Competencies:
Reflection Statement: Growing up in an immigrant family, school and attaining a higher education was always especially emphasized. As an outcome, my sisters and I did not nurture our entire identities, such as mental health. This became apparent at the beginning of college when my family members started to struggle with mental health problems, such as depression and suicidal ideation. Since elementary school, I've had friends reach out for mental health support, but this hit closest to home my freshmen year at the UW. As my family has persevered through adverse times, my parents have relied on me to interpret my sisters’ needs across a cultural barrier, and to act as a liaison establishing plans of support, and connecting them to resources. Through this role, my perspective expanded as I saw how my family as Filipino Americans were resistant to seeking mental health treatments due to cultural customs and stigmas attached to mental illnesses. These cultural beliefs included keeping such problems private and trying to represent the "ideal family". My experiences have shown me that reaching out and finding resources are productive and success ways of approaching mental health, rather than viewing them as taboo issues that are approached reactively, rather than proactively. In understanding that the pursuit of education can be disrupted if other aspects of life are not nurtured, I first participated in mental health advocacy through the Out of the Darkness Walk that one of my roommates, Juliana was coordinating with others. I shared this event with the greater community through writing a piece for the Daily, called "A movable community". The following year, my friends and I founded the student organization, Huskies for Suicide Prevention and Awareness (HSPA). The organization promotes college students’ academic success through creating a community that cultivates healthy living, advocates for mental health services, and breaks down mental illness stigmas that prevent students from seeking help. Through the organization, the Out of the Darkness walk was held a second year in which hundreds of participants came together as a community and raised about $10,000 for mental health. In 2013, we began a partnership with the UW School of Social Work non-profit, Forefront to hold Husky Help and Hope walks where the funds raise go directly to supporting the UW's mental health goals. Since 2012, my work in the mental health realm and HSPA has widened my knowledge on the array of mental health illnesses, the stigmas associated with them as perpetuated by societal factors, and the realities people face in regards to mental illnesses. I am thankful for my dear friend Juliana for initiating these efforts, and to all the current group members who are continuing these efforts. These experiences have shaped my social work values. I approach my practice through caring for clients as holistic beings. To empower clients to reach their fullest potential, I utilize a systems lens and biopsychosocial assessment. My shared social work values in human services emphasize meeting individual clients where they are, and creating unique plans with them based on their social identities and how they each intersect. As the practitioner, my own well-being is a priority in order to be able to best serve my clients. This entails participating in my own healing process and practicing mindfulness. 2012 The Daily Article: A Movable Community My contribution for the Speak Up Project Forefront article featuring my experience with HSPA & the suicide prevention walks |
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