Meet Our Interns
Intern Training Program
Our training program began in 1992 with a therapist intern from the marriage and family therapy program of one of the top schools in the nation, Purdue Calumet. Our intern program has since expanded to include students from Adler University, Capella, and Purdue Calumet. The program is highly respected by the academic community.
The experience of counseling under the close supervision of an experienced clinician is the critical component of training. SCC created its internship program to play a role in developing the next generation of quality therapists. In addition, the supervision of talented, enthusiastic interns seems to re-energize the grizzled veterans of our staff. Supervision seems to sharpen our skills. Finally, therapist interns significantly extend our capacity to serve low-income people.
The uniqueness of the Samaritan ministry is our ability to integrate spirituality into our counseling with clients. We believe that faith can provide resources that aid the process of healing. Since most training programs ignore spirituality, the internship year at SCC often is an intern’s only opportunity to learn to integrate faith. It has become part of our mission.
Each intern completes the discipline of spiritual autobiography, which seeks to understand the role of faith in one’s personal history and in his/her call to a counseling ministry. Through supervision, interns are taught to address faith issues through the use of spiritual dialogues with clients. The intern also learns how the use of spiritual practices with clients can aid in their treatment. Finally, didactic sessions connect key spiritual concepts, such as forgiveness, to the counseling process.
Intern Bios
Currently, there are three interns in the program: Katie Mackoul,Cyndi Anderson, and Kathryn Jones.
Katie MacKoul is currently an intern therapist at the Samaritan Counseling Center. Katie is working towards a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL. She is currently seeing clients at the Spring Valley Center in Valparaiso, IN and works with families, couples and individuals. She has experience working with couples who want to improve their marriage and parenting skills, who struggle with substance abuse, and are open to discussing issues involving spirituality.
Cyndi Anderson, MFT intern, who is working towards her license in Indiana and has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Cyndi has the education of working with children, adults, couples, and families which focused on areas of anxiety, depression, parenting, life transitions, communication, children acting out, affairs, and cultural transitions.
Cyndi takes a Narrative approach where you tell your story partnered with a Solution Focused approach where exceptions to the problem are found and the strengths and resources you possess are discovered. She will work with you to resolve the issues of your life by examining and exploring those presented in session.
Kathryn Jones is seeking a master's degree at Purdue University Calumet in marriage and family therapy. She received her bachelor's degree from Purdue University in psychology. She has experience with individual, couple, and family therapy, as well as play therapy with children and group therapy for substance abuse issues.