Why college and university counseling and social work interns value their internships at Habit OPCO Colleges and universities who provide advanced degrees in counseling, social work and related areas often seek clinical environments in which their students can apply and practice what they learn during their academic training. A number of Habit OPCO's program sites offer internships rich with challenges and experiential learning to the students of prominent local colleges and universities in clinical counseling roles. We asked some of our current interns, as well as those who have joined us full-time following graduation, to comment on the value of their internship experience and how effective it was in helping them achieve their short-term career goals. Here's what they said:
1.	Invaluable opportunity for real clinical practice with my own caseload to apply what I learned in the classroom. I also learned new information and approaches. and was able to co-lead a patient group during my internship.
2.	The internship is a great way to learn about collaborating with other professionals and agencies through actual experience; e.g., with nurses, physicians, probation officers, other healthcare providers, DSS, among others.
3.	This internship taught me how to become self sufficient in working with patients while having backup supervision and support available as needed.
4.	Internship promoted a great sense of independence as a clinician.
5.	Learned a lot about the field of addictions, working with this particular patient population, many of whom have co-occurring disorders.
6.	I am grateful for the opportunity to work here, and appreciate being hired following my internship. The internship also enabled me to progress from a partial to a full patient caseload much more easily.
7.	My internship provided an introduction to a unique population of patients, and I've learned more about ethics and core values than I could have otherwise learned in any other field placement.