EJ Joyner
In terms of personal achievements, I have worked with a wide range of clients that I was
initially uncomfortable with. I chose Family Services for this exact opportunity, but I knew that
it was also outside of my comfort zone. In practicum, I worked with more children than any
other population. At Family Services, I have been able to see clients ranging in age from 6 to 70,
and all ages in between. I was particularly wary of working with older adult clients, fearing that
my age and lack of experience would be a problem. Additionally, I was concerned I would not
be able to connect with older adults as easily as I have been able to with children and younger
adults in the past. However, I have really enjoyed my work with my older adult client, and we
have built a strong therapeutic relationship. Initially, I was concerned about my age but when
this client mentioned they were old enough to be my grandparent, I just laughed and said
“you’re exactly right”. I was surprised that by being authentic, and in a way joining with the
client, I was able to put some of my own anxiety to rest and make the client feel more at ease. I
have also found that I enjoy working with adult clients more than I anticipated. I thought this
experience would confirm that I really want to focus on children, but instead, I have found I
enjoy a range of ages.
Additionally, I would say an achievement has been my ability to jump in and work with a
psychoeducation group for children and their parents, called Strengthening Families.
Participating in this program has meant working extra hours and longer hours than I anticipated
but it has been worth it. I started off just observing a couple of session, but very quickly jumped
in to start co-facilitating youth sessions and lead some family session activities. I was a bit more
uncomfortable jumping in to help facilitate as other facilitators have been doing this program
for years and have training to facilitate the program. During my time working with
EJ Joyner
Strengthening Families, I have played multiple roles and really gotten a better feeling for the
program, from co-facilitating youth sessions to helping lead the final session of the last class.
Additionally, I have been tasked with contacting referrals to begin the intake process for the
next class in January. I’m excited to get to know the families a bit better before starting the
class, I think I will enjoy the group more and be able to better assist the youth and parents,
especially when things go off book, as they often do.
Personally, I think I have built good relationships with many of my clients. If nothing
else, I am skilled at making clients feel comfortable and able to open up about the things that
are happening in their lives. While at times, I may not be directive enough but I always focus on
the relationship that I am building with the client. I have also built good relationships with co-
workers at Family Services. I worried that I would just be viewed as the intern but I have been
welcomed in by many of those on staff. I feel less like an intern at this point, and more like a
true professional co-worker. I have also really enjoyed working with my site supervisor, James. I
had a very different experience during practicum and I never felt very comfortable voicing
concerns or asking for guidance. In internship, James has allowed me the space to work on my
own without micromanaging, but also making me feel welcome to have open conversations
with him. I came into internship feeling as if there was a higher expectation than what I am
capable of, but James made me feel ok about making mistakes along the way. I suppose this
paragraph qualifies as professional achievement, but I really take it all as a personal win. I feel
more comfortable and self-assured in my age and skill set seeing that my co-workers have
accepted me, and I have a good relationship with my supervisor.
EJ Joyner
Thus far, in my time at Family Services, I have learned a lot. I have gotten more
comfortable having full sessions with clients and with not always knowing exactly what to do.
However, I still have a great deal to learn. I struggle to see if I’m really helping people make a
change and I think that I chit-chat a bit too much. I need to learn to be more directive with
clients to really help them work through the clinically salient things that are going on. I don’t
think I actively avoid difficult emotions or harder conversations, but often, I let the client lead
too much. Sometimes, it is appropriate to let the clients steer but not all the time. I also need to
challenge clients more often, I know that is where a lot of growth can take place and that it is
important. I tend to act more like a cheerleader and at times, but I know sometimes clients
need a mirror. I have used some challenging skills and it has been productive but I do not
directly challenge too often or realize later after reflecting that I missed an opportunity. I think
honing this skill and using it more often will be helpful for my work now and in the future.
I also want to work on finding the theoretical lenses that I fit with the most. I have
struggled a bit to really conceptualize clients and have a clearer path of where to go in our work
together. I think that finding a theoretical orientation I like will help me more clearly picture a
client and all the moving parts in their story. I think it will also help me utilize more techniques
and help me find a direction for the work I need to do with the client. I have felt a bit aimless
this semester so I think working harder to research theories will help me feel more focused in
my work with clients.
My overall goals for next semester are to learning to be more directive and getting to
the heat of things, challenging more often and when appropriate, and working to find a theory
that works with my style and enhances it.
