Movin' on up..

to the next stage of my life.  Like I have said numerous times now, I am finishing up coursework and in April moving to North Dakota to be with my sweet husband again after a very long SIX months apart.  Well it seemed like a wonderful plan until I was faced with the challenge of finding an internship on my own.  If I was staying here the Social Work department would do everything in their power to help me find one but since I am going to North Dakota where they don't have any resources, I have to do ALL the legwork on my own.  My first attempt at getting an internship was to Google a few places in New Town and I contacted a few of them but the one I was most excited and hopeful for was the school district in the town where we are moving.   This attempt seemed to be working amazingly for me.  The administrator from the school district emailed me back and said that they were in the process of hiring a social worker which was perfect.  However, he had a lot of trouble finding housing and the last time I emailed the administrator, he still hadn't accepted the job and I needed him to be there six months or more in order to be an eligible supervisor with BYU-I's criteria.

So I was very disappointed but needed to continue on in my search.  So I made my second attempt.  This time I Googled actual job openings in the local area.  I found a job opening for a Juvenile Tracker which I was SUPER excited for because that is the population I really want to work with and it was paying.  So I emailed about the job and asked if there would be a Licensed Social Worker to supervise me.  To my great disappointment, I got an email about ten minutes later saying that they didn't have any social workers in their agency.

So I must admit, I gave up for a little while.  But this last week, I decided it was time to try again.  So I devoted most of my break in between classes yesterday emailing and contacting agencies left and right.  Which turned out to be only four places with two more potential once I printed out my resume and cover letter.  I felt like I had accomplished quite a bit and crossed my fingers that somebody, anybody would take me.  I am getting short on time and need to get this process going.  So you can imagine my excitement when I signed into my email this afternoon to find this:

Dear Nicole,

I received your email and actually would love to take you on if approved by my superiors, but my Masters is in Marriage and Family Therapy. The work I do with our agency also has professional counselors and social workers at the master’s level doing in cities all over the state. I do intensive in home family therapy. You would definitely get the hours you need working with me. We do have a lady in our office that has a bachelor’s in social work and she is a LSW. I have included her on this email. I am not sure if she is able to meet the requirements you are looking for, but I will also talk with her tomorrow when she returns to the office for you. Hopefully, this is helpful. If you have any more questions please feel free to give me a call or email me again.

I almost screamed in the very quiet computer lab in the Ricks building.  I was sooooo over the top excited.  It's not a definite opportunity but it is much closer to getting an internship than I was 24 hours prior.

So it would be with Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.  Like she said in her e-mail I would be working with her doing in home family therapy.  The agency however, since there is a possibility I would be placed with somebody else does many things.  There website is amazing but it basically says that they "strive to strengthen individuals and communities by working to prevent child abuse and neglect, by helping troubled youth get back on track and providing addiction and mental health counseling and treatment. The agency also addresses community concerns such as hunger relief, the rural housing shortage and disaster recovery." I am so super excited.  It would be an amazing experience on so many levels.  I can't wait to hear back from her in the next few days to see what her co-worker says.  It would be wonderful to know where I will be in a few months and what I will be doing.  I am a person who likes to have a plan so the sooner I find out where I am placed and what agency will take me, the better.

I have been quite bitter lately about the fact that I have to go through this added stress and hard work when the others here in Rexburg get all the help humanly possible from the department: Internship Fair, added help if not offered a position, agencies are familiar with the university.  When I got that email it took a small weight off my chest and hopefully in the next few weeks that weight will be lifted completely when I get the email saying that her superiors have approved it, that her co-worker will supervise me, that the department has approved it and finally that the school has approved it.  Wish me luck, I'm going to need it!!