My Experience as an Extern at Transitions of PA

By -
Growing up, I always had a wonderful childhood.  My parents never fought, never hit us or did anything of that nature. Once I got into Middle School, I started to realize that not everyone was that lucky. I’ll never forget when a woman from Transitions came into my classroom and explained to us what had happened to her related to domestic violence and why she now does what she does working with Transitions. Domestic Violence (DV) and Sexual Assault (SA) are major things that happen in our world today and something that can be reduced or possibly stopped if there were more education and treatments for it. I am a student at McCann School of Business and Technology currently doing my externship with Transitions of PA. After being here, I have a better understanding of what DV and SA are and how to help the people who are going through it. During my time here I have gotten to sit in on 1-1 counseling sessions which have really been eye opening experiences for me. I never thought that it would be possible for someone to hurt someone that they “love” but I now know that it happens and that all these survivors want is to talk about it. I have realized that most survivors just want to talk about what happened to them, how they feel about it and how they feel about the person who did that to them. Here at Transitions, the staff and survivors set goals for what they want to get out of this program which is inspirational because they are doing all they can to get help, get better and get back on their own. With the help of their advocates, they look for jobs, housing, and come up with a safety plan. With this help, they are getting a second chance that they didn’t think that they would ever get again. Another great thing about Transitions is the fact that all services are free. With this hotline, anyone that is seeking help can call and find out what Transitions can do for them whether it be legal help, housing or counseling. Being able to have this experience has given me a greater appreciation for the ones that truly love me and a greater appreciation for Transitions of PA and the work that they do here on a daily basis. 
Written by: Krysta H.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Priceless – The Movie; Spoiler Alert

By -
               Priceless is a faith-based movie about a story of sex trafficking, aimed to bring awareness to this tragedy. The main character agrees to make a delivery in a truck to earn some money, without knowing what See was delivering. He finds out there are two young women in the back of the truck and seeks to save them from being captured and sold.                I saw this movie when it aired at the Campus Theatre back in December, and I left with mixed feelings. I am super glad people are working to bring awareness to this tragic issue, and I hope it continues. The awareness surrounding human trafficking has increased tremendously over the last several years. For pure entertainment’s sake, it was a great movie. However, as a professional working in a victims’ service field with a special interest in human trafficking, I had a couple concerns.                My first concern deals with the portrayal of police. In the movie, the main character approaches a police officer
Read more

Update on PFC LaVena Johnson, Questions Still Unanswered

By -
We mentioned this victim a while ago on our blog, and wanted to give you an update following a blog posted on The Huffington Post.  I would strongly encourage you to read their blog, as it is more thoroughly researched and reported than this.  Unfortunately, nothing had changed since our last posting.  The family still has no answers, and continue to exhaust all their resources. Although there is not much new to report of their journey, I think it is important to continue to talk about LaVena.  Her loss is in the news for a short time, but this family has lost her forever and misses her...forever.  I would like to add our voice to others calling for a Bill of Rights for Bereaved Military Families .  There has been a Victims of Crime Act since 1984 , and specifically, a Crime Victims' Rights Act since only 2004. Currently the Crime Victims' Rights Act specifically states that if the victim is deceased: "the legal guardians of the crime victim or the representatives of t
Read more

When Secondary Trauma Hits

By -
Image
Compassion fatigue, also known as secondary traumatic stress (STS), is “stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person.”   It is common among individuals that work directly with trauma victims such as, therapists, nurses, psychologists, police officers, first responders, animal welfare workers,  and anyone who helps others.  This includes family members and other informal caregivers.   How does one explain the effects of secondary trauma?  For me, it is an overwhelming feeling that words cannot describe.  It’s volumes of information that hold an emotional charge on my body, mind, and spirit on a daily basis.  Finding my way through secondary trauma has been a lifelong journey with many roadblocks followed by a light at the end of the tunnel.  At times, realizing that I am carrying the burden of someone else is nonexistent.  I continue to provide crisis counseling without a thought of the effects trauma causes.  When I am aware of the
Read more