| |
In honor of Social Work Month,
Children’s News features two efforts
by Children’s social workers that
extend beyond the hospital’s walls.
SoYun Kwan, MSW, LICSW, a social worker on 7 South, rummages through a drawer of toys, books and crayons to pull out a blank coloring activity. Titled About Me, it’s a huge drawing of a person, with spaces to fill in information about likes, dislikes and hobbies. But this fun art project is not for a patient at the hospital. It will be slipped into an envelope and mailed to a subgroup Kwan has identified as needing special attention: the siblings of patients who, due to distance or other circumstances, don’t physically visit the hospital. “This is for them to feel special,” she says. “We want to be here for all members of the family.” While clinical staff, Child Life specialists, psychiatrists and others are in place to assist siblings in the hospital, those who don’t come to the hospital don’t get the same opportunities.
Connecting with this group is the goal of the Empowering Super Important Brothers and Sisters (SIBS) project, created by Kwan and Child Life Specialist Emily Margolis, MS, CCLS. The interactive mailing project sends art projects, educational books and disposable cameras to the siblings to help them build a relationship with the hospital. The children are encouraged to send back their finished art projects, which are then hung in their brother’s or sister’s hospital room. For one mother involved with SIBS, the program has helped bridge the distance between her child in the intensive care unit and her three children at home. “My kids are so happy they can make artwork for their brother in the hospital,” she says. “It makes them feel like they’re helping and involved.” Another goal of the project is to demystify the hospital experience, which can seem scary to children who never get to see it in person. “It can make the hospital feel safe and familiar,” says Kwan.
Often, children with sick siblings feel left out. “It’s hard for a lot of kids who have siblings with chronic illnesses, because so much attention is focused on the sick child in the family,” says Kwan. “We send specific activities that will give them an opportunity to express things about themselves.” Items like toy medical kits, can help spur conversations between parents and siblings around illness. “This creates opportunities to have those difficult conversations,” says Margolis. Many kids also simply like the thrill of getting a package. “They get so excited when they get mail from us,” says Kwan.
 |
 |
|
|
Stephen Day’s fingers were raw from gripping the rock-climbing wall. His arms ached. The 23-year-old Dorchester native painstakingly reached for the top rock when he heard the voices of his team members yelling up at him to let go. “I was thinking in my head, are you crazy?” Day recalls. “My whole life, I didn’t trust people because I always got stabbed in the back.” But after some coaxing from social worker Paul Arandia, LICSW, MPH, the creator of Rock It Out, a rock-climbing group for young fathers at Children’s, Day let go. Floating in the air, held up by his peers, it was a breakthrough moment for Day, who describes himself as being surrounded by a big wall of insecurity and anger when he entered the program. “Every time I came here, a few blocks fell,” he says. “I just felt lighter and lighter.”
When Day was 19, his girlfriend told him she was pregnant. His first reaction was to run. “I was going through that young, immature stage,” he says. But his girlfriend convinced him to come to a Children’s support group for young fathers and hear what the other men had to say. He agreed. Now four years later, Day credits the group with opening his eyes and breaking the vicious cycle of fatherlessness that characterized his past. “My father did it to me when I was born and his father did it to him,” he says. “I didn’t want to be another statistic—I’m trying to have my own path.”
Arandia smiles when he hears this story. Since coming to Children’s for an internship in 2004, Arandia has dedicated his work to supporting young fathers and helping lessen the isolation that comes with the newfound responsibility of being a parent. “All of a sudden, these teens have this societal pressure to provide for their child,” he says. Many young fathers are overwhelmed and experience depression, fear and frustration. “It’s a tough population to reach because they don’t seek out services,” Arandia says. With hopes of offering the men a place to talk outside of the clinical setting, Arandia developed Rock It Out.
Day says rock climbing provided a unique opportunity to talk honestly with peers about life issues. “When you’re around people who don’t share your experiences, you’ve got to hold back,” Day says. “You feel like they might shun you or look down on you.” Arandia liked the idea of rock climbing because he wanted the fathers to learn how to do it together. And the skills they’ve built, like trust, perseverance, strength and confidence, are key to helping them adjust and thrive in their new lives. “There’s a real sense of achievement you get from completing a climb,” Arandia says. Rock climbing also has a symbolic meaning for many. “They’re paving their way and depending on their own inner strength, their perseverance to succeed,” says Arandia. “Being able to reach the top is pretty special.” |
|
| |
