Direct Service
I had very little work experience before I went to college, but I had enough to know that I wanted to be working directly with people. Although I have a somewhat introverted personality, I very much enjoy working with people directly. My first internship was indirect services, and as much as I enjoyed my time there, I did not feel as if I was contributing to the organization to the best of my ability because I was not able to work directly with students. My next two internships were spent doing direct service, and I felt more at home in both organizations. At Service Alternatives, I provided in-home care to developmentally disabled adults. At Squalicum High School, I assist AVID students in their college and FAFSA application process as well as provide academic and emotional support to GRADS students (teen mothers), AVID students, and others who entered the counseling office. It intimidated me to be working with people I did not know and with populations I had not encountered before, and I was worried about my lack of experience. What if I gave a client the wrong meds? What if a client had a seizure while I was in public with them and got injured? What was I supposed to do? How do I handle emotionally unstable teenagers? What if I accidently push a trigger that I wasn’t aware of? Luckily, Service Alternatives provided me with multiple in-depth trainings and allowed me to shadow other staff members so I could learn more about the clients and their routines before working one on one with them. Thanks to my supervisors and my fellow staff members at both placements, I was able to feel confident and adept in my internship. Although I was forced outside of my comfort zone in both of these internships, the experiences I had allowed me to grow immensely as a professional, and I feel more comfortable and confident when walking into new situations.
The most important thing I learned about working in direct services was when I was in Research Methods (HSP 385) and we covered human experimentation in research. We were told to complete the National Institute of Health’s Protecting Human Research Participants training, which was my first exposure to the rights that clients have and how important consent and full disclosure is in our relationships with clients. Even outside of research, it is important to know what rights clients have in order to protect them to our best ability. Knowing how to protect clients in a research setting helped me better advocate for my clients at Service Alternatives, because I knew what rights they had. I used the skills I learned to help talk my clients through doctor appointments when they were anxious about what was happening, I made sure they knew that they were able to decide what they did or did not do while also giving them all the information about the issue so they could make an informed decision, and I tried to show my clients respect at all times so they knew they could trust me with their wellbeing.
My first experience with direct service in this program was during my second quarter of Junior Core (HSP 303) when we were put into dyadic relationships and told to do a service learning project. My partner, Kiley, and I did not have any ideas initially, but we knew we wanted to incorporate three elements: kids, crafts, and substance abuse awareness. In previous years at Western Washington University, I had worked with Compass 2 Campus at Lynden Middle School. Knowing we wanted to work with kids, we turned to the director of Compass 2 Campus, Cyndie Shepard. Cyndie was available to help us brainstorm ideas and suggested placements for our project. Kiley and I decided to do an awareness and education project on drugs and alcohol. I called the teacher I had previously assisted at Lynden Middle School and she was happy to have us work in her classroom. Over the next few weeks, we developed a curriculum. Working with the young students was difficult because we were asking them questions that could be uncomfortable and possibly confidential. Talking to kids about substance abuse can be dangerous because we were asking them what they knew, if they had experienced substance abuse themselves or in their family, and other difficult questions. It was important for Kiley and I to reassure the students that what they said would be kept confidential between us, and that results of our discussion were only to be shared in an anonymous manner and only for the purpose of presenting our project to our instructor. After our discussion with the students, Kiley and I gave a short presentation about drugs and alcohol; we taught them about the laws surrounding substances and we talked to them about the affects they have on their body, especially as a developing young adult. The students then had a chance to ask questions before we moved on to the next activity. I was amazed at how excited the students were about the role-playing activity we had prepared for them, and they immediately got into their groups and got to work. We had awesome presentations, and we were excited about how well the students understood what we had told them. Kiley and I had also prepared a crafty project where we designed a poster and cut it into puzzle pieces. The students then had to decorate each piece of the poster however they wanted, while also writing what their dreams and goals were. After everyone was done, they were instructed to put to poster together using teamwork. Kiley and I were nervous about how everything might work, and I particularly was worried about being able to build relationships with the children quickly so they could get the most out of our activities. However, it seemed as though we were able to fully engage each student; this could easily be my most meaningful direct service experience because although it was a short interaction, I could tell that the students were excited for us to be there, and they actually learned what we were trying to teach them.
The most important thing I learned about working in direct services was when I was in Research Methods (HSP 385) and we covered human experimentation in research. We were told to complete the National Institute of Health’s Protecting Human Research Participants training, which was my first exposure to the rights that clients have and how important consent and full disclosure is in our relationships with clients. Even outside of research, it is important to know what rights clients have in order to protect them to our best ability. Knowing how to protect clients in a research setting helped me better advocate for my clients at Service Alternatives, because I knew what rights they had. I used the skills I learned to help talk my clients through doctor appointments when they were anxious about what was happening, I made sure they knew that they were able to decide what they did or did not do while also giving them all the information about the issue so they could make an informed decision, and I tried to show my clients respect at all times so they knew they could trust me with their wellbeing.
