College students interested in clinical psychology are faced with a very difficult task. Most of these students are interested in gaining hands-on experience with psychotherapy and other clinical treatments. However, given the need for maintaining a patient’s privacy, these opportunities are hard to come by. The undergraduate internship at the CBT/DBT Center has given me the opportunity to learn so much about clinical psychology and I will be forever grateful for the mentorship, guidance, and understanding of the therapeutic process I received. However, above all else, I’ve come to learn and appreciate how crucial cultural sensitivity is when treating patients.
The CBT/DBT Center is a psychology practice with the mission of delivering evidence-based treatments, destigmatizing mental health, and providing psychoeducation within the Jewish community. As part of my internship, I participated in the practice’s DBT consultation team, where clinicians discussed patient conceptualizations and therapeutic alliances. Frequently, clinicians could empathize with their patients' experiences, as they understood their patients’ context. I was able to learn about how clinicians navigate and help each of their patients with sensitivity and care, all while implementing effective, evidence based treatments.
I also participated in the weekly DBT skills training for therapists group, where I learned about the various DBT modules and skills. The DBT skills training group was incredibly interesting for me, since I was able to learn about the techniques therapists used and was able to ask questions which refined understanding of DBT therapy.
In addition to these team meetings, I was tasked to write a weekly mindfulness column for the newsletter of an all-girls middle school (Bnos Malka), which discussed topics such as brain structures involved in emotional regulation as well as mindful eating. I tried to make the topic of mindfulness feel more relatable for these students by explaining how Jewish practices, such as making Brachot before and after eating meals, can actually be mindful practices.
It was also very meaningful to attend the NEFESH conference. This event, organized by the International Network of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals, brought together an incredible community dedicated to advancing mental health within the Jewish community. It was truly such an honor to attend such a unique conference and to learn from the researchers and clinicians in attendance. I was able to present a poster our team put together, which looked at potential cultural adaptations to DBT, DBT-A, and DBT-C for the Orthodox Jewish community. Excitingly, our poster was actually given first place in the poster competition. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a meaningful dialogue.
The CBT/DBT Center’s focus on delivering culturally sensitive treatments within the Jewish community highlighted just how important cultural sensitivity is for effective treatment across all culturally and religiously diverse communities. I now recognize that cultural sensitivity must be at the foundation of treatment in order to form trusting partnerships between clinicians, patients, their families, and communities. I hope to bring the knowledge and sensitivity I gained as I continue my studies and one day hopefully become a clinician as well.
I would like to thank Dr. Sarah Green, Dr. Chaya Lieba Kobernick, and the rest of the team at the DBT/CBT Center. Your mentorship, guidance, support, and willingness to answer all of my questions has been so appreciated. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from such thoughtful, kind, and warm people. I will truly always be grateful for this experience!