Photo with field supervisors: Jennifer Droneck, LSW, Task Supervisor; Tarynn Anderson, MSW IV-E student; Jessica Nelson, LICSW, Field Supervisor

Tarynn blogs about interning in Child Protection in Wright County Child Protection.

My internship is at Wright County Human Services in Child Protection investigations. The investigators primary role is to investigate maltreatment allegations and work with families to promote and enhance child safety.

Every day at my internship, I have new experiences and volumes of information to learn and absorb. Often, I feel overwhelmed and not certain I will ever know all of the statutes and rules that encompass child protection. Surprisingly, every day I am excited for the challenge of child protection. 

It strikes me as odd that I spent years avoiding this field because I was certain I would not be able to handle it emotionally. Now that I am here, I am surprised I was afraid. Life has a way of bringing you full circle; I am thankful I have finally arrived at a place I feel I belong.I spent several years working in mental health, and while I enjoyed it, I never felt completely comfortable in the field. After a few short weeks in child protection, it feels right!

I have excellent supervisors that make me feel at ease and provide an environment that is safe to ask questions and share emotions. I am very thankful for this learning environment as this past week was a bit of a struggle: It was the first time I independently placed children in foster care.

As I was bringing the girls to foster care for the first time, I was thinking about the significance that this event would play on their entire lives. These girls will never forget this day. It is important that I do everything I can to make it a little less scary and painful.

I did my best to engage the girls in conversation: I asked them what music they liked, what was their favorite movie, etc. The girls were pleasant and nice but I realized they were only talking because I was engaging them. They did not want to talk in that moment, especially to the person who was removing them from their home. 

This moment was extremely powerful for me. I was the one who was uncomfortable with silence, not the girls. I needed to respect their space and not force conversation if they did not feel like talking. Who would when your whole life is turned upside down? I explained to the girls that I would not push them to talk anymore but if they have questions and feel like talking, I am there for them. I was watching them in the mirror and I could actually see them relax with this simple statement. We did not have to force conversation; it was ok to be silent. They were finally comfortable, as comfortable as they could be in that moment.

After several moments, they quietly began to ask questions. They quietly began to let me know their fears. Had I not recognized or respected that they did not want to engage in small talk, I would have missed the opportunity to talk about what was important to them. It reminded to always pay attention and truly listen, even when no one is talking.

These experiences led to an interesting conversation the following day with my supervisors. I shared my experience with them, including how silence makes me uncomfortable, especially when I know people are hurting. In turn, they shared their similar experiences and we all had a good laugh about mistakes we have made over the years. I appreciate teachable moments made fun by heartfelt stories and laughter.