The Well is a community within a larger community. Local businesses, restaurants, churches, civic groups and educational institutes are just some of the neighbors who participate in the hope and stability of Well members. With this broader community involvement, members are able to experience a wide range of connections and soak up the care offered by others.
Among the community groups mentioned above are the colleges that provide the core of the Well’s internship program. “University students who plan to go into a health profession are a tremendous help to the Well. They insert enthusiasm and energy into our programs, but also provide practical help like leading craft sessions, helping with life-skills instruction and reinforcing to our members that they are respected and known,” explains Alice Zaccarello, Executive Director of the Well.
Internships are also a vital part of a school’s training for students. According to Tiesha White who volunteers as a field supervisor with the University of Texas, Arlington’s (UTA) social work program, “It is important that students get more than book learning, especially when they are going into the mental health field.” She continues, “Internships give students direct access to shadowing and getting hands-on experience—direct practice.”
Other schools, including Baylor School of Nursing, Dallas Baptist University counseling program and UNT Dallas, have also sent interns to serve at the Well Community. Rebecca Puchkors, an instructor of mental health nursing at Baylor, sees the benefits of internships: “I get to take [students] out to the Well Community, and they get to see people who are really just living every day with a chronic illness that they’re having to manage. But through the power of community, they’re managing it and are able to have those things in life that we all want as human beings.”
Students find their internships at the Well help them to get a taste of what their career could involve. Yazmin Menjivar, who is serving this semester from UTA explains, “Internships give us that firsthand experience before we actually do enter the field of social work. They help us better understand different aspects of social work and how we’re supposed to apply it.” One of the experiences Yazmin values most is getting to know members of the Well. “I’m interacting with the members, and that helps me learn a bit more of their current situations, which could be similar to situations that I’d see within the hospital setting. It allows me to understand how to interact better with individuals who have mental health disorders. Each one of them has a very different situation.”
Tiesha, who also serves on the Well’s Board of Directors, adds, “There is something special about internships at the Well Community. It’s a highly personable experience. I think often the members make the interns feel more welcome than the students actually serve them.”
There are many ways to get involved at the Well Community. Click here to learn how you or your group can participate in providing hope and friendship to Well members.