LiveOak Living Community offers internships to students

MARTINDALE — Students at Texas State University have the opportunity to participate in an internship program at LiveOak Living Community that will help them learn the daily care and support of individuals with cognitive disabilities.

In 2002, founder and CEO David Seaton started LiveOak because he wanted to create a supportive long-term living community where people can thrive, not just exist. The community does not focus on the diagnosis or disability of the person, but rather their unique self. LiveOak views itself as a community of possibilities, not a community of problems, where the people can feel supported with opportunities to develop the type of life they desire.

Through a partnership with The Seaton Foundation and Texas State University, the LiveOak Internship Program is an immersive program offered to college students interested in the field of cognitive disabilities and long-term care. Interns learn how to provide daily care and support to individuals with cognitive disabilities, such as mental illness, traumatic brain injury, intellectual/developmental disabilities and dementia. Interns are also encouraged to learn about the inner workings of assisted living communities and are invited to attend company meetings and training sessions.

Rachel Medina, executive director at LiveOak, has a bachelor’s in psychology and master’s in psychological research from Texas State University. When she was a senior about to graduate, she was contemplating what she wanted to do with her career and, as she was interested in mental health care, she was considering whether to go to a clinical program or research program with her degree in psychology.

Though she worked on her degree for four years, Medina never encountered anybody with a significant mental illness because she had never worked in the field. And that’s when her time and experience at LiveOak started.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIVEOAK
LiveOak Living Community interns Jourdyn Miller, left, and Emeleigh Cubine pose for a photo. The community, through a partnership with The Seaton Foundation and Texas State University, offers an internship program to give students who are interested in the field of cognitive disabilities and long-term care.[/caption]

Medina said that this internship program allows for students to fully immerse into the field and the company to figure out if this is what they want to do for their career.

“I started working with David Seaton, our CEO, and some of the professors that I knew at Texas State University to create an internship program there, so that future students could get to experience what it might be like to choose this career path before they have to make a decision on grad school,” Medina said. “I also think that this is an area that you'd have to be really passionate about. Mental health care is an extremely rewarding career path, but it takes somebody who has a real passion in this area because, like all jobs, it can be difficult when you're working with human beings. It's really important that the people who get involved in this as a career choice are truly invested in the people that they're going to be helping.”

No two internship experiences are alike, but some of the common denominators include shadowing direct-support professionals in providing support to the residents of the assisted living community, meeting with administrative staff to learn more about long-term care, attending staff meetings/trainings and leading clubs for residents to participate in.

LiveOak is heavily interested in the career development and growth of the interns, no matter if they decide to continue to work at the company following their internships or use the experience to bolster their resume and move on to graduate school.

“One of the issues that I've seen with the counseling program at Texas State is students aren't getting in because they don't have any experience in the field, but our staff are getting in because they have done the internship and maybe even they have accepted a job with us. It offers something extra that maybe a student who didn't do an internship with now has and they're able to talk about that in-depth,” Medina said. “We write lots of letters of recommendation, so we want our students to be successful and we are really intimately involved in their career development and growth. So, we will write letters of recommendation for students who do really well in the internship program and are interested in pursuing maybe counseling, psychiatry or social work at a master's or doctoral level.”

“As far as career development goes, if you're not interested in graduate school, and you're doing well here, we've been able to move a lot of students into supervisory roles pretty quickly. We have our director for the LiveOak Ranch who's been with us for a little over two years. She was an intern just like a little over two and a half years ago and she's moved out to one of the highest possible areas in our company very, very quickly, so she's been able to establish a really great career for herself in a relatively small amount of time,” Medina continued. “If somebody is looking for a company that will invest heavily in the interns and the staff that we have, LiveOak is a great option for that.”

Testimonials from interns

There have been several interns that have chosen to gain experience at LiveOak since the internship program started in 2013. Currently, there is a total of 15 interns placed at all three locations — LiveOak Ranch, LiveOak Apartment and SmithHouse — and there are eight who have signed up so far for the summer semester.

Some of the current interns have shared their thoughts and testimonials of the time they have spent at LiveOak.

• “This internship gave me more insight into what I want to do. Speaking with the residents about some of their habits prior to living here while learning about this in class affirms what I want to do,” said Lyla Keizer, a junior psychology intern. “Every time I leave here, I am happier than when I arrive.”

• “This internship program has impacted my goals in so many ways,” said Heidi Zalaya, a junior psychology intern. “I’ve built so many bonds and connections doing this that I can see myself working with this population.”

• “Personally, I’ve grown a lot here. There are so many things that I’ve gotten the opportunity to do. I like the way things are run here. I wish more places were like this. You all care about the residents’ wants and needs,” said Tahni Engelhardt, an exercise and sports science intern. “I feel so lucky that I found out about LiveOak and was able to do my internship here.”

• “I always thought I wanted to work with children who have disabilities, but now I like working with adults,” said Kaylie Kibe, a psychology intern. “It’s been a lot of fun. I love it. There is something new every day. I wasn’t expecting all the outings and I’ve been pleasantly surprised."

How to apply

The Seaton Foundation, which places the interns at LiveOak and provides funding, requires that every intern passes a background check, drug test and tuberculosis test. The foundation also follows the hours and requirements outlined by the professor teaching the course associated with the internship.

LiveOak offers the following internship programs through Texas State University:

• Psychology — Learning Community for Cognitive Disabilities: This opportunity is specifically designed to prepare students for a career in long-term care specializing in cognitive disabilities through education, training, research and internship opportunities during their junior and senior years. (Contact: Professor Dr. Krista Howard at [email protected])

• Healthcare Administration — Undergraduate Administration Field Placement: Interns will get experiences in providing opportunities for observation, participation and practical application of administrative or management skills. (Contact: Dr. Joseph Topinka at [email protected])

• Healthcare Administration — Graduate Administration Field Placement: This internship is a semester-long, full-time field experience, which provides a limited rotation and special projects. (Contact: Dr. Joseph Topinka at [email protected])

• Sociology — Applied Sociology Undergraduate Internship Program: This 300-hour internship program places students at assisted living programs and can be geared toward personal and professional goals. (Contact: Professor Dr. Tina Villareal at [email protected])

• Exercise and Sports Science — Health and Human Performance Undergraduate Internship: This is a 400-hour internship that focuses on promoting corporate fitness programs, performance training or managing fitness services.

• Professional Health Development — Health Education Internship: This is a 480-hour internship. Interns will complete a semester-long project applying public health and exercise sports science concepts to a community health setting. (Contact: Professor Dr. Jacquelyn D. McDonald at [email protected])

There is a summer internship that starts in June , which still have a few spots available, and a fall internship that starts at the beginning of the fall semester.

Prospective interns can contact the professor associated with the specific course/program they are interested in or contact Medina at [email protected] or 512-357-4023.