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Senior Internship Experience

Carolyn Nachand

First Step is a perinatal substance abuse program. It is the only program in Stanislaus County where mothers receiving treatment for their drug addiction can bring their children to treatment with them. First Step offers drug treatment through a holistic approach.

First Step provides group and personal counseling for the women and also classes. There are two kinds of classes. There are program classes which deal directly with the mothers and their drug abuse. The other type of classes is parenting classes. They learn about child development, nutrition, how to manage stress, and basic daily parenting skills. The parenting classes require lab time in which the mothers spend time with their children in the classroom and try out their new parenting skills. They are also able to observe positive interactions, possitive communications and positive techniques between the staff members and their children.

Another aspect of the holistic approach that First Step takes is home visits in which a trained staff member facilitates play between the mother and her children at home. They show the mothers that there are projects and games that can be played with inexpensive household items, that expensive toys aren't needed for play. Women who have successfully finished the program and have been drug free for at least 6 months can volunteer to mentor the new clients in a program called Mentor Moms. This provides a helpful place for support outside of the counselors of First Step. Mentor Moms gives the women support for getting off drugs from women who were in their same place, so they have a keener insight into what these women are experiencing.

First Step also has an outreach program which tries to get donations. Some of the donations they ask for are clothes, food, toys, and other needs children might have like diapers. The donations that they receive they pass on to the mothers and their children free of cost. This is a way for the mothers to be able to provide their children with items they need and otherwise could not afford.

While the mothers are receiving treatment their children spend time in a classroom. Depending on their age they will either be in a preschool classroom, a toddler classroom, or an infant room. It is this part of the First Step program that I did my internship. I spent time in both the infant and toddler classrooms interacting with the children.

The infant room has children up to about 17 months of age. I spent most of my time in this room facilitating play, changing diapers, and comforting children. I was also responsible for charting a child's development.

The toddler classroom has children from 17 months to about 3 years of age. Most of my time spent in this classroom was redirecting children to what it was they needed to be doing, settling disputes, and assisting the children in activities.

My internship at First Step was my first experience working with chemically exposed children. The staff was great in answering my questions about the behaviors I saw and if they were related to chemical exposure they explained that as well. I also learned about other typical behaviors associated with chemical exposure, even though I didn't witness them first hand. The information I gained from this program is truly valuable. I want to thank everyone at First Step for making this internship such a positive and informative learning experience. Thank-you!