During my 200-hour practicum at The Chestnut Hill School (CHS), I worked as a Math Specialist Assistant, supporting instruction in first-, third-, and sixth-grade math classrooms. At the same time, I collaborated with the school counselor to teach Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons to kindergarten students.

These two contrasting classroom environments allowed me to closely observe how children’s behaviors evolve both inside and outside the classroom at different developmental stages—offering a vivid, real-world reflection of the developmental theories we studied in class.

Throughout this experience, I cultivated a series of transferable skills, including building authority, demonstrating unconditional positive regard, and approaching students through a Montessori-inspired philosophy. These abilities have proven invaluable and will continue to serve me well as I move forward in the field of counseling psychology.

My two-month internship at Guanxin Lab offered me an in-depth understanding of the current landscape of the counseling industry in China, as well as a firsthand experience of what it is like to work within it from an organizational perspective.

I was assigned to the ADHD project team, where my primary responsibilities included assisting lead instructors in preparing for and conducting twice-weekly live training sessions, as well as recording demonstration videos that illustrated key movement techniques. I also collaborated with class advisors to analyze abnormal behavioral patterns among adolescent participants from a professional standpoint, using my academic background in child and adolescent mental health.

Additionally, I helped create presentation materials for product iteration reports, participated in the planning and preparation of new offline initiatives, and served as a note-taker during weekly cross-departmental meetings led by the company’s senior management.

These experiences not only strengthened my ability to adapt and function effectively in a corporate environment, but also deepened my understanding of the operational logic behind organizations in the psychological service industry.

My one-semester practicum at Samuel Adams Elementary School was my first experience working as a teaching assistant in a U.S. elementary school, and also my first opportunity to work with children on the autism spectrum. This experience was profoundly impactful, as it required me to adapt to a completely unfamiliar environment—both culturally and professionally.

I served as a teaching assistant in both the Music classroom and the ASD classroom, following the ASD class through its Thursday morning routine each week. Working closely with seven students positioned at different points along the spectrum prompted deep reflection on special education practices and gave me valuable opportunities to develop intervention techniques, which later became essential skills in my subsequent practicum experiences.