My first experience with direct service in this program was during my second quarter of Junior Core (HSP 303) when we were put into dyadic relationships and told to do a service learning project. My partner, Kiley, and I did not have any ideas initially, but we knew we wanted to incorporate three elements: kids, crafts, and substance abuse awareness. In previous years at Western Washington University, I had worked with Compass 2 Campus at Lynden Middle School. Knowing we wanted to work with kids, we turned to the director of Compass 2 Campus, Cyndie Shepard. Cyndie was available to help us brainstorm ideas and suggested placements for our project. Kiley and I decided to do an awareness and education project on drugs and alcohol. I called the teacher I had previously assisted at Lynden Middle School and she was happy to have us work in her classroom. Over the next few weeks, we developed a curriculum. Working with the young students was difficult because we were asking them questions that could be uncomfortable and possibly confidential. Talking to kids about substance abuse can be dangerous because we were asking them what they knew, if they had experienced substance abuse themselves or in their family, and other difficult questions. It was important for Kiley and I to reassure the students that what they said would be kept confidential between us, and that results of our discussion were only to be shared in an anonymous manner and only for the purpose of presenting our project to our instructor. After our discussion with the students, Kiley and I gave a short presentation about drugs and alcohol; we taught them about the laws surrounding substances and we talked to them about the affects they have on their body, especially as a developing young adult. The students then had a chance to ask questions before we moved on to the next activity. I was amazed at how excited the students were about the role-playing activity we had prepared for them, and they immediately got into their groups and got to work. We had awesome presentations, and we were excited about how well the students understood what we had told them. Kiley and I had also prepared a crafty project where we designed a poster and cut it into puzzle pieces. The students then had to decorate each piece of the poster however they wanted, while also writing what their dreams and goals were. After everyone was done, they were instructed to put to poster together using teamwork. Kiley and I were nervous about how everything might work, and I particularly was worried about being able to build relationships with the children quickly so they could get the most out of our activities. However, it seemed as though we were able to fully engage each student; this could easily be my most meaningful direct service experience because although it was a short interaction, I could tell that the students were excited for us to be there, and they actually learned what we were trying to teach them.
Every time I walk into a new direct service environment, I worry about how to interact with the clients, and anxiety takes over for a moment. Although I had experience with middle school students, I was still afraid walking into Squalicum High School (SqHS). I was all of a sudden transported back to my high school days, and it was hard for me to put aside my experiences in order to focus on what was in front of me. SqHS has been my most challenging internship so far, but it has also been my favorite by far. My supervisor is excellent at supporting me through everything I do, and I often shadow him in order to learn how to interact with different groups of students. The number one thing my supervisor at SqHS has taught me is to be confident and outgoing, the more you exude those qualities, the more students will want to interact with you and the better you are able to help them. Through my reflections in Internship and Seminar (HSP 440), I was able to reflect on my skills as my internship went along. Confidence was a difficult one for me, because I was not confident when I was in high school and working in a high school brought back those feelings. However, I have started coming out of my shell, and I can tell it’s making a difference to the students. I have had more students approach me, sometimes they just want to chat, but sometimes they want to make appointments to see me. I have had multiple students tell me how much they enjoy me being there and how much they appreciate me, and it really touches me. Through my experiences here, my supervisor and my students alike were able to teach me how important confidence is in direct services.
My experiences in the direct service field have taught me many things, but most of all I have been forced to focus highly on keeping work and home separate. That concept is one of the first we learn in Introduction to Human Services, and I knew immediately that it would be difficult for me. As someone who has always had a mothering attitude, it is difficult for me to separate my feelings from those of my clients. In the same respect, it was also difficult for me to avoid dual relationships when first entering my internships at Service Alternatives and Squalicum High School. I was so passionate about my work and cared so deeply for my clients that I wanted to do everything I could to help them out. However, I had to remember what we were taught in Clinical Interviewing. It is unethical and unhealthy for everyone involved to carry out dual relationships. It took a lot of concentration on my part, but I found that once I was able to remove personal and professional life, I was able to better serve my clients.
My experiences in the direct service field have taught me many things, but most of all I have been forced to focus highly on keeping work and home separate. That concept is one of the first we learn in Introduction to Human Services, and I knew immediately that it would be difficult for me. As someone who has always had a mothering attitude, it is difficult for me to separate my feelings from those of my clients. In the same respect, it was also difficult for me to avoid dual relationships when first entering my internships at Service Alternatives and Squalicum High School. I was so passionate about my work and cared so deeply for my clients that I wanted to do everything I could to help them out. However, I had to remember what we were taught in Clinical Interviewing. It is unethical and unhealthy for everyone involved to carry out dual relationships. It took a lot of concentration on my part, but I found that once I was able to remove personal and professional life, I was able to better serve my clients.