“It’s nearly impossible not to feel the Spirit of the Lord as you sit with someone in their deepest pains, sorrows, and confusion [and] try to offer help, comfort, and hope,” says Elizabeth Nga Byers (MSW ’24).
Byers worked as a clinical therapist intern for 10 months at Family Services in Provo, where she had opportunities to treat individuals and couples, give presentations, and facilitate group therapy. She especially loved group therapy sessions because they allowed her to help several people at once and watch them help each other.
As a therapist intern, Byers directly applied skills and concepts from her classes into her practice. “It was not uncommon at all for me to learn a new skill or a new idea and immediately use it the next day or even the same day with a client,” Byers recalls.
She worked with adolescents, adults, and couples from all backgrounds and with diverse strengths. She recounts a particularly meaningful session with a client who was working on setting boundaries and taking care of herself. From the beginning, the client requested a gospel focus for her sessions. “In one moment of discussion,” says Byers, “it came to my mind to bring up how the Savior set boundaries and to use the Savior as an example, which is not a thought I had before. We broke down [an] example together and it resonated with her so much.”
The internship wasn’t Byers’s only experience with inspiring learning. Under the mentorship of Steven Hoffman, a BYU professor of social work, Byers explored the complexities that surround suicide stigma for Latino children and caregivers. She hoped the research would help her and others to provide the most effective mental health support possible.
Byers presented her research at the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference and received funding to travel to Washington, DC, to present at the Society of Social Work Research Annual Conference. She reports, “As scary and intimidating as the idea of presenting academic research was to me, I loved every moment of it and discovered strengths and interests I never knew I had.”
Byers’s experiences gave her competitive advantages that were invaluable during her post-graduation job search: she now enjoys a fulfilling role as a development counselor at Development Counseling Services for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, working with individuals across Oregon.
