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Hello, can you edit my reflective essay for grammatical errors and…
Hello, can you edit my reflective essay for grammatical errors and give me some feedback on ways to improve
In my time ar phoenix I had the pleasure to work and learn from some amazing people. I primarily worked with Steve Fox in harm reduction and he was great mentor that taught me a lot of invaluable lessons. Steve was not there for the first third of my internship and in that time I did a lot of research as they searched for a new harm reduction worker. I helped in the research towards their new maps policy
where I noticed a gap in literature regarding why an intoxication scale was needed in a maps program. I also did extensive research into safe consumption sites and the benefits of CBD and THC for someone suffering from alcohol use disorder. I wish I was able to make a bigger impact for them as it took me sometime to find my stride.
The start of my internship gave me the experience I needed when entering a workplace. I started off very anxious and learned how important it is to take Initiative. I underestimated the difficulty of working in a non-profit organization, but as I became more comfortable I began to be able to assist in more than just research. Professionally I learned that I still have a long way to go but I made a lot of improvements along the way. I haven’t been able to make any connections pass the workplace and this is something that I wish to work on but I have been able to have meaningful conversations with some of the people I worked with outside of Phoenix.
Academicly, I gained a lot of knowledge about AUD and the impacts of these programs can make. I did extensive research in all areas of harm reduction.I gained valuable skills in research,and became more aware of the importance of paying attention to the view point of the study (if it was for wellness,harm reduction, or strictly scientific) I became more strategic in the studies and research I spent my time on and this will translate into me being able to write better papers, and essays.
The most important thing I learned was that true harm reduction isn’t about helping someone get sober, but being unconditionally supportive. I found that my perspective changed, I learned that enforcing accountability and sobriety isn’t the right way to have a positive and honest relationship with clients. I wanted to help people get out of their negative behaviors but it became apparent to me that there are times where people just want to be comfortable and it was our job to respect
and support their decisions. For me this was tough because of the original and most researched model is one towards sobriety so most research did not align with this view. Steve and Kendra taught me the importance of this new perspective. They are applying this perspective to the new policy change which is not present in any of the other map programs I researched .I am excited for the clients to be more impowered and able to have more honest relationships with workers in the future.
My original goal was to learn more about how non-profit organization are funded and the economical side of things. Unfortunately I did not get to look into this as much as I would like. I did a lot of research into the cost of safe consumption sites but did not get to do look into the phoenix society funding as much as I would have liked and aided in but hope to do so in the future.I plan to stay on as a casual worker and maybe then I can aid in and learn more in the aspects of the organization. However, I feel the work I did was extremely inspiring and eye opening.
I struggled with the reality of homelessness and substance abuse.My previous experience didn’t have many opportunities to form relationships with the clients and this is where i felt i was lacking skills. I am very compassionate and in the opportunities I had working with clients I always felt as if I wasn’t doing enough. My inexperience and lack of confidence played a large role in why I felt like this. As I had more exposure I felt more comfortable and less upset with abilities. My biggest challenge was facing my anxiety and getting out of my comfort zone, once I was able to do that my experience become so much better and engaging.
I felt very passionate about working in non-profit and still do. I think this experience has made me realize I am not in the right situation to take on this challenge full time. I am going to continue to help out in ways I can causal and have made it a goal for myself to always be involved no matter where I live. This experience has influenced where I would like to see myself in a career, the bottom line is I want to be in service to people in need until I am able to own my own business or practise. When I ask myself why I would like to be financially successful it always comes back to the point that I want to be able to give it back to those who are in need. This experience has strengthen that goal and is a driving force in my quest for finding the right career.
I would 100% recommend this experience for other students, as you learn many invaluable lessons that can be crucial to how you perceive and interact with the world once you are no longer a student. It gives the student real life experience within the harsh reality of mental illness, susbtance abuse, and homelessness. Although it can be very emotionally demanding, they will come to find out how lucky they are to have the opportunity to do something like this. It can give a student a new perspective in their field of study. Weather that be psychology or economics I found that I was constantly relaying my studies back to the experiences I was having. This program is without a doubt one of the best decisions I have ever made. The amount I learned is inmeasurable and I hope the small impact I made helps. The only thing that I would say could improve the program is giving the student a better understanding of what their duties are and what is expected of them. A better relationship between the university and non-proft in this regard would be beneficial to the student but it is understabale due to how busy these non-profits are. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.
