Reflection 7

Please respond to the following questions underneath each question in a question and answer
format. Your response to Question 2 should be a minimum of 75 words. Question 3 should be a
professionally and thoughtfully written and be between 450 and 550 words.

The goal of the reflection is to provide the instructor with a detailed summary of what you are
experiencing in your internship.

1. How many hours have you completed?

560

2. Please describe an ethical situation (ethical or unethical) that you have encountered
during your internship. What happened? What principle from the ATRA Code of Ethics
were in question with this given situation? What was your role in the situation and what
actions did you take regarding the situation? How did your supervisor handle the
situation? What skills did you learn regarding ethics through clinical supervision? How
will you learn from it moving forward?

During a week of camps in my internship, there was a camper who had a history of
violent behavioral outbursts that consisted of the camper impulsively grabbing hair and
throats of nearby authority figures. When on a program with this camper, they started
to kick and hit me before trying to grab my throat. The ethical dilemma here was if I
should engage in some sort of restraint even though I wasn’t trained in physical
restraints. My supervisor at the time interceded and restrained the camper so that I did
not have to.

3. Please describe how advocacy has played a role in your internship experience. What
have you learned and what specific examples can you share regarding advocacy for the
individuals you are working with? How has your internship prepared you to assume an
advocacy role for individuals with disabilities, injuries, illnesses, and underrepresented
populations?

In my internship experience this summer, advocacy has played a role in several different
ways. The first way is advocating for what we do at the National Ability Center, or for
Recreational Therapy as a whole. Many friends, family members, and those who I have
just met in public have inquired about what I am doing and where I work. This has given
me a great number of opportunities to advocate for Rec Therapy and the National
Ability Center by explaining what we do, who we serve, and how beneficial it is for all
people of all abilities. I have been able to have conversations about how recreation can
greatly impact the lives of all people, and especially people with disabilities.
Another way that advocacy has played a large role in my internship is advocating for the
participants that come to the National Ability Center. Many times, participants benefit
 from staff advocating for them to other staff, other participants, or even family
members. I have specifically advocated for participants by helping them voice their
needs when they are not able to in that moment, or if their needs are not being met
even if they are voicing their needs. I have learned that people with disabilities have to
advocate for themselves a lot more than I realized before this internship experience. I
have learned how to be an aid to them in their own self-advocacy while also, in some
scenarios, being the advocate for them. Along with advocating for needs, I have learned
that one of the biggest things individuals with disabilities have to advocate for is
independence and autonomy of choice. The participants I have worked with this
summer are all amazing individuals who are capable of so much, but sometimes simple
freedoms of choice are taken away from them because of their disability. The National
Ability Center values independence, resiliency, and self-confidence, and helping
individuals of all abilities accomplish their goals in these areas.
Along with advocacy for people with disabilities, recreational therapy, and the National
Ability Center as a whole, I have also learned a lot about self-advocacy in the workplace
throughout my internship experience. This does not mean self-promotion or getting
exactly what I want all the time, but instead it means asking for help when I need it and
seizing the opportunities to learn what I want to learn during my internship. For
example, I am a questions-asker hard core. I like to be very clear on my role, what the
goal is, and what I need to do to get the job done. I had to advocate for myself this
summer by requesting extra help sometimes when I was unsure how to do something
and asking for feedback in areas that I can improve. I also learned a lot about advocating
for my educational needs to my supervisor; I did this by telling my supervisor which
populations of people I was interested in learning more about and asking if I could be
scheduled for programs in a way that helped me reach those specific goals.

4. Please complete a professionally written reflection of your internship experience: In

your professional portfolio you are asked to include a professionally written reflection of
your internship experience. This reflection should be an overview of your internship and
what you have learned. The goal of this reflection is to provide potential future
employers a snapshot of your internship, your work ethic, and your newfound abilities
as a Recreational Therapist. This should be professionally written and be between 450-
550 words.

My internship at the National Ability Center has been an extremely beneficial

experience for me and has positively affected both my personal life and professional
development. Throughout my time there, I was given opportunities to serve participants
in many programs. Some of these programs were cycling, mountain biking, paddle
sports, water sports, day camps, archery, challenge course, indoor/outdoor climbing,
equestrian, team building, overnight camps, military/veteran groups, Park City Adult
Lifelong Learning (PCALL) for adults with disabilities, and Summit Challenge event
planning. Some of the most challenging programs were the most fulfilling experiences
and rich with learning. I was blown away by the extensiveness of the programs the
National Ability Center offers to participants, and the inclusivity they provide in each
one as well. I grew tremendously in my passion for adaptive recreation, mainly through
the cycling, mountain biking, archery, climbing, and challenge course programs. I loved
seeing how making seemingly small adaptations for individuals that give them the ability
to participate in these activities can greatly impact their lives and help them reach their
goals. The reason the National Ability Center is so successful and impactful for people is
because they put the individual first always. I loved watching people come back week
after week to experience the programs over and over again and experiencing the same
positive results each time.
I learned so much at the National Ability Center about building relationships with many
different people, how to communicate well professionally and casually, and how to best
help individuals reach their goals through recreation. I also learned so much about
safety when it comes to adaptive programs, how to facilitate a group program, and how
to build lasting relationships with individual participants who come to multiple sessions.
I learned how important it is to advocate for recreational therapy as a profession, the
National Ability Center as a place for individuals to be empowered and supported,
participants with varying levels of abilities, and myself as a young professional in this
field. These skills are ones that will last through my professional career, but also in my
personal life as well. My internship has also taught me the importance of continual
learning and growth as there are many skills I have yet to develop and things I have yet
to learn about people with disabilities.
I am excited to use what I have learned at the National Ability Center in future adaptive
recreation and adaptive sports settings. Being an intern at the NAC also gave me an
opportunity to gain insight on how a non-profit facility runs and the innerworkings of
the organization. My intern project was focused on large-scale event planning on a team
of many other professionals at the NAC to put on the annual Summit Challenge bike ride
event. This event provides opportunities for bikers of all abilities and strengths to
participate in one of 5 different ride lengths, and is an event that creates many
opportunities for networking and advocacy in the adaptive rec world and biking culture
in Park City. Working on this helped me see the importance of professional team work,
how different skill-sets can work together to accomplish a large goal, and the impact
that an event like Summit Challenge has on the participants that are a part of it.