Intern Program Growing At Center

By Kelly Garrison
Features Editor

Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) Executive Director Wendy Puzarne started her career in social work with an internship.

Less than a decade later, she was hired for her current position and now helps supervise that intern program, which today is one of the fastest growing parts of JFCS. Since her experience interning, Puzarne said, the program’s number of participants has more than doubled and has given many students the opportunity to develop invaluable career skills.

“There’s been some real development in our intern program,” she said. “We’ve gone from six to 14 interns, and we still have the capacity to grow. We provide training and a good variety of cases for people to learn from.”

At the time of her internship, the California State University, Long Beach, graduate was a working mother living in Seal Beach and studying social work. As a therapist intern, she counseled individuals, couples and children and recorded her thoughts about intervention treatment for each. Afterward, she would discuss her notes with her supervisor.

“I knew I’d learn a lot about counseling,” she said. “It was the kind of work I wanted, and the agency had an excellent reputation for providing great supervision... I had my first appointment in my first week there,” she said. “I was very scared to start with, but you jump right in and you gain confidence in your ability to do the work.”

After finishing her internship, Puzarne stayed on board as a volunteer. Shortly after, she transitioned to a part-time employee, then to a department chair and, ultimately, became the organization’s executive director. She also received her license as a clinical social worker.

“You have to work 3,000 hours in social work under supervision after getting your masters and take two exams,” she said. “It’s a tough process, but I love the people, the work and the process, and I like hearing about how we impact people’s lives.”

Loyola Marymount University graduate student Jill Ruby interns among 13 others at JFCS in Long Beach. Like Puzarne, she practiced her skills with clients under the supervision of experts at JFCS.

She said that the experience has allowed her to use her knowledge in art therapy to help people reflect on emotional issues that they may not have otherwise been able to face.

“It’s amazing, because you can access a lot more unconscious information through making art,” she said. “People look at what they made and find out what drives them to do what they do.”

Her clients range from preschool age to adult. Each creates art to deal with underlying emotional issues.

“I’ve been really challenged by the cases that they’ve given me,” she said. “It’s an amazingly supportive environment, because everyone’s available to discuss issues that come up. I have some really amazing clients, and we’ve made some great progress working together.”

Intern positions are unpaid volunteer work and are available in therapy and social work. Interns also are eligible to receive hours toward getting professional licenses.

The Jewish Family & Children’s Service is at 3801 E. Willow St. For information about the center and internship programs, call 427-7916 or visit www.jfcslongbeach.org.