The
Family and Human Service program has changed my life in many ways over the last
two years. I have learned very important professional skill that I will continue
to utilize, as well as develop the skills that I already possessed. It is
because of this that I have been able to develop other ways to help the
community outside of the internship environment that FHS has provided. Before I
explain in what way I have been about to contribute to the community I will
discuss the skills that the Family and Human Service program has helped me
develop.
One
of the first skills that I was able to learn through my internship with EC
Cares was clinical observation. I was taught how to record data on a
qualitative scale regarding an individual student’s ability to complete various
fine motor activities. Working with children with Autism was not a new
experience for me because my brother has Autism and I have volunteered many
summers at the Autism Summer camp back where I live in Illinois. My internship
at EC Cares though brought me into the world of assessment and observation in a
way that was not superficial. I felt a strong sense of purpose as I recorded
the positive results of a child who was developing fine motor skills that they
would continue to use for the rest of their life. The observation skills that I
learned at EC Cares complemented my work with the Amazon Community Center as a
preschool teacher’s assistant.
While
working at the Amazon Community Center I was able to learn even more
professional skills. The most notable include conflict resolution, redirecting
problem behavior and facilitating group dynamics and curriculum. I worked in
two classrooms, one for children 2 ½ – 4 years old and the other was a classroom for children 3-5
year olds. Both classrooms presented their own challenges but the consistent
problems in both classrooms involved in inappropriate touching such as pushing
or hitting and refusal behaviors. The former would also in many cases result in
children becoming emotional. When that occurred it required additional skills
in understanding how to react and console the child. Both of the teachers that
I worked under provided me with the techniques to handle any situation that
erupted in the classroom. Simple techniques on redirection helped prevent
escalating conflicts between students as well as the use of specifically worded
phrases made refusal behavior decrease significantly. While the last two
internships provided professional skills that can be used on a face-to-face
basis with the client, my third internship with the Trauma Healing Project
incorporated essential administrative skills.
My work
with the Trauma Healing Project (THP) mainly consisted of administrative duties
that included using website design software to update their agency website,
transcribe interviews from past events THP hosted and filing. The most
significant project that I was part of was coordinating a class on active
listening for Veterans and community members. This required a certain amount of
advertisement within the veteran community. In order to promote the event I
attended interagency meetings one a month at the Federal building downtown. The
agencies that attended included both federal and non-profit veteran
organizations. I was able to network with several board members which resulted
in them sending a mass email about THP’s event to all the members within their
agency and sister agencies. The active listening class was a huge success with
over fifty people attending which included veterans and civilians alike. It was
because of these meetings and the turnout of the event that I learned how
influential and vital interagency collaboration was for the success of programs
or events. I would use this knowledge to bring attention to an extracurricular
fundraiser. Before I discuss that event I would like to elaborate on the skills
I brought with me to the FHS program and internships.
One of my
most amiable qualities that I have is my interpersonal tact. I work very well
in group environments and am not bashful in the least bit with sharing my views
about a topic or asking others about their interpretation on various subjects.
I have always been at ease when addressing groups or speaking in front of
people which I believe that is a marketable skill to hold. My ability to
converse also extends to the ability to provide appropriate feedback to the
person speaking to me both verbally or non-verbally. I know these skills will
prove useful if my aspirations to become a counselor come to fruition. Another
strength I know that I have is my willingness to go beyond my confront zone.
The
discipline to accomplish the mission is a mindset that many would attribute to
my experience with the Army. In actuality I see no reason why this concept
should too apply to human services. Professionals in human service jobs
constantly place themselves in emotionally challenging situations in order to
improve the wellness of their client or a group. What this means to me is that
I’m willing to enter into situations, conversations, and tasks that make me uncomfortable.
If it meets the end state of assisting the client than it is worth it. This has
in terms before translated to staying up all night to work on program outlines,
reviewing behavioral forms and printing pamphlets. I have arrived early and
stayed longer than expected to make sure the agency’s needs are met. This is
not a matter of providing more than is required but having the mindset to do
more than is asked of you to accomplish the mission of serving others. I have
demonstrated this to my supervisors and will maintain this attitude through my
social work career. The skills learned from my internships and my own intrinsic
characteristics enabled me to help the families of veterans in a wonderful
way.
The
Wounded Warrior Run was a 5K run or walk in which all the proceeds were sent to
the Fisher House Foundation. It was hosted by the U of O Army ROTC, which I
helped plan as a member of the cadet activities committee. The Fisher House
foundation builds houses on post or near VA hospitals for family members to
live so they can live closer to their loved ones. Much of the success of that
fundraiser dealt with the advertising. I was able to reach my contacts in the
veteran community that I established while interning at THP. I also enlisted
the help of a U of O senate member. He had access to a mass email list that would
send a flyer of the event to every intermural and fraternity/sorority. The
massive amount of advertisement brought more than a hundred participants to the
race. The participants enjoyed the event and received prizes and an event
t-shirt. The race raised over a thousand dollars to Fisher House. I know that
the success of the event can be attributed to all who were involved but feel
that the diversity of the participants who came demonstrated the effectiveness
on my coordination with multiple points of contact.
I have
grown professionally and learned from my work experience over the past two
years to be unequivocally certain of my potential as a human service worker. I
have learned how to provide clinical observations, prevent conflicts and
redirect refusal behaviors and coordinate events by making contacts within
similar agencies. My use of active listening and personal comfort in talking to
both individuals and large groups will help me to share my objectives with
those who can help me realize them. My confidence and willingness to work more
fervently will set me apart from others in my field. I
have demonstrated that I can work outside the recorded channels of FHS to give
back to those who have given so much and will continue to do so wherever my
career takes me.
