To describe my experience as an intern at Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc. it equates to a few words – “meaningful, inspiring, and rewarding.”

My name is Julie Rios and I am an intern at OBCA. I am a student at Trinity Christian College, where I am studying Counseling Psychology (Masters program).

As I reflect this season of my life with OBCA, I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for the opportunities I have encountered working with children, adolescents and adults. Not only has my internship experience helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses as a professional, but it has encouraged me to tap into my creativity channel as well.

By working with children, I have learned to be quick on my feet and be spontaneous as their attention span and energy would vary. With my play bag of puzzles, card games, play dough, board games, puppets and other creativity tools (crayons, markers, paper and etc.), I have been able to help children/adolescents be aware of their emotions, thoughts and behaviors. While I have worked with children in different settings (daycare, private school K-8th grade), it is such a blessing to identify their unique traits, talents and characteristics and use these qualities to help them with their self-esteem, emotion regulation and behavioral struggles.