PSY Internship Spotlight with Hanna Kemenah
July 3, 2025 - Shelly DeJong
Meet Hanna Kemenah, a fourth-year student pursuing a B.S. in Psychology at Michigan State University. This summer, Hanna is interning at Health Quest Physical Therapy in both Oxford and Waterford Townships. Health Quest is a physical therapy recreation center which helps patients prevent and rehabilitate after surgery, as well as assist those with gait and balance issues get back to their normal functional movement.
Get to know Hanna, how this internship applies to her future goals, and what advice she has for others looking for internships in this Q&A.
What kind of things are you doing at this internship? What are you enjoying the most so far?
At this internship, I am considered an exercise specialist, a physical therapists' right-hand man. I do a variety of things, including assisting the therapists in taking patients through an exercise rehabilitation program, auditing charts and conducting patient progress forms, helping keep the clinic clean and tidy, and working with a team of other exercise specialists to ensure a comforting and welcoming environment.
One thing I generally enjoy at my internship is seeing the patients progress throughout their time being at therapy. From seeing the mental progress as pain goes away to the physical progress as they get back to normal function, it is a very cool process to watch!
How has your psychology background/education prepared you for this internship?
My psychology background has prepared me for this internship in terms of patient responses. I have learned to be very patient with many different people as they navigate through their pain. A lot of patients are in great physical pain, so they may be a little ruder or upset compared to those that have been doing PT for a while and are almost pain free. I also have noticed how much younger athletes’ mentality changes from feeling down and not like themselves at their first visit to progressing through their program and getting back to normal function or even being able to play their sport! I really like watching the progress of these patients and being able to study how they become themselves again after becoming pain free!
Do you have advice for others looking for an internship?
My advice for others looking for internships is to truly look for something that is on your path for the future, even if it isn’t the exact job that you may want in the future! I saw working in a physical therapy office as a good place to start, considering my future plans is to study sports psychology. Working in a physical therapy office is exposing me to the mental fight that injuries and pain bring to a person, which can help me understand how to help athletes through the hardships of injuries, not being able to play their sport, or overcoming fears associated with continuing their sport after an injury.
Another piece of advice that I would give others looking for an internship is to not be afraid of reaching out to others! You never know what connections a person may have, or what knowledge they may have of internships that someone can offer!
You mentioned wanting to study sports psychology. What are your hopes for the future?
My hope for the future is that I will be able to understand how the mind interacts with injuries and pain in the body. We already have a mind-body connection for simple, everyday tasks and activities, but how does this connection change when an injury occurs? Regardless of the age or physical abilities of a person (athlete or not), I want to be able to help others through their mental struggles when they get injured and cannot function normally during their everyday activities.