Deepening My Understanding of Trauma as a Summer Intern with Alaska Children's Trust
“Because of my interest in psychology I knew that it would be wonderful to work at an organization that understands that psychology plays an important role in health issues, abuse, and trauma.”
My time as an intern with Alaska Children’s Trust has been wonderful. Learning about how trauma can affect the brain development of children and lead to other issues, such as behavioral problems, substance abuse, violence, and serious long-term health problems has been an eye opener. During my training, I watched two documentaries- Paper Tigers and Resilience (both available for free rental through ACT- email us for more information). Both documentaries were very informative and intriguing. Paper Tigers was heart-wrenching, it focuses on the impacts of trauma and how that can cascade into problems with school and emotional outbursts later in life. I really enjoyed Resilience as well because it was very informational and was based off the research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which was a completely new term for me. Adverse Childhood Experiences are early experiences that impact the life-long well-being of a person. Experiences and interactions that happen before the age of 18, in infancy and childhood, influence future behaviors and as well as physical health issues. I also was introduced to Positive Childhood Experiences, those experiences that can counteract ACEs, help children build resilience to traumatic stress, and provide support and a buffer from the negative impacts of early trauma.
In addition, I have also experienced first-hand how a non-profit operates. The work that is done at Alaska Children’s Trust is imperative for the prevention of child abuse and neglect because although we do not work directly with children, providing funding and trainings to programs that children attend is a huge contribution to addressing and overcoming the problems of neglect and abuse in our community. One key program within Alaska Children’s Trust is the Alaska Afterschool Network, which I was able to work with as well. Afterschool can play an important role for many kids, especially when parents are working and gives them the chance to grow, learn, and enhance the skills they learn in school and at home. For me, discovering that Afterschool Network Director Thomas Azzarella and Program Specialist Pili Queja both were working at Campfire when I was attending Campfire, all through elementary school, made me realize how important Afterschool Programs were in my own life.
As my senior year of high school was coming to an end I decided to apply for this internship because I was drawn to ACT’s focus on trauma and how it plays a role in child abuse and neglect. Also, because of my interest in psychology I knew that it would be wonderful to work at an organization that understands that psychology plays an important role in health issues, abuse, and trauma. Once I finish my last week here with Alaska Children’s Trust, I will prepare to attend college in Washington D.C. at George Washington University this fall and continue to deepen my knowledge of psychology as I pursue a degree and, after college, a future career as a psychologist. Working with ACT provided a great foundation for me. As my time with ACT comes to an end, I will remember all the experiences and knowledge I gained from working with such amazing people.