We Are ANB, PSY, NEU, Art Therapy, & MHR at UNE

A guest post by Mark Stubbs about the work he completed as part of PSY 300, Internship

For my internship in the Spring 2019 semester I chose to work at a center that provides a meal, career services, and compassion to the Southern Maine community. Seeds of Hope is a nonprofit organization located in Biddeford, ME. Seeds of Hope has a mission statement “It all begins with a meal,” which guides the directors and volunteers. Individuals cannot properly live without food and, as basic as this might seem, it definitely serves as a great reminder to those who have been privileged enough to never have had to worry about eating. Seeds of Hope primarily works to provide continental breakfast/lunch meals to those who are food insecure. For 4 hours every day of the business week, Seeds of Hope is open for public use. The individuals who utilize these services are commonly in poverty, struggle with homelessness, or are simply in a tight spot in life.

Seeds of Hope does not only offer meal services, they also offer supplies needed by this population. They offer clothing, personal hygiene items, sleep items, as well as miscellaneous items, which all come to the site as donations. Seeds of Hope houses these donations and either gives them away to groups of individuals or hands them out to individuals through personal request. Another large part of what Seeds of Hope offers is career services. The site has a career services center for those who are looking for employment, need to learn how to construct a resume, or need to use a computer for any other reason. Seeds of Hope helps individuals stabilize their own situations through offering unconditional positive regard as well as resources they cannot easily find elsewhere.

I chose this internship because of the population it aims to assist. The homeless and food insecure population in Southern Maine is growing, and there aren’t many solutions being offered. While Seeds of Hope doesn’t completely solve the problems of these individuals, it does offer immediate relief through breaking bread, interacting socially, and reloading on needed supplies. I respect how personable the site is. Seeds of Hope does not pretend to be something it isn’t — it is a small site that offers basic resources. However, the manner in which these resources are delivered is incredibly social and done with dignity.

Everyone that enters the establishment is treated with respect and has their needs met to the best of the staff’s abilities. A lot of the individuals are regulars at the site and because of this many of them have become friends. They bond over similar life experiences and are able to do so successfully in the common room of the site. Every day is a loud one, as there are many smiles and laughs booming throughout the site. For many of these people, Seeds of Hope is the only location where they receive social interaction of any kind, which is why it’s so incredible to witness, as well as be a part of, the day-to-day operations of the site. I am lucky enough to see people express pure joy and thankfulness, as well as a sense of togetherness. I have never been a part of any organization that has shown me something like this before. There is such a deep level of connection among everyone; it is almost tangible. I think this was perhaps my favorite aspect of interning here. Even if it was for just a few hours, I was able to see people genuinely happy. I got to assist in giving back to a community of individuals who really needed it.

For me, the most obvious psychological principle to relate my internship experience to is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s hierarchy says that we have to meet certain internal requirements in order to survive, function, and progress through life. At the bottom of the hierarchy are our physiological needs, such as food and shelter. Virtually all of the individuals who come to Seeds of Hope struggle with the maintenance of this first stage. Because of this struggle, they are unable to focus on other areas of life. One cannot worry about interpersonal relationships or career opportunities while also being food insecure. We have to have a reliable presence of food and shelter before we can concern ourselves with other stages of the hierarchy. This first stage is important to be met because it prevents life progress, this is why programs like Seeds of Hope are so important, they help individuals with this exact stage.

While this internship experience (PSY 300) is focused mainly on volunteer work, there are definitely some career options that are related. I could work with VA, offering support to veterans who find themselves in life situations similar to the ones I’ve seen at Seeds of Hope. I could also become a counselor for those who are homeless and food insecure. I could help provide insight and guidance in order to assist in successful life changes. Lastly, I could also become an outreach worker, an individual who works for the promotion of programs. These programs would be offered to the homeless, and it would be my job to spread awareness of these programs/services as well as recruit business from individuals. Most jobs in this field are voluntary; they do not offer any kind of monetary payment. However, there are some occupations such as these that allow for the same type of work but indeed for payment. The skills I’ve learned in my internship will allow me to become a stronger candidate for these positions. I can continue working with these populations in order to fight the big battle against Southern Maine homelessness.

Thanks to Mark for sharing his experience as part of PSY 300. All psychology majors complete at least one internship as part of their major and work closely with a faculty member throughout the experience.

A guest post by Emily Mott about her internship as part of PSY 300.

In Spring 2019 I interned at Caring Unlimited (CU), which is a domestic violence service organization based out of Sanford, Maine. CU offers many services to the community such as: direct service programs, a 24-hr hotline, outreach services/support groups, legal assistance and court advocacy, emergency shelter, transitional housing and services, along with parent support services. My internship was a mix of many of these things. I spent time working with the Hotline and Volunteer Services Coordinator, working on their online system, organizing a volunteer appreciation event, and putting together training materials and informational packets. I also participated in a week-long training to be certified in Maine to work on any domestic violence hotline. I picked up many skills from this training to use when staffing the hotline. I also spent time each week in “kidcare” which is when we spend time with the kids of the people who are taking advantage of a support group that is offered so that they won’t have to worry about getting childcare during that time.

My focus, and the main reason I pursued interning at Caring Unlimited, is to be a child advocacy lawyer, and I am interested in working with domestic violence survivors. Betsy, my supervisor, worked to create a legal intern position for me, which is exciting. This experience provided me with hands on experience in the court of law, even before applying to law school. I had the chance to work with court advocates, mostly on protection from abuse orders, but also on other family, or domestic violence matters. This internship allowed me to make connections in the field and helped me gain valuable experience and skills relevant to my life.

Our thanks to Emily for sharing her thoughts on her internship. All psychology majors complete at least one internship, PSY 300, as part of their degree.