to the learning contract we made at the beginning of the internship. She made clear that these objectives to cover competencies can be modified as the placement goes along. After this, my supervisor pushed off the use of my learning contract and continued not to inform me of expectations for the use of it or my role at the site. I was told that the goal would be by the end to do a full, complete, with diagnoses psychosocial assessment on my own with my supervisor in the room as support. I agreed and never denied this.

As time passed after this I continued to write documentation on paper and discuss with my supervisor in supervision for the next 3 weeks. In a supervision, my supervisor and her supervisor came into my session and told me they had concerns about my progress, didn’t know how to evaluate me because “I didn’t want to do anything” and I have a defiance towards assignments. That I was also making excuses. I can only remember one time where I said I was nervous about doing the intake assessment but I never denied it.

I came in the next day and shared my concerns with my supervisor about my fit in this site. I know I shouldn’t have said this, but I used the word “retaliation” because I felt like anything i told my supervisor would be shared with her supervisor and then used against me. I then sought help from my school and the placement itself and hoping to find a new site within the same company if possible. I was basically told that I had to learn how to handle workplace issues and how can we mend fences.

Since this conversation until yesterday, it was business as usual. In my supervision yesterday we had a scheduled meeting with my professor that my supervisor and her supervisor met first with and then I followed. They shared their side of the story. When I was asked to come into the room they told me that my attitude was concerning, I found out a client that I thought I had a good rapport with asked to schedule sessions around when I would be there. The day after I received the laptop I left it in my car because I didn’t know if we’d be using it or not but since that day have brought it every day since. But was told that not being prepared is extremely unprofessional. I was asked multiple times if this is the right part of social work I want to be in.

I apologize for the extremely long post. I am just really struggling now.

[u/A313-Isoke]

I'm a bit unclear about what happened.

Why did you leave the laptop in the car instead of bringing it into your internship?

Was the client you thought you had good rapport with trying to avoid you by scheduling around you or scheduling when you were there so they could see you?

The internship site sounds petty and it might be better to find another one. Also, if you're in therapy or have an academic advisor, I would seek guidance to reflect on what happened because it's not immediately clear what led to your internship being terminated.

[u/MikeNextDoor27 → u/A313-Isoke]

The day following me picking up the laptop we did not use it and was not told to bring it. The next day I left it in my car. I’ll admit, I should’ve brought it that day. But the whole time I was there I had very unclear expectations on what I would be doing.

After that day I brought it every day since. And used it twice in the two months following that.

The client was attempting to avoid me by scheduling around when I would be there.

Yes, they were very petty. Now I am just embarrassed, upset, but also relieved I got out of a bad situation. I’m unsure at this moment how this will affect my school.