Cassie Stahlman is a 23 year old Rowan Alumni who graduated from our psychology program in 2013. At Rowan, she took Profession and Practice of Psychology she said, “it really prepared me for all of the options that I had. I wanted to be a therapist and I knew that I could only do this by getting my Master’s Degree.” So, after Rowan, she decided to attend Rutgers University to pursue her Masters degree in Social Work. What is she doing there? She’s changing lives. See why Cassie is our Campus Celebrity of the week!
What made you choose Rutgers?: I originally wanted to go to New York, but after paying out of state tuition, it would have cost three times as much than to stay in New Jersey. Rutger’s program is ranked in the top 20 in the United States and it’s only 15 minutes away from me. When I visited the school, it seemed like the perfect fit for graduate school.
Where is your current internship?: My current internship is at The Center for Therapy and Counseling in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
What do you do there?: I have my own caseload of ten clients that I see weekly. We talk about the struggles they are going through and go into much deeper issues that they are dealing with. I build a relationship with them and model what a healthy relationship should look like. Along with my clients, I conduct intakes. Before someone is assigned a therapist, they need to complete an intake, which consists of questions to get to know them and to be able to pair them with the best therapist.
Describe a typical “day in the life” of a graduate student/intern: My typical day would be to wake up 5 a.m. to go to the gym (self-care is SO important with such an emotional internship), then I go to class for 8:30 (each class is 2 hours and 40 minutes), then I get to my internship for 11:30 and stay there until about 9:30. While I am there I will see my clients, conduct intakes, and sometimes even work on homework if there is free time.
What has been your proudest moment at your internship?: The proudest moment of my internship is when I made a deep connection with an older man who just lost his wife. While I was conducting his intake I kept thinking that I have nothing in common with him. After the intake was done, he was crying and I didn’t want him to have to walk into the waiting room with watery eyes. I asked if he wanted to stay in the room for a little bit and he said yes. We ended up talking for a half hour and he told me numerous stories about his wife. After that, he left the room smiling instead of crying and I felt like we really connected.
You said on Facebook you feel like you’re changing someone’s life, how so?: I currently have a 20 year old client who has been making so much progress. While in session the other day she said to me, “You have no idea how much you have been helping me. I can see myself growing and I’m so excited that I get to work with you.” Being an intern, this meant so much to me because I am so new at this.
What is your ultimate life goal related to your career?: My ultimate goal is to have my own private practice. This will allow me to hire therapists that I think are going to be successful with helping people and will give me a chance to run my own business.
What do you plan to do after graduate school?: After graduate school, I will have to take an exam to get my Social Work license. This will allow me to work on my clinical hours under a supervisor. After I complete 1900 hours (about two years) then I take my clinical exam to get licensed to be a therapist. Once this is all done, I will be an LCSW and will be doing therapy.
After the interview was complete I asked her if she’d like to add anything else and she wanted to say that she thinks that there is a lot of negativity surrounding the topic of going to therapy and that “ people assume something is wrong with you if you go, when in reality, everyday people go.” She encourages people from all walks of life to go to therapy if it is something they feel they need. She says it can help you in ways you couldn’t have imagined!