One of the pertinent modeling tools, which molded me into the person that I currently am, was the benefit of growing up in the rural town of Athens, Georgia. First, community involvement is always at its peak; the term “stranger” becomes obsolete as individuals grow accustomed to their peers and their surroundings. Second, “family” constitutes everything; the foundation of attitudes and beliefs facilitates the ancestral bond between generations founded on kindness, love, pride, and trust. Third, you are never alone; during your time of need, there is always a helping hand reaching out towards you, to help guide you towards success. Each of these aspects shaped my personality as well as the teachings I would encompass as I embarked into the world eager to learn.
Presently, I pride myself on seeking out contact with diverse individuals to better comprehend their origin and cultural backgrounds. I was raised with a stout foundation of kindness and taught to assist those in need. Thankfully, my grandparents instilled in me the prominence of displaying love rather than hatred or bigotry. As a result, I learned to trust myself and the decisions I make, while being able to set aside my pride for the betterment of the community. It is these same values that I rely on throughout my parenting, where I am proudly raising two children Aiden (2) and Addison (6). The journey of single motherhood comes with many obstacles such as low income jobs, inadequate housing, and extensive battles to obtain affordable healthcare; however, I have used my education to combat them.
After receiving my Bachelor’s Degree from Piedmont College in 2015, I went on to work with Advantage Behavioral Health Systems, where I currently work with populations suffering from mental health and co-occuring disorders. I recently gained acceptance into The University of Southern California’s Masters of Social Work Program where I intend to pursue my dreams of improving social programs for struggling communities. With the Rehabmart Scholarship I will be able to pay off the remainder of my tuition and focus on improving programs aimed at providing basic necessities to those in need, such as affordable healthcare, adequate housing, and social security income. I thank you for providing me with hope to continue pursuing my dreams and issuing this wonderful opportunity for those like to me to obtain!

Essay: Person Centered Therapy/Wellness Techniques

Advantage Behavioral Health Systems provides ongoing therapeutic techniques to children and adults suffering from mental health and or co-occurring disorders. My employment within the Mental Health Residential Program has enabled me to learn to incorporate several social work values into human service experiences and interactions with others. This is mostly done with wellness techniques and person centered therapy; where I have learned to not only incorporate the individual’s aspirations into their treatment plan, but to restore their dignity from past relapses. It is crucial to enable a person to take responsibility for their recovery, while providing a support system they can depend on during times of need. Veracity allows clients to relate to me in a way that provides a respectable boundary, while also deepening their comfort level. By eliminating stigma, and debunking myths based on fear and misunderstanding, treatment programs are able to thrive by building on domestic, hygiene, and lifestyle management skills, which ultimately lead to recovery. Social empowerment will inevitably dissolve barriers once held between the population and individuals with mental health, substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders.

Currently, I adamantly work with clients to develop, maintain, and master lifestyle management skills such as banking, budgeting, and comparison shopping in order to gain the ability to live on their own and function independently within society. My understanding of the core values of social work permit me to effectively de-escalate clients during stressful moments with Help, Wait, Prompt strategies, which aid in preventing harmful incidents and suicide ideations. By effectively de-escalating emotional clients, their freedom to voice their concern remains intact, while they utilize practice in being mentally stable through stressful events. It is this same understanding that has facilitated my open mindedness towards working with populations unlike my own.

On a daily basis, I encounter people from various backgrounds, male and female; Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos to name a few, some of which are transgender individuals. Despite cultural or ideological differences, my ambition does not waver and each client is treated with the respect and courtesy they deserve. My dedication precedes me as I am known for arriving early to address concerns that may develop overnight, while leaving after hours to ensure clients are well provided for throughout the day. It is not uncommon for me to print flyers with local suicide ideation hotlines for clients to use in case staff members are unavailable at dire moments. As a team player, I dedicate myself to training not only members of our team who require help with documentation, group curriculums, etc., but I also extend myself to clients who wish to go above their mandated participation and find jobs or other assistance within the community. Most of these social welfare programs are next to impossible for clients to retrieve on their own, requiring the need for immediate change.

The primary areas of social welfare which interest me are Housing Assistance, Medicaid Benefits, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The main concern being the atrocious policies set in place to acquire the most basic necessities; shelter, healthcare, and income. Clarke County alone has the highest rate of poverty, which leads to illiteracy among many individuals who do not possess educational backgrounds beyond middle or high school. These social problems will be my key concerns throughout my pursuit of a Masters in Social Work Degree (MSW), to better adapt conceptual understanding of welfare applications and correspondences.

Not only are people struggling to properly fill out applications, but they are failing to understand the letters sent to them regarding required paperwork and/or appointment dates. I seek to establish a trend in social welfare programs to offer relief to countless populations of struggling individuals by diluting their application process. When seeking assistance, many obstacles to retrieve aid, such as long wait lines, limited access to social workers, toll free numbers with extensive wait times, jargon in applications many people do not understand, and lack of interpreters to assist with illiterate persons, can be removed. As a community, there are many people who need our help to not only better themselves, but to better our society as a whole.

I am certain the continued use of Person Centered Therapy, and Help Prompt Wait Strategies, will provide people with the skills needed to maintain an independent and highly functioning lifestyle. Until then, these therapeutic techniques will segue the implementation of resources to benefit people suffering from mental health and co-occurring disorders, thus making a difference and providing the possibility of a full recovery for numerous individuals.