Counseling and Human Services Students Shine in Service to Children
Courtney Perry 鈥�23, who majors in Counseling and Human Services at 黑料专区, hopes to make a career in service to children, drawing on a master鈥檚 degree in clinical mental health counseling she plans to pursue after graduating. She鈥檚 already gained lots of counseling-related experience thanks to an internship she recently completed at the Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus County in Concord, N.C.
Courtney was one of three student interns from Pfeiffer who contributed to Mentor, Adapt, and Prevent (MAP), an afterschool club program funded by the Governor鈥檚 Crime Commission. Student interns Summer Pullian 鈥�22 and Virginia McCraw 鈥�22 also gained experience in the program.
Courtney provided one-to-one mentoring for children in grades K-12, and she taught them in classes. She also employed art therapy techniques in her work with children and their families.
Courtney鈥檚 MAP internship, which lasted from August through mid-October, fulfilled the requirements of Field Placement, one of her major鈥檚 courses. It went well because, as she said recently, Pfeiffer鈥檚 Counseling and Human Services program equipped her for success.
鈥淭he most salient and helpful course I took was Grief and Loss,鈥� she said. 鈥淢any children at the club were experiencing forms of grief, whether that be from the physical loss of a loved one, divorce, or the absence of a parent or parents within the home. The course provided knowledge concerning the developmental needs of children in various age groups and of various interventions that could be used.鈥�
McCraw, who鈥檒l soon become a social worker at the Forsyth County (N.C.) Department of Social Services, also interned in the MAP program for the Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus County, from August through November. Her intern duties were similar to Courtney鈥檚.
McCraw said she drew on what she had learned in the Grief and Loss class as well, to 鈥渃onnect with this little girl whose grandfather had passed away.鈥�
鈥淚 learned that this little girl was going through so much at home and didn鈥檛 really talk to anyone,鈥� McCraw added. 鈥淏ut she opened up to me and told me about how her grandfather had died, and I helped her get through it. If it weren鈥檛 for the Grief and Loss class, I don鈥檛 know if I would have been able to properly handle this situation.鈥�
Pfeiffer鈥檚 involvement in MAP came about through Dr. Tiffany Rikard鈥檚 ties to the club. Rikard serves as Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Counseling and Human Services at Pfeiffer, and she taught the Grief and Loss course.
Jonathan Helms, the Grant Development Director at the club, expressed satisfaction with Pfeiffer鈥檚 involvement in MAP.
鈥淭he staff and youth both benefited from the students鈥� time spent at our club, not to mention the joy they brought to the job,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur afterschool participants have already expressed to Club staff that they miss them, and I view that as another positive outcome of their time. It was a wonderful experience for our organization, and we appreciate Summer, Virginia, Courtney, and Dr. Rikard.鈥