My Niche

If I wasn't sure that social work was the field for me, my new job has more than assured me that it is. Working as a residential counselor has been challenging, but the challenge is something I am very interested in facing. I work in a program that houses children coming from abusive and neglectful homes and, due to their traumatic upbringings, have learned few, if any, effective coping skills. As a result, it is the job of residential counselors, staffed at the home 24-7, to help these kids learn new, more effective coping mechanisms. This may not sound very difficult, but when children are acting out in any number of ways to what may seem like to many a situation with a simple solution, this can be an extremely trying process.

And, just as accounting is not the right profession for everyone, residential counselor work is not for everyone either. And I happen to find it extremely rewarding. Although I won't be seeing immediate changes in these kids' behavior, it is helps me to know that the work I am doing now will help them in the long run, even if only in a small way. I have had many jobs in my (short) lifetime, but none have energized me and left me feeling satisfied like this one does. After hearing suggestions that the kids' treatment teams are making regarding how we should be working with these kids, I have learned that I employed some of these tactics on my own, prior to their advisement. Knowing this makes me feel like I have finally found my niche. Though I thought this is what I wanted all along, finally engaging in this kind of work and feeling successful in it solidifies for me what I had long hoped would be my career. It just feels right. I know that I still have a great deal to learn in this position, and more broadly, in the field of social work, but I am really excited to be dipping my feet in this kind of work!