Four Hundred Hour Internship

My initial expectation regarding the four hundred hour internship is drastically different than my actual experience. I had little experience in working with people that have developmental delays and disabilities. I have an older stepsister who has developmental delays but due to a vast age gap, we are not particularly close. This heightened the anxiety that is associated with the anticipation of the internship. Once I was officially placed at The Mercy Center, I was nervous and concerned that it may be highly structured, which would make it difficult to interact with the clients. I feared the population I would be serving would not positively react to me, since they already had a routine with the staff. There was also an issue of my role

Although they have a high level of need, especially in completing activities of daily living, they are still grown adults with fully developed personalities. They love to learn, laugh and desire connection with their community. I am able to spend several hours a day with a fun group of individuals, who are assisted by highly dedicated staff. Most of the staff members have worked there for many years and have developed amazing relationships with the clients. One of the staff members stated to me the first day that this job was great because he got to hang out with his friends all day. It is evident in the relationship between the clients and staff, which was another component to The Mercy Center that I had not expected. The relationships between the clients and the staff in The Mercy Center are the foundation of the program. At this point of my internship, I am in the exploration process. This week in day rehabilitation has given me some experience with this population and alleviated some of the anxiety of starting an internship. As I continue with The Mercy Center and join the community based day supports group program, I will proceed in exploration, while gaining competence in this