Translating Research into Real Life at 3C Family Services - with Ella Sharpe

Hello! My name is Ella Sharpe and I’m a Clinical Psychology Gil Intern at 3-C Family Services this semester. I’m a junior from Greensboro, North Carolina pursuing a B.S. in Psychology, a B.A. in English with a concentration in creative nonfiction writing, and a minor in Hispanic studies.

When I arrived at UNC, I wanted to pursue a Spanish major to become a teacher. However, during the first semester of my sophomore year, I took social psychology and fell in love with the field. I wanted to get more involved, so I applied to research labs. I started work as a research assistant in Dr. Bardone-Cone’s lab which studies body image and disordered eating during the spring semester of my sophomore year. During the following semester, I had the opportunity to conduct independent research on the influences of family systems on disordered eating and body image with this lab. I also started work in Dr. Abramowitz’s Anxiety lab researching relationship OCD and gained experience running participants in a psychological experiment this fall. Although I have loved my experience with the UNC Psychology department through courses and research, I wanted to see what I was learning in action. The Gil Internship provided me with this opportunity, and the experience has further solidified my choice to pursue a Clinical Psychology PhD.

At 3-C, Dr. Lori Schweickert, a psychiatrist specializing in children and adolescents, is my primary mentor. Dr. Schweickert has been warm and welcoming to me since our first e-meeting over Zoom. My primary responsibilities as an intern are shadowing, working with the providers on preparation and marketing for groups, and attending case conferences each week.

After filling out paperwork on my first day at 3-C, Dr. Schweickert gave me the opportunity to shadow an intake session and take notes. Seeing this session gave me an opportunity to get to know a family and observe how an experienced psychiatrist can get a full picture of the family environment to make appropriate recommendations. Since shadowing this session, I have had the opportunity to follow this family’s progress through therapy with other clinicians. This family now refers to me as the “note taker,” and like several other clients, has been very amenable to my shadowing. I was pleasantly surprised at how often I get to shadow clinicians in individual sessions. Shadowing has been one of the most rewarding parts of my experience thus far because I get to see what clinical psychologists in private practice get to do daily.

I am also assisting Dr. Meagan Padro with the development and marketing of a Be Body Positive therapy group curriculum for teens. Since I have a research background in body image and disordered eating, I knew I wanted to be involved in this project from my first conversation with Dr. Padro. Being a part of this process has given me valuable insight into what it’s like to start a new group in a private practice: it means constantly tailoring the program to suit the needs of the community and developing partnerships with other organizations in the community. During my work on this program, I have brainstormed with Dr. Padro about how to best reach community members. In dialogue with different groups in the community, we learned that the format of the group was too long to accommodate in teens and their parents’ busy schedules during the year, so we are working to develop community partners now that will help us launch a summer program. Throughout the process of tailoring the group, I have also had the opportunity to learn about the Be Body Positive project and their incredible work in eating disorder prevention.

               Another big part of my internship experience has been attending case conferences. Every Wednesday, I get to have lunch with the 3-C team at their Durham office. We gather around a big table while providers list their names and a number on the whiteboard, indicating that they have a situation to discuss and how long it may take. Often, these discussions are ethical dilemmas or current challenges in the workplace. In a family clinic, an example that has come up is a child who is not gaining anything from current therapeutic treatment, although the family is adamant that they be in therapy. These conferences also deal with general challenges that providers are experiencing in the workplace, such as dealing with current global issues. This spring, both clients and providers have experienced stress about the current political climate; it is a topic that arises frequently in sessions.  I have gotten the chance to witness these providers collaborate to make the best decisions they can for the clients and for themselves in these scenarios and many more. Hearing providers learn from each other has been incredibly beneficial to my own learning as an intern at 3-C this semester.

After graduating from UNC, I plan to gain a post-baccalaureate position in clinical psychology research and pursue a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Interning at 3-C has been an invaluable opportunity for me to learn about clinical psychology, psychiatry, and other related specialties from professionals. I would like to thank my mentors, Dr. Lori Schweickert and Dr. Meagan Padro, and all the other clinicians at 3-C who have made my internship a rewarding experience. I would also like to thank Dr. Steven Buzinski and Emily Dolegowski who make the Gil Internship program possible and work hard to ensure that we get the most out of this experience.