Name: Alex Kohn

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placement: I will be working at Camp Pegasus, a therapeutic day camp for children with social and cognitive deficits. The camp serves boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 15, providing activities such as sports, computer lab, and outdoor exploration, as well as art therapy and music therapy social skills groups. As an art therapy intern, I hope to learn more about art therapy techniques, understand the relationship between an art therapist and his/her clients, as well as gain skills working with children with cognitive deficits.

What’s going on? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

This summer I am interning in one of the art therapy rooms at Camp Pegasus. I am having a wonderful experience learning about art therapy techniques as well as social coaching and other specific approaches for working with children of this population.

Throughout the summer I have been creating many social connections—with campers and staff—and I love both aspects of this experience. Art has been a meaningful way to connect with each child individually. It is wonderful seeing how each child expresses him or herself through creating art. During art sessions, I am able understand each child on a personal level. It amazes me that as I get to know each camper better, I am able to recognize which piece of artwork belongs to which child. Additionally, connecting to staff has been very beneficial to my experience. I am under direct supervision of an art therapist and frequently meet with the other art therapist and intern who work in the other art room. A couple of times a week we meet with bunk counselors to talk about children’s individual needs and the overall group dynamics. One of my favorite parts of camp is a weekly meeting with the clinical team (the art therapists, music therapists, interns, and clinical director). In this setting we discuss what is working well for the campers or what isn’t going so well, the dynamics of each bunk and advice to be passed along to counselors and other staff working with certain children who may have very specific needs.

We are now halfway through the summer and I am excited for what is to come in the next four weeks of camp. As this internship is combining what I am most passionate about—making art and working with children—I am enjoying the daily learning experiences I am presented with. This work is so meaningful to me, and while I may not have the chance to fully see the long-term effects of our work with these children, this internship has opened my eyes to the small daily accomplishments and successes that build upon one another, making a huge difference in these children’s lives.