Personal Narrative: A Career As A Social Worker

An experience that I will make me an effective social worker is volunteering at York County Children’s Advocacy Center (YCAC). The YCAC’s main focus is to assure that victims of child abuse are not re-victimized by systems who are supposed to protect them. In the center they have a group of team members who receive referrals from agencies such as Children and Youth to conduct forensic interviews and medical examination as needed. The center also provides Pet therapy for the children who come in for interviews. The Pet (Dog) helps the children feel more secure and comfortable while waiting to be interview. Prior to volunteering at YCAC I never had the experience of working so closely with victims of child abuse, sexual abuse or even abuse at schools. Most of my experiences were interacting with children at my church doing fun activities, reading, playing and simply having fun.
At the YCAC it is a completely different experience some of the children are either very shy, they show fear or just very quiet. Although as volunteers we are not allowed to participate in the interview due to the confidentiality of the victims, we do get the chance to interact with the
children while they wait for their parent or guardian. During the times that I volunteered I had children who were very talkative and were willing to play as well as share stories that happened throughout the day; but I also had children who no matter what questions I asked or what games I offered for them to play they would not even give eye contact. Also, there were children from all cultures which provided me with understanding of cultural diversity. This was an eye opener for me because it made me realize that in order for me to be an effective social worker I must have the understanding of different cultures. Volunteering at the center was a great experience, and it made me realize that one day I might be able to be that person that can make that tiny difference in the life of someone else.
Life Experience that will make Social Work Practice Challenging.
Reflecting back on my childhood I recall a horrific experience my brother and I were expose to. At the age of six I live with my parents and brother in Puerto Rico; every day we went across the street to this house that was half way built and we played there for hours. One day my brother and I like usual went to play in this house and suddenly we heard the voice of my fathers’ best friend. We got very excited to see him because he was someone we truly care for and considered to be family. He greeted us like usual with a tight hug and telling us how much he missed us. We began to play hide and go seek with him and I remember having so much fun until things became weird. This man began to do things that were just not normal but because we were so naïve we didn’t think he was doing anything wrong.
Suddenly my father walks in the house looking for us and he is confronted with what his best friend was doing. I recall things getting so violently and I remember this man running from my father and my mother screaming for help. Although I felt that something was not right my brother and I were still very confused with everything that was going on. After years of it happening I tried talking to my brother about what had happened and till this day he will never express how he feels or if he even remembers the incident. If I were to take a wild guess I think he is just trying to erase it from his life completely; I on the other hand seek help and talked about what happened. It wasn’t until I actually spoke about it with someone that I truly understood what had happened.
This traumatic experience has left a mark in my life and overcoming it has been challenging for me. I think being expose to children who have had the same or similar experience will be challenging for me because it can take me back to that dark moment. Despite the challenges this field might bring I feel that my experiences will help me give the necessary help to both the victim and the family. Our life experiences are what helps guide us in the right direction and help us be successful.
Working Effectively with Populations at Risk
When deciding to work in the social work field we must keep in mind that there are populations which will make it difficult to do our jobs effectively.
It is up to the social worker to become aware of the different populations and the differences in cultures. Working in the hospital has provided me with the opportunity to associate with groups of different religions, race, ethnicities and gender. I’ve always been a person who doesn’t express her opinions to others due to the fear of making someone feel uncomfortable; but within me I always questions medical decisions that others make due to their religious belief. I never understood how someone can deny a service that will potentially save their family members life. This is all a cause of being ignorant to their beliefs and not taking the time to
understand.
The most difficult population at risk group that will be difficult for me to work with is Jehovah Witness (JW). I’ve learned that their beliefs for medical treatment is solely based on faith and procedures that do not involved receiving blood from another person. In the hospital where I currently work I have audited charts with patients who have refused to received blood due to what they believe. It can become difficult to understand why wouldn’t someone want to receive a chance at life. I’m a believer of faith but I also believe that medicine was created to help save lives.
In order for me to become more aware of the Jehovah Witness community and beliefs I have to take the initiative of doing more research. They get their beliefs the same way I get my belief and learning where it comes from will help me get a better understanding. Another thing I feel will be of great help to understand JW belief is attending one of their meetings; setting up a one on one meeting with a member and asking the questions that I have doubts in. As social workers despite the differences of others and how we feel we must gain knowledge in what others believe in order to work effectively. Many might feel that this field may be of confrontational times but when we take the time to understand others things become easier.