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Binta Cross is a TI intern.
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 How did you come to enroll at the Training Institute?
 I am in my last year at NYU's Graduate School of Social Work (will graduate in May '06) and had a strong desire to do my required internship in a clinical setting. My advisor suggested the Training Institute as a potential site for my placement. After my interview with John Scroope (Director of Clinical Services at TI), I made my decision to work at TI. I liked John's interview style, relaxed and informal, and felt immediately that TI would be a good fit for me. What most appealed to me was the strong supervisory component of the program, and the fact that I would be part of a community of other interns sharing similar clinical goals as myself.
What did you do professionally before you came to the Institute?
My first experience in a social work setting was several years ago when I volunteered as a crisis hot line counselor in Pennsylvania. This job piqued my interest in the field, and I majored in Psychology (minor in Women's Studies) at Mount Holyoke College. After graduating, I worked at the HUB Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility near Penn State University. It was a very eclectic position, as along with counseling and intakes, I also drove patients (primarily convicts referred to the center from jail) to AA meetings. Next, before enrolling in NYU's program, I worked for two years as a Family Preservation Therapist for Catholic Family Services in Danbury, CT.
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I also was always interested in psychology, and see a direct link between acting and what we do as therapists. Both professions require the ability to understand motivations.
What are your impressions of the Institute’s training program?
Although I have only been here a short while, I am very happy I chose TI. The supervision, which I expected, is incredible. The interns receive an hour and a half of clinical supervision per week, and an hour and a half of group supervision as well. Plus, along with other interns, I spend time at Cooper Union, conducting intakes and providing counseling to their students. This work means I receive another hour of clinical supervision at TI. This is quite meaningful to me.
Where do you call home?
I was raised in Ithaca, New York, but I now live in Wilton, CT. The commute on the metro north is not that difficult, as I am able to take all my classes at NYU on one day, spend three days at TI, and have one day to myself during the week to study and relax.
What are your plans after finishing the program?
I'm not sure yet, but I do plan on studying at an institute to earn a certificate in analysis. I also plan to study interpersonal and relational psychology so that I can incorporate that style in my practicing; the relationship between the therapist and client as well as issues of transference and countertransference interest me greatly. Finally, the practice of analytic psychotherapy with non-traditional patients is very exciting.
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