In the middle of the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic and my busy remote master’s education, I came across the internship announcement of Willingness. I had heard of Willingness before from my involvement with EFPSA and I initially thought what a great opportunity it would be if I were in Malta. When I observed further the announcement, I realized that due to the travel restrictions, the Willingness team had designed an international internship programme to be carried out entirely online! Then, I jumped right into the website of Willingness and thoroughly read about their work in order to decide whether I really wanted to apply or not. As an outsider, it was quite clear to me that the team was kind, friendly, and open to new perspectives. Their services also seem to be quite diverse, touching upon many aspects of health and wellbeing. I made the decision that interning at Willingness is an opportunity worth pursuing and submitted my application. Not long after, I was happily informed that I was chosen as an intern and my Willingness journey was about to start!
If I had to describe my experience as an intern at Willingness with two words, those would be “beyond expectation”. As I mentioned before, Willingness had aroused my interest quite a bit before the programme started, yet I had not formed much of an expectation mostly due to the online nature of the internship. I had doubts on how much I could learn from and contribute to the team if I were not physically there. However, the programme was so diligently planned that I never felt the drawbacks of working remotely. The projects and deadlines were predefined in detail, ensuring that our time here would be well-spent. The team worked so hard for us interns to get all the help we need when working on our tasks, gain new perspectives through trainings/workshops, and feel like we are a valuable part of the team. I learned and nourished many skills during my internship, such as conducting a systematic review, carrying out a clinical audit, and writing impactful blog posts. That being said, the most interesting part of the internship for me was attending the multidisciplinary team and clinic meetings. I had the opportunity to hear about different cases and how different professionals would approach them. It was an invaluable opportunity that is difficult to find elsewhere for an aspiring psychotherapist like me.
In addition to all the practical and clinical skills I gained out of this internship, the Willingness team has been an amazing role model to me in being a supportive team member and striving for excellence when carrying out my tasks. I have no doubt that the learnings and inspiration that they have provided will serve me throughout my career as a mental health professional. I am so glad that the internship announcement caught my attention and I decided to give it a shot. If you are contemplating whether to apply to a position at Willingness -just like I did months ago- I assure you that you will not regret it, and on top of it, it will likely be one of the best work experiences you will get!
If you want to learn more about Willingness internships you can reach out here.
Dilek Demiray is an intern at Willingness. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and she is currently completing her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. As an aspiring psychotherapist, she is interested in cognitive-behavioural and systemic therapies.