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Parents, Educators/Teachers & Students in Action

February 3, 2022
FACES OF PESA: ANIL ARORA

Distance is no hurdle for our BSW supervisor who telecommutes but is definitely not just phoning it in
PESA field instructor Anil Arora would have one heck of a daily commute if not for Zoom. After all, he lives in Houston, and it’s from 1,500 miles away that he supervises the work of seven Bachelor of Social Work interns doing boots-on-the-ground field work in and around Los Angeles.  

Oh, and did we mention he’s also pursuing his PhD in social work from the University of Houston? Arora’s one busy guy.

“It’s my job with PESA to oversee the BSW interns, which entails their placement (where they’ll be working), their hours, daily supervision and overall problem-solving,” says Arora. And given his own background, he’s particularly well-suited for the task.

“I got my bachelors in psychology at Colorado University Boulder, then I got my masters in social work at USC.” It was there that he first connected with PESA’s Director of Behavioral Health & Internships, Dr. Michael Johnson. “He was my field instructor as a social worker, and now I’m a field instructor for PESA,” he says, pointing out the full-circle relationship.

“I meet regularly with my BSWs to go over their cases and discuss any struggles or challenges they may be having at their school site,” says Arora. “It’s a balancing act of providing advocacy and filling in what’s missing. I’m a researcher, so if it’s programming that’s needed—topics such as sexual orientation, bullying—we work on creating evidence-based programming to ensure that the information we’re providing to students and their families is grounded in research.”

Of course, a prime area of concern in the middle of the pandemic is making sure that students, some of whom may be coming to campus and others who are working remotely, are all getting the support they need. “The teacher can make sure they get their work done, but who’s checking in on them socially and emotionally?” says Arora. “When I did my BSW field work, all the students were on campus. It was a very different dynamic.” Today’s BSWs, he says, must be adept at not only providing psychological support but, in many cases, academic tutoring as well. And that may extend beyond the individual client to siblings and other family members, wherever the need may be.

“What’s unique about PESA is our interns are trained to not simply meet with their cases and call it a day, we encourage them to look at the bigger picture and advocate for what services need to be provided,” says Arora. “PESA is uniquely collaborative in that way. Our BSWs are working with our MSWs who are working with our law students. It’s a team effort.”

If you’d like to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us.