A counselling internship in rural schools with a research study on the parenting of adolescents in rural areas

Abstract

This internship report consists of two parts. The first part describes an internship completed in three rural schools on the Northern Peninsula in 1995. The intern spent half time at a high school and half time between two elementary schools. An outline is given of the many goals set by the intern and the activities she took part in to accomplish these goals. A detailed description of the intern's supervision and evaluation is also included. -- The second part of this report describes a research study of parenting of adolescents and parenting programs in rural areas, specifically, the need for and the effectiveness of the Active Parenting of Teens program in rural areas was studied. Structured interviews were used in the assessment of the program's suitability for a rural setting. -- The internship component provided the intern with an excellent opportunity for personal growth and professional development. The wide range of activities in which the intern participated enhanced her knowledge and skills in the field of school counselling. -- The research component provided the intern with the opportunity to gain valuable experience and an understanding of the challenges of parenting adolescents and the unique problems faced by parents in rural areas. It also provided the intern with ideas for her future work with parenting programs.