Alyssa Stout '20 completed a paid internship with Wittenberg University’s Womyn's Center. She took time to reflect on the experience and its impact on her educational experience:
My typical days consisted of planning events around creating awareness of sexual assault and teen dating violence, such as Third Thursday talks, Consent Week, the Red Ribbon Campaign, presentations, Writing for Recovery and Take Back the Night. I also had scheduled appointments and office hours dedicated to talking with and helping survivors of dating violence/sexual assault. I would help survivors fill out safety plans/protections orders, give them support, as well as direct them to other resources such as counselors, Title IX coordinators, support groups, etc.
The biggest challenge I faced during my internship was not taking the work home with me. It was hard to separate the job with my schooling and social life. The best part of the internship was having the ability to help fellow students and bring awareness to very important issues on college campuses.
The most memorable experience I had during the internship was participating in Take Back the Night. During this event, they created posters as well as chants and went down to the court house to protest, and "take back the night" for survivors. This was extremely memorable because I knew we had made a difference for many people.
The advice I would give people interested in working this internship is they must be able to separate their work and non-work life. In this field, many people begin to know you as the peer advocate on campus, and while it is your job to help survivors it is also very important to maintain self-care and that involves understanding that you too have a life and must separate the two.
This internship was connected to my psychology classes in many ways, such as the different disorders that could have been seen through the clients due to the trauma they had experienced. I also utilized some of the therapy techniques I learned about in class, including active listening, empathy and unconditional positive regard.
By: Alyssa Stout '20
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Delaware, Ohio
