I have been an intern at the district secretariat in Kurunegala as a trainee counselor at the social service department for 03 months. I’m so grateful for landing upon this opportunity. The internship period created a foundation to be successful in the field of counseling because it was like a practical training of theories which we learned during the past years and those learnings gave much help to do the internship successfully. During my intern period I was responsible for organizing awareness programmes, updating client details to the main database, preparing treatment plans, getting basic details from the clients, to implement meditation for the clients, to take part for ongoing projects and to Conduct relaxation activities during awareness programmes. It was a good opportunity to improve my skills like; Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, creativity and problem-solving skills. The company has a well-organized company structure and all the duties and responsibilities were divided accordingly. All the staff members were so friendly and they were always there to help in need. Company rules and regulations were also not very strict for interns and the management was willing to help for any tasks done by the interns. The supervisor also did an incredible duty during my internship period. There were three interns including me and my supervisor gave us the same opportunity to perform and allow us to do tasks as a team. It was a great experience for us. However, it was not much difficult to balance the work and personal life during the internship. The experience that I had via my internship period helped me to start my career as an assistant lecturer in psychology in a private university and this internship experience was a value-added point beside my GPA. For those who are seeking internship opportunities; Kurunegala District Secretariat is one of the best places. You have the best resources here, get the help from them. They are always there for you and find a company that helps you to grow, seek advice from your seniors, Talk to people in the industry. Finally, your hard work and dedication will make your internship successful. If you give your best from the beginning, you can end up with a great result.

I began my internship at the Psychiatry and counseling Unit of Base Hospital Kiribathgoda as a counseling trainee. Even It just 4 months I feels like I have come afar. My internship period provided me the opportunity to assist clients, diagnose psychological disorders and to conduct counseling sessions. The host company helped me to master my skills like active listening, empathetic response, problem solving, team works and so on. The theoretical knowledge related to psychological disorders, treatments, theories and counseling contributed a huge role to apply in practical aspects. Therefore, this was a practical exposure about the things we learned in our academic period. The hospital was calm and friendly place for me at the beginning working with people who have psychological disorders was little bit stress and tired. But by the time I successfully balanced it. My supervisor always guided me and co-interns in the right way and conducted lectures related to Counseling, Psychology and Psychotherapy. Whenever we had a question related to the field, he corrected us in a friendly manner and always stood behind us. My internship period is one of unforgettable experience I’ve got in my life. The whole time was very interesting and full of new experiences. The most favorite parts of my internship is Observing clients and Attending lectures that doctor has conducted.  We were able to conduct workshop for students in ” Diyagala Boys town – Ragama”. during the intern period. The experience I got in my internship is the main reason that pushed me to shape my career path as a special needs’ education teacher in one of leading international schools in Sri Lanka. So, if you are willing to improve your practical knowledge about psychology, Base Hospital Kiribathgoda is the best place to complete your internship. No matter the time duration you are working here or whatever the position in this hospital, stay friendly with all the members, gain the knowledge and serve your best to your clients and protect this place for future. Besides that, I am thankful to the lecturers in the Department of Philosophy and Psychology for providing the internship.

Hi, I’m Asma Iqbal. First of all, I’m glad to choose the field of psychology for my higher studies which is an interesting Path. I selected Base hospital, Tangalle for my internship with the aim of becoming a psychological counselor in future. I have been interned in the psychiatric ward as a psychological counseling trainee of base hospital for about three months. I began my internship just as an empty bottle but day by day through the Practical, new experiences, observations and learning that bottle was filled. For about Few weeks I had to do only the observation and learning then the rest of the intern period I was responsible to do psychological assessments of newly registered clients, to assess and identify psychological disorders, to assess the Risk of suicide, assess IQ using Toni3 and to assess mini mental statement of patients as well. In addition to that I was able to conduct counseling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy as well. The most interesting thing in my intern period is joining for ward rounds and at the end of the week presenting what I have learnt throughout the week. Training as a psychological counselor is a little bit hard because we are dealing with the human mind. Even though it’s hard due to the friendly and supportive working environment it was not hard at all. This practical oriented experience rather than theoretical knowledge helped me to polish my skills like interpersonal relationship, active listening, empathy, time management, decision taking, creativity, problem resolution and so on.  I would like to thank and remember the Consultant Psychiatric Doctor Manoj Panamulla who was my first mentor and his staff who were always there for me via providing their knowledge and were able to give their best to improve my experiences in the field. This internship opportunity was the place which opened the door for my career through giving me the confidence that I am well suited to the profession. Now I’m working in the department of Philosophy and Psychology University of Sri Jayewardenepura and again training as a psychological counselor at University Hospital, KDU.Those who are seeking and doing internship; I would like to tell that don’t waste your intern period just to complete your academic intern module. Go and grab the skills and improve your practicals and don’t hesitate to ask anything if you have any problem or a doubt. So, if you are currently thinking of entering the field of psychological counseling, I highly recommend you to undertake an internship at base hospital, Tangalle. Start from the bottom while improving your skills which will be helpful for your future growth in profession. It’s ok to enter for you first intern just as an empty bottle but leave the place just like a full filled water bottle. Don’t leave the place the way you entered. Finally, Thankful for the department for providing intern opportunities to shine a luminous light and steering us in the right direction.

I have started my internship as a Human resource trainee and a trainee counselor at Miami Clothing (Pvt) Ltd. At first, I got an idea about the basic process of the institution. I was responsible for diverse tasks related to HR like grievance handling, database management, Reports preparing and Salary distribution etc. Not only that, I was assigned to solve employees’ problems related to their work and mental health through counseling practice. I was able to participate in job fairs, programmes and for mindfulness activities as well. Within a short period of internship, it helped me to acknowledge skills like counseling skills, time management etc. Due to the friendly working environment even, I was a strange person to this field it helped me to achieve and complete the tasks which are assigned for me. The experiences which have been gained through the internship opportunity was very significant to be advanced in the field. Therefore, always pay your attention to track all aspects of an organization, not just one. Once everything is identified, you can be easily understood. Then you will see exactly what you need to do. For the new beginners I would like to say that Start from the very first step so that nothing is left out. Through our learning we can go to certain things.

Being an Intern at District General Hospital as a psychological counselor is a great opportunity in my life. The experience that I had received throughout my intern period was practical oriented. I was able to apply my theoretical knowledge that I learned in my academic period. During my internship, I gained real life psychological counseling experience under the field of clinical counseling via assessing and doing counseling for clients, psychotherapies and conducting awareness programs. Not only the experiences relevant to the field but also, I was able to enhance the counseling skills like listening, empathy and communicational skills which should be improved in a counselor when entering into the counseling field. The entire staff treated me in a friendly and cooperative manner. Due to that I was able to balance difficult circumstances when engaging with clients. Doing an internship as an undergraduate is a huge challenge to balance academic and professional life. With the proper time management skill, I was able to overcome that. My fellow interns, before starting your internship please select the suitable place which is really going to enhance your life through giving practical experiences and theoretical knowledge as well. An internship means an amazing learning experience which leads to many job opportunities in the future. The door which was opened through my first internship is the reason for me to work as an executive counselor in a leading apparel company in Sri Lanka.