Hannah Cherry is a current graduate student at the University of Maryland Baltimore. Recently, she spent several months at Maryland Addiction Recovery Center completing her fellowship, under the supervision of MARC Family Therapist Arielle Seidler, LCSW-C. This is a firsthand account of Hannah’s fellowship experience.
“My name is Hannah Cherry, and I am a graduate student at the University of Maryland Baltimore. I will be graduating this summer and entering into the profession as a licensed social worker. I was placed at MARC due to a specific fellowship I was accepted into while I made my way through the graduate program; it was called the Behavioral Health Workforce Integration Service and Education Substance Use Disorder Workforce Expansion Fellowship. I plan to pursue work in the field of addiction and recovery, hopefully working within an organization that simulates the MARC environment.
In reflecting on my experience at Maryland Addiction Recovery Center, I recognize the undeniable role it played in not only my professional, but personal development. I think as a graduate student, we all enter our placements hoping we fall in love with the clinical area of study we are placed at in order to find our niche within the profession. I came to realize that my experience at MARC was a true honor that I did not even realize I was walking into. After watching the skill that was executed by the clinical staff day in and day out, I noticed that I was learning from an incredibly skilled and cohesive clinical team. I was able to see a variance of therapeutic approaches work together in a way that added to the strength of the clinicians and program. The competency and sharpness of the team allowed me to grow radically as a professional over just 8 months.
What I particularly benefited from as a student was learning from the family-centered treatment approach at MARC. When a therapist takes on a new client, they take on the family system as well. Within the breadth of that work, I saw authentic, sustainable change happen in families that elicited an entire shift of family dynamics. Patients and their families thought they were simply sending their children to MARC to treat a chemical addiction, however I watched entire family systems walk through parallel healing. The work seemed to heal so much more than substance use; it redefined how the families operated.
My final take-away from MARC is the authenticity that runs throughout the program. Whether it is staff or patients, each person is asked to show up every day and do the hard work. I learned that therapists, and interns, were no exception. I was challenged to really step into the present in order to identity my own personal areas of growth. Then, I had to do it! What? I have to do work too?!?! Well, simply put, the answer was a bold yes. I take from MARC a strong sense of gratitude and self-assuredness. My brilliant and well-respected supervisor, Arielle Seidler, LCSW-C, told me, “Nothing separates us from them. We have our work to do, and we cannot model that for them if we have not done it ourselves.” At MARC, I continued to learn that being a good social worker is not about knowing every single theory and intervention as much as it is knowing yourself and never giving up on personal development.
I attribute much of my clinical skill to the training I received at MARC. I received supervision and training that thoroughly equipped me to identify my weaknesses and turn them into opportunities for growth and authenticity. I can name no greater academic achievement than this, and MARC created the space for it to happen.
I cannot recommend this placement enough. Apart from my high levels of respect for this learning environment, I feel deep gratitude that I was welcomed onto the MARC team. I now know the weight that opportunity holds. Being an intern on such a cohesive and supportive team empowered me to learn and ask for help. I felt appreciated for who I was as a person and professional; that felt invaluable. I notice that I have written quite a bit, but I feel the length of this post speaks for my adoration for my time at MARC. I feel as though it set me apart from my peers and equipped me with the skills I needed to go forth into the profession with confidence. All the best to the next person who fills my shoes, you have earned this!”
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorder issues, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment in the Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (410) 773-0500 or email our team at info@marylandaddictionrecovery.com. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our web site at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.