Our interns in Family Services helps families in crises, offering counseling and therapy, and making sure immigrant families are being supported.

Christie is working on her master’s program at Northeastern University in counseling psychology. She started at BCNC last year in January for her practicum and internship. Christie puts her counseling skills to work for individual clients and groups like the Strengthen Families group and youth group.

Last year, she worked with parents in the Strengthening Families group, and this year she’s working with children. Christie formed a group therapy for the youths. Through group therapy, youths can explore together what it means to be a Chinese immigrant in high school. They covered topics like family values, gender roles, sexuality, and coping skills.

At BCNC, Christie says she has the unique opportunity to conduct therapy in both English and Chinese. Her clients’ cultural differences from the prescribed method of conducting therapy requires her to adjust her therapy. Christie is glad to have this opportunity to enrich her work and help immigrant children, youth, and families.

Constance is a graduate student at Lesley University studying clinical mental health counseling and expressive arts therapy. She integrates different art forms—such as drawing, music, and writing—with therapy and counseling, depending on her client. Currently, Constance works with Acorn preschool children, who are around 18 months to 6 years old. She works with individual children and as a group, helping them improve their language, emotional, and social skills. Constance says, “I love working with Acorn children because they’re cute and I know they’ll be pillars of society in the future.”

In addition to working with Acorn children, Constance takes on individual clients, such as families with children who have autism or intellectual disabilities. She also prepares workshops on child safety, educating parents and guardians about ways to keep children safe and covering topics on human trafficking. She facilitated a workshop where children and parents played games together to strengthen their bonds. Constance shows that there is research that children are less likely to abuse substances later in life if they have stronger bonds with their parents. Constance utilizes her skills to strengthen families at BCNC.