Riley Keene
Riley is a current senior at Merrimack College, majoring in psychology. Riley held an internship with CREST Collaborative, a school that works to break barriers and help every student learn. “During my internship I was exposed to a whole new population that I had never been around. Being at this school showed me the hardships of working in a school setting can bring, but most importantly, how much of a positive role model we are to them.”
Keene looks back at one of her courses in particular which helped train her for this internship. “A course that really helped me was Clinical Practices. This course heavily focused on working one-on-one with someone who is in a crisis and how to work with them. During the course, we were taught how to reiterate questions in statements and apply them to the conversation. We were also taught how to carefully listen to what the client was saying and trying to understand if there was an underlying message to their visit. A lot of the psychology, sociology and criminology courses have taught me how to work with different populations.”
“My education prepared me for the internship by allowing me to be able to think on my feet.”
Riley encourages any student who is interested in working in the field of psychology to really put themselves out there. “Do not be afraid to apply for something outside your comfort zone. This is the time when we are allowed to experiment with different positions, placements and populations. Also, do not be afraid to express yourself throughout your internship. I know that things can be very overwhelming, but showing your personality will make it easier to adjust to the new setting and have your clients grow more comfortable around you.”
