"My experience as a student on placement"

I recently completed a student placement at DrugARM Fairfield and I wanted to share my experience because it was so enriching! Overall I found the team run by the Program Leader to be supportive, dedicated, client-focused and generally a bunch of lovely like-minded people :)

This is a place of learning where you are supported and encouraged to be the best counsellor you can be and there was always an open door for support when needed. A lot of good therapeutic work gets done within the walls at the Fairfield site and this is just one way in which it can be shared with others.

If I was to provide any feedback, firstly, I feel that the issue of clinical supervision for the student and volunteers especially needs to be address by the organisation. There needs to be an open discussion about how to better support the needs of the workers who are dealing with complex psycho-social issues.

Secondly, I think the hours of business need to be rethought to cater for clients who work and have other commitments. Is it worth exploring weekend work or evening appointments? Also, group work is something that is viable and can cater to a larger group of people at one time, and is extremely valuable for clients to engage in sharing and learning from each other!

Overall, I would highly recommend this organisation for clients and prospective counsellors alike! I really appreciated the opportunity and I have walked away with some strong professional and personal relationships :)