I was selected and given a once in a lifetime opportunity for a Child Life Specialist internship at Children's Hospital of Orange County.This allowed me to be mentored by Child Life Specialists and learn first-hand how to interact with children in a hospital setting. My takeaway from this experience has helped me to improve my skills as a therapist and has been invaluable to my career

I assisted in running an IOPSA substance abuse group for teenagers. My role also included conducting group, individual and family therapy sessions weekly. I regularly went to court dates to advocate for my clients, CFT's and I made myself available as often as possible to support my clients in anything that they needed.

The role of a child life assistant is to support the child life specialist in their interactions with sick children in a hospital setting. This included, interacting with patients one on one or in playrooms often applying play therapy as a method to help them cope with their situation like the “scary” hospital setting and their illness.

I was responsible for implementation of all events and activities for Camp, Family and Afterschool Programming. I interacted with over 800 families and was responsible to ensure a pleasant, friendly and safe environment. I supervised a staff of 30 teenagers and young adults. In addition to administration, my daily duties included listening and guiding my staff on how to handle job situations. I would also mentor and give advice to my staff regarding their own personal issues. My role also included supporting the children needs daily, be a liaison between the children and their parents regarding issues that would occur at the J.C.C., with the goal of finding a solution.