We are excited to spotlight work from one of our clinicians during Mental Health Awareness Month. Her thoughts are shared below, or to read her entire posting click here or the button below.
"One of the integral parts of Street’s Hope/Voluntad (SH/V) is offering our clients the choice of clinical services. The main word in this is choice. As we have mentioned before, a major part of what is stolen from survivors is choice, voice, and empowerment.
Sitting with a client is humbling and sobering. Trauma causes dysregulation, body reactions, different mindsets, a desire to escape and seek protection. The brain is made to protect oneself, which means entering into a place of dissociation to disengage with the intensity of abuse and pain.
As I continue to meet with SH/V clients, I am honored to be let into their stories and realities. I am learning how the impact of a secure relationship is integral in our brain’s ability to regulate, cope, and adapt and how often this has been stolen from their lives. Before any work can happen the main predictor of positive outcomes in counseling is the safety and connection that is created between client and therapist.
This work is long and tiring, but it is also truly an honor."
