MSW IV-E student Krysta Sather is Driven to Discover “ways I can be an ally for children, so they can stay safe and keep being a kid.” Krysta is a first year student interning at Washburn Center for Children. Below is a reflection of their work with a young child who is in the permanency process and how they are helping this child find a voice in this complex process.
MSW IV-E Student: Krysta Sather (left)
Field Instructor: Natalie Dunphy, MSW, LICSW (right)
“I have already learned multiple valuable skills during my time at Washburn Center for Children. I feel fortunate to have a supervisor who trusts my skills allowing me to develop my own voice within the group. At first, I modeled much of what other therapists were doing, but now I’m able to come up with my own way of communicating with the kids to help them through hard moments. I can already envision how this experience will inform my work in the future.
“One of the kids in our group is awaiting adoption. Multiple social workers are involved, often coming to his school or foster home leaving him stuck not knowing how to respond. To help in those moments, therapists at Washburn made him a book about himself, so he can remember things to say. The book includes things like his favorite foods, things that make him happy, and people who care about him. The therapists also spent time writing down questions he can ask the social workers next time. One of his first questions was, “What is adoption?”. It was a good reminder that in my role as a future social worker I may not spend much time with the kids I’m serving, but hearing their voices is vitally important. Sometimes adults get so busy and assume someone has already explained what is happening to kids. Taking 5 minutes to ask if there are any questions can make a tremendous difference to kids whose voices are little and often not heard.”