Tess on Her Internship at The Center for Attachment Research (CAR)

Over the past few weeks while working at the Center for Attachment Research (CAR) at The New School (@TheNewSchool) in New York, NY, I ascertained things that I never would have learned being confined to a rural setting. I have been introduced to complex psychological concepts, while simultaneously learning a tremendous amount about myself.

The New School for Social Research (NSSR):  "A Global Hub in NYC.”
Image located at www.newschool.edu/nssr/.

In the lab, clinicians implement an intervention known as GABI (Group Attachment Based Intervention).  “This project concerns family preservation and the prevention of child maltreatment. The families who participate in GABI are often very isolated, and have had multiple adverse childhood experiences and ongoing experiences of poverty” (lab memo regarding ongoing projects). My direct work with high risk families has been both enlightening and painful.

I have always been conscious of poverty, both in and outside America. From a young age I have felt a strong obligation to help those less fortunate than I. I have had the unique opportunity of traveling around the world with my family during our summer vacations. Every country we visit, we allocate time to volunteering in townships, orphanages, or building schools in remote villages. At the end of the trip we always return home and those experiences soon become powerful memories.

There is a big difference between volunteering in Africa, many thousands of miles away from my home, and interacting with affected families on a consistent basis (some of whom live less than thirty blocks away from me). Now, there is not a ten hour flight distancing me from the harsh truth that many Americans struggle to obtain their next meal every day. 

This past week, a new mother came into The New School to take part in the intervention.  When new mothers come in, they are given a series of surveys such as the AAI (Adult Attachment Interview) and ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences). These are designed to help get a well rounded idea of the patient and to gain insight into their lives and struggles. At the end of the session, the mother, 23-years-old with four children, asked the clinician administering the surveys if she had any extra diapers. She acknowledged that her government check was not going to come for three days and she had no money to buy diapers for her children; without them her four children would be wearing dirty diapers for the entire weekend.

The interventions conducted at The New School are strictly focused on mending the parent-child bond. They do amazing work and help countless families. Yet, it is an ongoing struggle for me to hear some of the devastating personal stories and not be able to do anything to improve the quality of life of the people I meet. Unfortunately, the anecdote above is on the less extreme end of the spectrum of some I have heard.

I find myself conflicted when trying to find the line between patient and struggling human being. I have realized that this internal struggle is good. It reaffirms the fact that I feel a strong obligation to help those who have had far more complicated lives with less resources than I. At work I have to compartmentalize these feelings, but they definitely do not have to disappear.

Logo for The Robin Hood Foundation.
Image located at http://2014.c4q.nyc/#/logoslide.

I have channeled my frustrations into positive actions. I have started volunteering at a homeless shelter where many of the GABI participles find refuge. In addition I have joined a teen council to fight poverty in America through the Robin Hood Foundation (@RobinHoodNYC). None of these would be possible if was still living in Amenia.

Before I started my internship at the CAR, my goal in life was to rise to the top of whatever field I decided to pursue, trusting that it could be lucrative. Now, my goal is to strive to help as many people as I can. I will still yearn to make a name for myself, but I hope to be known for fully focusing on being altruistic and not on how many zeros are at the end of my paycheck.

Tess: An Agent of Change

An ambitious and assertive young woman, Tess began to think about her Edge work during the summer.  She was beginning her senior year, after all, and she told us that her work had to "matter," that she had to find a route that would prepare her for college.

A board detailing various psychological trials and assigned experimenters. 
Graphic from "Research Fraud Case Raises Concerns Over Ethics
of Psychology Research" at researchethicsblog.com.

Through intense self-reflection, she found just the right path.  Upon arriving back at Kildonan, she submitted an unconventional proposal to The Edge Team.  Within, she detailed her desire to embark on an internship at The New School for Social Research in New York City, NY during her second semester.  More specifically, she would work under The Center for Attachment Research, a division within the institute "engaged in the application of attachment theory to clinical and developmental research questions concerning child, parent, and family development" (per the Center's "Who We Are" page).  Tess went on to detail the particular skills she would perform as part of a research team.  She also addressed logistical matters, explaining how she would satisfy Kidonan's credit scheme by studying literature, history, science, and mathematics.  The opportunity sounded exciting, and the document proved a strong working draft.  To better understand the internship, however, the Edge Team needed answers:  "What is attachment theory, anyway? And how will this opportunity relate to the work you will accomplish within the program during the first semester?"

So the revision process began.

Over the next three weeks, Tess met with The Edge Team on a biweekly basis to discuss suggestions for editing.  During these meetings, she admitted that she did not understand attachment theory.  She therefore updated her proposal, stressing within that she would direct her Edge work toward the study of the model in addition to self-psychoanalysis, the history of psychology, and other topics.  We also examined (and The Edge Team modeled) the nuances of APA citation as well as the difference between in-text citations and paraphrasing.  Finally, spurred to remain accountable to Kildonan during her semester abroad, Tess devised a video log and began to seek out a mentor.  In the log, she proposed, she could answer set questions (while maintaining confidentiality procedures, of course) and thereby demonstrate the evolution of her understanding.  With a mentor to supervise her, too, she could better understand the data she recorded and have a point person who would facilitate communication between The New School and Kildonan.

Image taken from Kelly Scott's "Why Should I Do an Internship?"
via www.northeastern.edu.  Linked through http://byuinternships.org/.

The editing process was not short.  Because of the nature of her request, she put her piece through six to seven rounds of revision.  Last week, however, she submitted a draft that proved thoughtful of all the topics we had discussed across our meetings.  It possessed proper APA citations, a copy of the form for her video log, and a more comprehensive union of her work within Edge, Kildonan's credit scheme, and her research duties.  This draft, Tess concluded, was ready for the Academic Dean.  We agreed, so the piece is now on its way to formal review.

Tess should be proud of her document.  Yes, she will likely need to engage another few rounds of revision following her meeting with Dr. Taft, so the process is not quite complete.  Nevertheless, celebration is in order due to the effort that she exerted to revamp her draft so thoroughly.

At several moments, Tess felt discouraged.  She occasionally resisted our suggestions, stressing that they missed the larger picture of her internship.  However, these periods were always short-lived.  Tess overcame them every time, buoyed not only by her individual request but also by a simple fact:  never before in the school's history has a student submitted a proposal for an internship that would bear academic credit.  In this sense, then, Tess is a revolutionary, an agent of change.  She endures...not only for herself but also for all the students (with varied requests) who will come after her.