Putting Science and Theory to Practice through the DDD Internship Program

ASU intern Amber Sikes-Larsen (left) and DDD field instructor Monica Ochoa enjoy a moment outside of the DES East Valley Office in Chandler.

Amber, Elissa and Monica are Arizona State University (ASU) students who will graduate in May 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. In preparation for their future, the three seniors are participating in the DES Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) Social Work Internship Program.

Barb Picone, Program Manager with the DDD Office of Individual and Family Affairs (OIFA), and a former DDD intern herself, oversees the DDD Social Work Internship Program. Interns are paid for their time and gain hands-on experience by “working in the field” alongside veteran DDD case managers. “It’s a really good program,” said Barb. “We try to match the student to where they live.” In 2021-22, DDD was able to accommodate students in the East and West Valleys of Phoenix, and in Tucson. Anyone pursuing a social work degree from an accredited school may apply for the DDD internship program to follow (“shadow”) and assist professional case managers as they serve DDD members and families.

Elissa Vasquez

DDD Support Coordinator, Jennifer Richins (left) and ASU intern, Elissa Vasquez, meet up on Elissa’s day off at a Peoria park.

Elissa Vasquez discovered the DDD Social Work Internship Program by scrolling through ASU’s database of available internship opportunities. “I was looking at things that were close by and I was applying,” said Elissa. “DDD was actually one of the places that I applied to.”

During her four-year stint in the U.S. Army, Elissa had an issue and consulted with a social worker there. “I really liked how she helped,” said Elissa. “It made me see things I didn’t consider. [My experience with her] helped push me toward that route [of pursuing a career in the social work field]. My husband is in the military and I need a job that would transfer to wherever he went. Social work is such a broad encounter that I wasn’t worried that I’d have an issue with that.”

Jennifer Richins is a DDD Case Manager who is offering guidance to Elissa, “Right now, Elissa’s been helping me get ready for meetings, helping getting the documents prepped on what we’re going to go over in a meeting. So the next steps will be to have her actually doing some of that interaction herself.”

As for her DDD internship experience, Elissa exclaimed, “I feel like I’m already on the team! I haven’t been excluded from anything. Compared to when I talk with other students and they talk about their internships, they always say, we feel like interns, we know we’re interns. We’re not a part of everything that everybody else is. And that’s one thing with DDD; I haven’t been excluded from anything. I feel like I am part of the team, I’m not just an intern.”

Amber Sikes-Larsen

Amber Sikes-Larsen learned about the DDD Social Work Internship Program through her academic advisor. “There were different programs we were looking at and [the advisor] actually used to work for the State,” said Amber. “I want something like that; I want to help other people in their communities.”

Her advisor knew Amber had personal experience with the foster care system, people living in group homes, and children with special-needs so she suggested the DDD Social Work Internship Program. “OK,” remarked Amber, “I was sold at that point in time. I signed up to do it, came in and it’s been the most welcoming experience I’ve ever done in my life. They just make you feel like family. They’re a very tight-knit community and everyone’s so open and welcoming.”

Amber Sikes-Larsen (left) and DDD field instructor, Monica Ochoa, share a common bond in serving Arizonans with developmental disabilities.

The ASU Social Work bachelor’s degree program requires students to reach certain proficiencies. Amber explains, “My Social Work degree has a whole list of competencies we have to do before we can graduate. Each week, I work on two different competencies and sit in on meetings.” She also meets with different Support Coordinators to find out how their job differs, then compare and contrast the members they serve, depending on their level of services. “It’s been nice to see the different departments. If you did decide to apply for a job, you’re not just like, ‘Oh, I can only do this’-- there’s a whole array of things you can go into. So it’s really, really been a lot of fun.”

Amber’s DDD field instructor is Monica Ochoa. Oachoa provided training to Amber and received an education by Amber in return. How? Because Amber asks ‘why do we do this?’ questions. These kinds of questions prompted Ochoa to probe deeper. “[The questions] put me to a point where I’m thinking, I’m learning and I’m growing. I think you get that with an intern. You get that questioning because they’re in school and they are learning and this is what they want to do. It makes you think again.”

In addition, Amber was able to quickly master the SimplyGov system as she transferred hundreds of documents from the old system to SimplyGov. “We needed to be at 100% by November of last year,” said Ochoa, “and we surpassed that. We were done before that, and I had 68 cases at the time. I couldn’t have done it without Amber.”

Monica Rivera

Monica Rivera attends ASU’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions and is participating in the DDD Social Work Internship Program in Tucson.

Monica Rivera, who has also had first-hand experience with the Arizona foster care system, said that her experience was life-changing. “The Child and Family Team meetings, working with case aides, attending court hearings – there’s a lot involved. A collaboration of organizations… This is amazing!” Overall, it was an inspiration.

While meeting with a foster care counselor about Monica’s nephew, the counselor remarked, “You’d make a good social worker, [the way] you advocate for your nephew.” The statement had a profound impact on Monica: “It inspired me, gave me an itch [and I thought] maybe I should go back to school.”

Monica attends ASU’s Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions in Tucson. She likes social work and the way DDD is “precise” and “strategic” in its person-centered approach to case management. “It’s been a learning experience.” As an intern, Monica gets to hear each case and help provide follow-up. She’s learned DDD’s Focus database system where case information is stored and kept up to date.

Nicole Abrams, who works with a DDD Behavior Health unit in Tucson, is guiding Monica Rivera through the Social Work Internship Program offered by DDD.

Guiding Monica is Nicole Abrams. Nicole heard about the internship program a few years ago during a statewide supervisors meeting when the internship program’s supervisor asked for volunteers. Nicole is a supervisor within a Behavioral Health unit, which handles more complex cases. “It’s faster paced and offers more involvement with other agencies and stakeholders.” In addition to shadowing Nicole, Monica will be working on a case study of a DDD member. Nicole’s team works with DDD members in Day Training programs as well as those who are living in group homes.

Like Amber and Elissa, Monica intends to return to ASU to pursue a Master’s degree in Social Work. Unlike her classmates, however, Monica wants to get a license to become a therapist for foster families. In the meantime, “I would love to continue working with DDD. Their system will better me.”