Mykaela’s Farewell Blog

Reflection on your time at MBRC

During my time at MBRC I have learned new skills, behaviors, communication techniques, and how to become a well-rounded professional, even though I was not quite yet one. Some of the experiences that I have had at MBRC have been shadowing employees, attending meetings, being a part of employee trainings, going to a middle school to talk about relationships, how to be a case worker and interacting with clients and employees. Looking back at my time at MBRC a few experiences have played a role in my learning at the internship. I was able to have my own client base which allowed me to practice my skills that I have been collecting for the past four years.

When I first came to MBRC I had to learn the ropes of how things were done around the agency. I was shadowing case managers when they conducted their home visits with clients, I attended a few BHA diabetes classes in the evenings through the week, and I shadowed my supervisor while she was out an about. Shadowing helped me understand what had to get done but also it gave me examples on how the real working world will be. This allowed me to get an idea about how to do paper work, be a case manager, and interact with the diverse client group that MBRC serves. Without the gained experiences I have received through shadowing, I would still be completely lost and confused about what had to get done.

Being a professional anything means that you will have to attend meetings. Either with other employees of your agency or community gets together. Every Monday I got the privilege of being a part of agency meetings, toastmaster meetings, case management meetings, and meetings with my supervisor. I am glad that I got the chances I did to attend and observe those meetings. This is because I now have a better understanding of what goes on in work meetings. I understand that when a meeting is happening there is not a single individual who cannot talk if they want or one who is made to talk when they have nothing to say. Observing these meetings made it apparent to me that I actually enjoy them; this is because it is a time for everyone to speak, your options can be heard, and updates on programs are given.

I had the ability to attend a mental health training which was held off site from MBRC. This was pretty cool to have been a part of because I know moving forward I will be using all the neat skills I learned from the training. Then later on in my internship I got to participate in communication training in Cape Girardeau for the agency. Both of these trainings have showed me what I will be doing in my career. I say that because every agency requires extra training as time goes on and since I got the experience of being a part of two from MBRC I think I will know more going into the future trainings.

Early on in my internship I was able to observe an employee of MBRC teach a class on relationships to middle school students. I enjoyed seeing how she worked with both a relaxed class and a little hyper active class. The experience has showed me that I have more learning to do when it comes to children of any age. MBRC also had the community baby shower that they have every so often. The baby shower brought clients and potential clients in to learn about what MBRC does and what programs are offered. During the baby shower the case managers had set up some interacting actives for the guests to do. One was seeing who could put a baby in a car seat accurately and the fastest. Another was a different form of bingo to do with answering questions about pregnancy. Then the last one was a guessing game that had the guests putting how many weeks of being pregnant and what foods went with which weeks of pregnancy. Both of these events showed me how to work with the community either in bringing people together for a baby shower or teaching the younger generation about what a healthy relationship looks like.

The case management program has taught me many skills, abilities, and tools to use when going out into the working world. The best part about the program was being able to have my own client base and working with that family or mother one on one. I learned how to communicate with clients, co-workers, and families. I am grateful I was able to work with my own clients and get a feel for how being a real case manager is going to be like; this will certainly assist me in my future careers.

Next Step

My next step after finishing up my internship and bachelor of social work is to continue my education. I will be living in St. Louis, Missouri once I am able to find a job and this will allow me to also attend graduate school. I am proud to say that I was accepted into Saint Louis University’s masters of social work program this coming fall. While attending SLU I will have classes that are concentrated on clinical social work. After I have completed my MSW I will be moving on in my education to get my PHD in a social work related field.

Thank You for Everything MBRC!

I am grateful for everything MBRC has taught me these last few months. I would like to thank everyone who I have been working alongside of and those who have been keeping an eye on my progress to make sure I am learning all I can while being a practicum student. I would like to thank MBRC for giving me the chance to be one of their practicum students. My supervisor deserves big thanks also for making sure I am actively working throughout my internship, and because of this I have been able to learn more about what the real world of social work will be like. MBRC has been an amazing, life changing experience for me and I cannot wait to start my next chapter of life and integrate all I have learned from MBRC.

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