Translation in Social Services

September 19, 2016

Today, workers in social services are found in many different professional settings and assist populations of all types with different services to meet basic needs including mental wellbeing, food, housing, and basic safety.  As I am pursuing a Master of Social Work degree, I am volunteering in the field to support my career development.  Being able to fully understand the desires of numerous sectors of these populations is facilitated by being able to communicate with them in their own language.  Through volunteer experience, I have had the opportunity to assist clients in Spanish and translate calls from English into Hindi.  Applying linguistic skills is an exciting part of developing my career!

Gratitude

November 28, 2015

All of us experience anxiety and insecurity in some form from time to time.  It could be worrying over what turns life will take in the future or dreaming of being like that someone who seems to have it all.  Worry does help us to push ourselves to monitor our behavior and plan for the future, but it also brings unpleasant feelings that often never materialize nor render any benefit.

Although there is always someone doing better than us, there is also always someone who does not have what we take for granted.  Having the experience of not having something that most people take for granted will teach you to be grateful - most importantly, grateful just to be alive, well, and here today.

So I encourage everyone to take a moment, every so often, and be grateful for as many things as you can think of.  Being grateful is also being happy!

Hoarding: Clutter, Clients, Families – and Healing

September 21, 2015

The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers prescribes that “[t]he primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.”  Social workers specialize in a wide variety of different populations and social situations.  As I work through my Master’s of Social Work, a particular oppressed population in need of empowerment that I identified to work with are compulsive hoarders.

Compulsive hoarding is a pattern of behavior that is characterized by excessive acquisition and an inability to discard large quantities of objects that inhibits basic function in living quarters.  Some hoarders even hoard animals!  Hoarding can place the hoarder and cohabitants at risk of injury, fires, sanitation hazards, health concerns and prohibit basic activities like cooking, cleaning, sleeping, and moving through different parts of the residence.

Popular reality shows have dramatized cases, as shown on A&E’s “Hoarders” and TLC’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive.”  Roughly 3-5% of the American population is affected by hoarding disorder.  Hoarders need to be understood on unique levels as solely relying on mass cleanouts can lead to a residence becoming re-hoarded or dangerous, frustrated reactions from the hoarder.  From focusing on clutter, hoarding clients, and their families – hoarding will be a challenging yet intriguing field to tackle professionally, as all are moved towards healing.  

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