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Jasmine Ervin E-Portfolio Chapter 1- Getting Started The Administration of Human Services Course offered at Wilmington University does

require on to construct and submit an e-portfolio. The beginning of my internship can be best described as nervous and apprehensive. I was still trying to conceive in my head how I would complete 120 hours and still keep and engage myself in my full time job. I knew that my only option was to dive in head first and hope for the best. In preparing myself to be a graduate of the Administration of Human Services Program, and having worked as a Human Service professional for over 5 years, I didnt believe that tasks that had been assigned to me by my Site Supervisor would be too much of a challenge. I knew that my greatest challenge would my personal goal of overcoming and developing my people skills and building relationships with `other staff members. Chapter 2 Getting Acquainted Unlike other community centers, Claymont Community Center offers several different services to its clients and constituents. Not only does the Community Center offer five different Programs that clients have easy access to be the facility is the home to several tenants who also seek to serve the greater good of the community. Learning the specific context of Claymont Community Center was one of the most important tasks that I would prove to be beneficial during my time as an intern. The 1st task that I tackled was to develop an Event Marketing Board to be used by administrators out in the community. In order to complete this task I would need to immerse myself in learning and knowing the context of my internship organization. Chapter 3- Developing Ethical Competence During my internship time an ethical situation that I encountered was during a committee meeting in which several Program Managers, the Executive Director, as well as a Board Member via phone was present. The situation arose when a male Program Manager began to verbally assault a female assistant in the presence of the aforementioned persons. Despite the cause of the disagreement and the personalities of those involved, I do believe that the female staff member chose to act in an ethical manner when she allowed the dispute to subside due to the presence of

the other staff members in the room. I cannot attest to how the issue was resolved, but if the parties involved wished to resolve the matters ethically, they would have first attempted to address the issue in a one on one situation. If they could not address the situation in a one on one environment then involvement of a staff member of greater authority or possibly the Executive Director would be needed to mediate a resolve. No one person should be made to feel uncomfortable the same person on more than one occasion. Chapter 4 Using Supervision I believe that the most important aspect of the supervisory relationship is communication. In light of this information I have learned that in order for the relationship to be effective, one needs to be able to communicate openly about any issues whether positive or negative. Likewise, find it important that as the intern, one learn not only how to accept criticism (hopefully constructive), but to actually put in to practice what is being disclosed to you. Though initially I shied away from the idea of being open and upfront about my knowledge and ideas with my Supervisory team, I have come to realize that it is my job as an intern to bring new and innovative ideas to the table. With that being said, it is essential that I participate actively and honestly in the Supervisory relationship. I actively seek out my Supervisory team on a regular basis to discuss and disseminate a range of issues including but not limited to things that I may disagree with to how the organization can utilize funding to support new programming. This in itself has allowed the Supervisory team who not only appreciates my additions to the organization, but to start to build a level a trust forming positive relationships.

Chapter 5 Learning to Learn From Experience Survey Interpretation of Data *See Relevant Material* Chapter 6 Communicating with Clients Thus far the past 6 years of my career in the Human Services realm has been intervention with individuals through caseload management. In my current internship I have been challenged to complete many administrative tasks however one task in particular did require that I at least meet some of the population served by the Claymont Community Center. Recently, I administered a survey to Food Closet clients in an effort to disseminate the demographics, needs, and positives of the Food Closet Program. As previously mentioned I have had most of my intervention with clients on an individual level. This intervention has been in the field of Criminal Justice, both as an advocate and an enforcer. Kieser, goes into detail about working with individuals who are reluctant to comply with services, this is the epitome of Human Services at the Criminal Justice level. I personally find it essential that one deal with and acknowledge their personal morals and values prior to addressing the issues of others. I have had the least experience with working with groups. This level of intervention requires that one be especially confident in the communication skills as well as confident in their speech. In the realm of Criminal Justice group intervention can be either beneficial or detrimental. It offers support to those who are really looking to make a positive turn in life. For those who wish to continue a life of crime however, group intervention allows for interactions that in turn result in more criminal activity. I find that my strengths are in intervention at the Individual and Family Level. I have spent 6 years working with a specific population. This has allowed me to strengthen skills such as interviewing and making appropriate referrals. Moving forward I will have to work on my confidence when faced with bringing together a group or communities for intervention services. I will admit that it is important to immerse yourself as a Human Service agent into the use of intervention at all levels.

Chapter 7 Cultural Compentencies *See Cultural Immersion Paper* Chapter 8 Writing and Reporting within Your Field Agency Submit Drafted Policy 800 Child Sexual Abuse Prevention* *See Relevant Material* Chapter 9 Taking Care of Yourself During the time that I interned at Claymont Community Center, my stressors consisted most of developing a schedule in which I could be productive at my full time job and still satisfy the hours necessary to graduate. On several In addition to feeling like I was spread too thin, I also imposed additional stress (internally) by putting so much emphasis on the task deadlines. However, to best manage my stress, I learned to appreciate my calendar and the process of prioritizing. When addressing the stressors in my internship, my work life and my life overall, I have come to realize that I am my own worst enemy. I have found that I best alleviate stress by talking to others and allowing myself time to decompress. This internship has strengthened my confidence in my networking skills, as well as my leadership skills, and has allowed me to grow as a Human Services Professional. Chapter 10 Ending Your Internship I appreciate most about my internship experience the opportunity I had in working with my site supervisor. Working closely with someone who is so dedicated to the cause no matter what the obstacles are has helped instill in me not only a sense of work ethic but the need to take pride in all the work you produce. Since working with my site supervisor over the past several months I have made it a point to improve my work habits in my daily profession. Simple things such as spell checks and reviewing your work can go a long way. My main regret about my internship is that I didnt choose an agency that was more oriented toward my own personal career goals. Though my placement does cover a variety of humans services realms, I didnt really interact with other program components outside of the Administration Offices.

As I leave my internship what I seek most is feedback on all of the projects that I have either started, or completed. I believe the purpose of the internship is to learn how to put the concepts being learned in the class into action in the workforce under the guidance of qualified professionals. It is the feedback from these professionals that will be used in the actual workforce. I believe the most important thing that one is to do moving forward would be to continue to put what theyve learned at their interest into practice on a daily basis. For me that would mean being more accurate in the work I produce. I would like to ensure that everything that I submit or has my name on it is at a quality level is indicative of a professional with a Masters Degree. Chapter 11- Planning Your Career

In completing my Human Services Internship, my career goals include advancing in my current position as well as beginning the hunt for a more fulfilling job. My ultimate goal is to work with juveniles in foster care. This may be done through starting a new initiative or securing a position as an advocate for this specific population. My goals are not so much monetarily oriented as they are driven by passion. Over the next several years, I find it pertinent to continue to develop my skills as a Human Service professional. I plan to do this through pursuing various trainings and possibly obtaining licensure. In order to accomplish my short and long term goals I do need to focus a lot of effort of developing my people skills. Despite my personal goals it is essential to be able to connect with people on all levels.

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