Where should I begin…
First of all, I would like to say that I am very grateful to have taken part in this interesting and multidisciplinary internship that Willingness team has provided me with. It has taught me a lot.
From each workshop, activity or meeting I learn a lot. Moreover, I think this internship gave me a place to grow professionally and personally. We were learning outside and inside Willingness but most importantly we learnt something that we cannot learn in university. It also helped me develop a practical understanding to complement the theoretical knowledge I acquired in university. The internship itself taught us discipline and flexibility. Being in such a big group of women it was challenging both for Willingness staff and interns, but all challenges were met with a positive attitude and professionalism. On the other hand, Willingness gave us a place to be creative. In our assignments, we were free to choose what topic or form of presentation we wanted to work on and in this way we showed our strengths or learned from each other.
Moreover, talking about the Willingness Team, I was impressed by how all the professionals make the atmosphere so welcoming and helpful. The team meetings showed how it is great to work in a team of professionals who share their knowledge support and insights to discuss cases and receive support as well as criticism in a positive safe environment. As an intern, I felt very fortunate to have worked with professionals of different psychological fields, who were well known in Malta and have very good reputations. They were great examples of professionals to look up to and to learn from. This kind of environment and relationship in the workplace inspired me to work or even open a clinic in my home country where people would work according to the Willingness way.
Another very exciting thing is that Willingness Team allowed us to participate in Chat Bar. This service provided us a chance to use the skills we acquired in university and Willingness training in real life and it was very exciting to do. From talkin with festival guests about little things like what country they were from to serious mental health-related questions. It showed us a glimpse of how our future jobs would be and what situations we as professionals could find ourselves in.
Aside from the provided workshops and activities, I had the pleasure of getting to know a group of different and smart women. The fact that the group of interns was so diverse had a great advantage. We learnt from each other about psychology in different countries, how different laws and modes of psychology interact and what future careers would look like in those countries. Nevertheless, we motivated each other to be better, to learn, to explore, to share our opinions and thoughts in a safe and supportive environment. But the best thing is that we had a chance to make friends from different countries.
Overall, I am very grateful for Willingness Team giving me such an incredible and remarkable opportunity!
Aistė Alysaitė is Bachelor of Psychology Student at Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius, Lithuania. She is participating in Willingness Inernational intership.