Outgoing intern, Nat Young, reflects on her time with Just Us
Last month we said goodbye to Nat Young, who wrapped up her internship at Just Us. Nat joined us in January as a counselling intern from Yorkville University’s Masters of Counselling Psychology program.
Nat came to us through a referral from her own therapist, who played a significant role in her journey to become a counsellor. She reflects on her own experience in therapy and how it’s helped shape her own practice and approach.
“I was in therapy when I started at Yorkville University, and it was through my own experience that I got to see how beneficial counselling can be. My therapist and I spoke a lot about empathy and person-centered approaches, which means that the client is the expert in their own life and the therapist is there to offer deeper understanding, unconditional positive regard, and honesty. I believe that clients have the skills to overcome their challenges, and we as counsellors just need to foster it.”
Nat has been a tremendous asset to Just Us, stepping up early on in her internship to help deliver on-site counselling at the Teen Resource Centre as part of our partnership with Chroma, a non-profit focusing on advocating for 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
“I am visibly and openly queer and I really wanted to work with queer individuals,” Nat says. “When I came on board for my internship, Just Us had just started discussing a partnership with Chroma and so it was a great fit.”
For people in the queer community, it can be especially valuable to connect with someone who shares similar experiences as them. This might mean finding a therapist that visibly signals their queerness.Nat says her overall experience with Just Us has been positive and allowed her to dive into practical hands-on experience by seeing a broad range of people every day, which she believes is the best way to learn. The training she received at Just Us allowed her to feel confident in meeting with a diverse range of people.
Former Just Us counselling intern, Nat Young
“The training is very intervention heavy and I felt prepared for extraordinary circumstances and specific cases due to this. Yet surprisingly, once you start meeting with people, you realize that most of the work is not intervention and most people really just want a listening ear. They want to have a connection with someone who is on their side and offers an objective view.”
In addition to extensive training as part of the internship program with Just Us, interns also receive weekly check-ins with their supervisor to discuss learning goals and progress on skill acquisition. Additionally, there are debriefs, team meetings, and an opportunity to collaborate with other interns. One of the highlights for Nat has been the camaraderie among the other interns, sharing the highs and lows of their experiences and having a valuable support system while juggling the demands of work, life and school.
With several recurring clients, Nat says she was able to build strong relationships with her clients, many of whom expressed gratitude for the free and low-cost counselling services offered by Just Us.
“I often hear from clients when talking about pay structure that this amount is all they can afford, and they’re so grateful to have access to it. Finances are a huge barrier to mental health access. To be able to receive support like this breaks down the stress of getting help.”
Just Us provides free and low-cost counselling services to residents across New Brunswick. Each client receives three free one-hour sessions followed by up to five additional sessions for $20 each. Book your counselling session today.