Diary of an ACS Intern

Written By: Brittani DeCloedt, Clinical Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program

A DAY IN THE LIFE of an ACS intern…  I wish I could say it’s easy but it’s not. However, the experience and the knowledge make the challenge so rewarding!  Working as a clinical trainee has made me learn so much about myself, and it’s only been about 5 months. ACS has been a great practicum placement where I am able to get clinical training through work with adolescents in the area I grew up around, which has been both nostalgic and hard to understand.

I’m currently in my second year at the University of San Francisco, where I am working towards my degree in Clinical Psychology, PsyD.  This is my first year as a clinical trainee, and I have had the opportunity to work at ACS where I am placed at both the Siena Youth Center and Oxford Day Academy.  My first day working with clients was nerve-wracking because I have never done this type of work before.  All I knew was what I had learned so far in school, and I didn’t realize how challenging it would be to take what I’ve learned and embody that in sessions with students.  ACS provides weekly didactic training sessions where we focus on different topics that come up in sessions with clients, and this is where I make that connection from school to clinical training.  I am able to learn from the experience of licensed professionals who provide their expert training.

In addition to didactic training, I receive supervision and support at both an individual and group level.  At the individual level, I work one-on-one with my supervisor, who is a licensed psychologist.  This person is available to me when I’m working with clients and oversees my overall work.  They are also available to me at a more mentor-like level where I am free to discuss personal stress attached to school and training.  This personalized level of support provided by ACS has been the most rewarding experiencing thus far because this is where I learn the most about my therapeutic style.  I also receive group supervision where I meet weekly with a group of other interns, led by a licensed psychologist.  This is another beneficial space where I am able to share clinical experiences and receive support and consultation.  Being able to have these safe spaces to work in have been crucial to my clinical training and personal growth as a trainee!