Divya Durai
Majors: Sociology, Psychological Sciences
Student Behavioral Intern, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
How did you learn about this internship opportunity?
I learned about this internship opportunity through LinkedIn when I was searching for psychology internship opportunities.
How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals? How did being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue apply to your internship?
This internship helped build my active listening, crisis management, suicide screening, conflict de-escalation, communication, and teamwork skills. It helped clarify my career goals because I really enjoyed working in the hospital and it showed me that this is what I want to do in my career. I was also able to narrow down the kinds of populations I want to work with in my career. Being a Liberal Arts student at Purdue provided me with knowledge about human behavior and social dynamics, which helped me understand and interact with patients and co-workers better.
What is a piece of advice you would give someone in your major looking for an internship?
My advice would be to use keywords like “mental health” and “behavioral health” to search for internships in psychology if you’re interested in doing clinical work. Internships in psychology can be challenging to find, but they do exist. Start looking early, set aside a lot of time for searching and applying to internships, and don’t give up.
What key responsibilities or tasks have you taken on during your internship?
I managed crises, performed observation checks, assisted in clinical interventions, physical care and daily activities, maintained a safe environment, participated in staff meetings, and documented in medical records.
In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participation in our job-ready program specifically aided your professional development?
The College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported my internship journey by alleviating the stress of affording housing for this internship, which allowed me to put my focus on excelling in this internship and making a difference in the lives of the patients I worked with. My participation in the job-ready program aided in my professional development by giving me the tools to succeed in a clinical environment. I was able to work in a hospital out of state, gain countless valuable skills and experiences, and meet professionals in the field, as well as other interns. Being a CLA student has been important to my growth because it has allowed me to think critically and empathetically, and to understand human experiences, which are crucial in the field of psychology and mental health.
Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in this program that you find particularly noteworthy?
Through this program, I was able to work in a schizophrenia unit in a psychiatric hospital. Going into this internship, I didn’t know much about schizophrenia, but because of the job-ready program, I was able to learn a lot more about the condition and my strengths, interact with numerous schizophrenic patients, and hear so many of their stories.