A Psychology major’s internship experience with Our Journey
Internships have always been an integral part of a student’s academic career. During this pandemic, many internships were rescinded and students were left without a summer programme. For many employers, this is something that cannot be helped as many are working tirelessly to keep their businesses afloat.
Fortunately for Natalie, Our Journey was dedicated to ensuring that she had a fulfilling experience despite Covid-19.
She recalls her time with Our Journey and shares some of the insights she gleaned whilst working with the Our Journey team.
What made you choose Our Journey for your internship?
“I was recommended to the position and since then I’ve come to really appreciate the compassion, work ethic, and dedication of the OJ team. I am endlessly grateful to be given the opportunity to work with an organisation that prioritises their clients and beneficiaries as much as they do.”
Our Journey aims to inspire hope and contribute to the well being of individuals. To achieve this, they believe in creating a compassionate and caring environment to assist individuals in reaching their full potential.
It seems that Our Journey values their team and ensures that they create a warm and welcoming environment for everyone. While it is a bit of a bummer that Natalie has not had the chance to visit the office space, she still finds the experience extremely fulfilling.
In striving to help others, what are some of your day to day tasks?
“Throughout the past two months, I’ve been tasked with a variety of assignments, each interesting and educational in its own way. I’ve done research and reviewed literature on different topics, created infographics, come up with content for Instagram posts, joined group supervision sessions, and sourced for local companies who might be interested to collaborate with us. I have become very accustomed to using Zoom, as we have video meetings a few times each week.”
Due to how she was not limited to only one role, she has accumulated a wealth of experience and skills. Natalie experienced different facets of Our Journey, which helped her better understand the overall structure and inner workings of such an organisation.
Having done so much in such a short period of time, what is the best part about interning with Our Journey as a psychology major?
“I truly enjoy being able to work with and learn from like-minded people! Especially when my mentors are ever-ready to share everything they know about their craft with me. My supervisors, Ms Blythe and Ms Trish have been immensely generous with their knowledge.”
Psychology relies on both qualitative and quantitative analyses to better understand the issues that people face. “The Our Journey team constantly shares stories and advice from their experiences working with different clients and organisations”, she quips. These anecdotes have proven valuable as she is able to draw connections to what she has studied, granting her a holistic, more informed view of the industry.
“Working here has been particularly fulfilling because every project I’ve been a part of has an end goal of helping others and making people’s lives better.”
Although these have been trying times for the mental health industry, Natalie notes that her supervisors strove to provide much-needed support to their clients and the community.
Especially since safe distancing measures have kept her cooped up at home, it was great to have such meaningful and rewarding work keeping her busy.
At the beginning of Natalie’s internship, she was told to list down her hopes and expectations for her time with Our Journey, this helped her supervisors tailor the internship experience to her goals.
“I can truly say that although my internship experience has been anything but conventional, the OJ team did everything they could to make this experience one that I would gain the most from”
Natalie realises that many have unfortunately struggled to find and keep jobs or internships over these past few months. She is grateful to have been accepted into this team as an intern and given a chance to take part in so many meaningful projects.
“I truly found every project highly rewarding and emotionally enriching.”
Fostering a nurturing environment is critical to building relationships- which can make all the difference. Having supervisors dedicated to one’s growth can inspire and encourage young talent to contribute more, which in turn is beneficial to the organisation.
Seeing how enjoyable your time at Our Journey was, could you tell us about a meaningful project that you handled?
“It’s hard to decide which of them was the most meaningful but we recently launched (with the support of NTUC) a self-care pack for the sandwich generation of Singapore.”
The sandwich generation consists of those who provide care and financial support to those older and younger than them, namely their children, parents, and sometimes even grandparents. It’s an expanding demographic (especially in Singapore’s rapidly ageing population). They tend to be overworked, which make them prone to mental health issues, Additionally, many are severely lacking support.
In preparation for the project, Natalie performed extensive research on this demographic. Through this initiative, many struggles faced by the sandwich generation that often go unnoticed were highlighted. With greater awareness, she worked alongside Our Journey to put together a tailored guide that specifically benefits the Sandwich generation.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Our Journey has shown their support to local businesses in Singapore by collaborating with several to include them in our self-care pack along with discount codes.
Amidst the pandemic and the struggle to transition into the new normal, many might experience stress and burnout. The self-care package is a useful guide that can help one strike a better balance. You can check it out here.
Many students often get lost in the corporate grind as they strive to look for flashy internships with big companies. After your time with a social enterprise, do you see yourself exploring a career in this field?
“In this current moment, the answer to this question is yes! A career in which I get to meet people from all walks of life and interact with them on a deeper level is very appealing to me.”
Working with clients and different groups to navigate and thrive in a fast-paced society can be highly rewarding.
However, Natalie highlights that it is also important to not be too rigid with one’s goals to avoid closing off any options. This way, it would be easier to manage expectations and regulate stress- which is important in promoting a healthy mind and spirit.
With that, do you have any advice to aspiring psychology majors planning on an internship in this field?
“I am still learning and growing, but I would definitely recommend that you diversify your skills and interests! Basic research, marketing, and graphic design skills (amongst many others) always come in handy. You can find all sorts of courses online to equip you with these skills”
As with any internship, the main takeaway would be to have an open mind and a willingness to learn. We hope that Natalie’s internship with Our Journey inspires you to look into alternative career paths and possibly the social enterprise sector. Who knows, it could be nothing short of a rewarding experience.
Check out Our Journey for more information, inspiration, or simply to have a conversation.
Remember, asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Till next time!
