IV-E Advanced Standing Student, Lea Stucci, is interning in Washington County in the permanency unit. Below, she reflects on the importance of gathering as a team outside of the office to receive needed support, guidance and perspective.
The permanency unit at Washington County provided us with a treat. They brought us on a unit retreat to the St. Croix Bluffs. This happened to be a much needed retreat for me as I was feeling discouraged by the work. I was feeling some guilt of making challenging practice decisions, having so much power in our hands and wondering how we process through all of this. I couldn’t seem to get a grip on how do I know if I am making the right decisions? We arrived at the beautiful location and my supervisor, started off the day asking everyone about what successes we had this week. I thought that was perfect because we tend to focus on a lot of the bad things that happen as Social Workers and she asked us what we should all celebrate. This lifted up the mood of the group and it is so important to celebrate each success no matter big or small.
My supervisor asked me to facilitate a conversation to the group. I asked the group, “How do you know you are making the right decisions with these families?” The discussion that we had lifted me up and gave me so much hope again. The discouragement faded and I realized that I need the team that I am with to discuss these issues that most of us have. We need each other to be able to process through all this. We never know if the decision we make is the absolute correct one but we know that the decision is the best one at the time and is better than the situation at hand. I never needed to hear it more than at that point, for these experienced social workers tell me that it is not easy, that you are not alone with your feelings, and that we all are here to support each other. I left the retreat feeling whole again. I left the retreat knowing how much we need our co-workers and supervisors in this field and that we are never alone.