I am just finishing my MSW degree from FSU. I have been employed with the Lee County School District for the past 15 years as an elementary school educator. In 2018, I decided to go back to school for my MSW to make a career change and it was the best decision I could have made as it was through this experience that I found Providence Family Life Center. I was fortunate enough to complete my generalist and clinical internships with Providence so I was able to see the different aspects of services that Providence provides to the community. In my generalist internship, I gained experience working with Veterans and individuals 55 plus in supportive housing, helping them to improve their quality of life by assessing their needs. I learned the 9-step case management process of screening, assessing, stratifying risk, planning, implementing (care coordination)
, following-up, transitioning (transitional care), communication post-transition, and evaluation.

 

For my clinical internship, my experiences were focused on the client-practitioner relationship - integrating clinical coursework with the SOAR program. SOAR, which is an acronym for SSI/SSDI Outreach Access and Recovery, is a program developed by SAMHSA and HUD, designed to increase access to Social Security disability benefits for eligible children and adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or co-occurring substance use disorder.  I learned how to complete extensive clinical assessments and face-to-face interviews to explore the impact of trauma, and other physical impairments with the goal of developing a comprehensive medical summary to understand the needs of the client. I have worked with individuals experiencing homelessness and incarceration. Providence seeks to help the "whole person" - assisting them with client referrals to other community services and helping them work towards larger goals such as housing and employment. My experiences with Providence Family Life Center have prepared me and given me the drive to be a Social Worker who advocates for the needs of ALL individuals and strives to learn the best practices and policies to help those in need. After graduation, I look forward to continuing my work, as an employee, with Providence Family Life Center as a SOAR Specialist!