Communication
Effective Change Agent Senior Capstone
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  • Resources
  • University Studies Vision and Mission Statements
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Protecting children, healing lives. 

Who is CARES? 
Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Services. CARES Northwest’s mission is to stop child abuse and neglect through multidisciplinary prevention, medical evaluation, and ongoing treatment in partnership with our community. CARES Northwest is a collaborative, community-based medical program for the assessment, treatment and prevention of child abuse. We provide a safe, child-friendly environment for the assessment of children for whom there are concerns of physical or sexual abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence. Physical examinations and interviews are conducted in a comfortable environment to help children feel safe.
How was CARES started?
Founded in 1987, the program is a collaborative effort among four of the region’s leading health systems — Kaiser Permanente, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Providence Children’s Health, and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel. CARES Northwest was the first program in Oregon to pair physicians and nurse practitioners with child interviewers in a medical setting to provide child abuse evaluations. Coordinating experts in medicine, mental health, child protective services and law enforcement agencies, CARES Northwest ensures that children obtain needed professional services in one child-friendly location. This approach to intervention increases effectiveness, which minimizes trauma to the child, helps prevent future abuse and sets them on the road to healing.
CARES Northwest is one of the oldest and largest child abuse assessment centers in the nation, serving more than 5,000 children annually. Approximately 1,500 children are seen at the program each year. We are the only program serving Multnomah and Washington Counties; we also serve children throughout Oregon and Clark County, Washington.
What services does CARES provide?
At CARES Northwest, children are provided a complete head-to-toe medical check-up. The evaluations are conducted by doctors and nurse practitioners trained in the area of child abuse assessment. CARES Northwest’s high level of expertise leads to more accurate diagnosis of child abuse and neglect. In addition, other childhood diseases or conditions that might be mistaken for abuse or require medical treatment can be confirmed or ruled out. This neutral medical approach helps ensure the right diagnoses and treatment recommendations are made for the health and safety of each child.
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 Abuse and Neglect Assessment:
  • Medical examination for alleged victims of abuse and neglect as well as needed medical treatment or follow up
  • Trained specialists interview the child to help determine the level of abuse and other specifics of the alleged abuse

​ 

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Mental Health Services:
Crisis counseling, referral to community agencies, parent support groups, individual and family therapy


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Consultation and Training:
  • CARES NW is the Regional Service Provider for 14 Oregon counties
  • Provides consultation, education, training, technical assistance and referral services to professionals on issues of child abuse, neglect, and domestic violence


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Prevention:​
  • Presents interactive, evidence based programs to babysitting aged youth, young parents, caregivers and professionals to increase their knowledge of child safety and well-being

​

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About Child Abuse 
​What is child abuse? 
Non-accidental physical injury, sexual abuse, emotional abuse or neglect ​A significant and preventable cause of death and injury in infancy and childhood 

Why is child abuse an important issue? 

Each year more than 695,000 children across the United States become victims
The estimated annual direct cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States is approximately $124 billion 

Who are potential abusers? 

People from every socio-economic, religious, racial and cultural background
Adults unable to cope with stress or who lack basic parenting knowledge
Frequently, parents who were abused as children- without effective intervention, the cycle of abuse may continue generation after generation 


Statistics
  • Children receiving outpatient assessment services at CARES NW: 1691  
    • 60% girls, 40% boys
    • 54% Elementary school age (5-12)
    • 25% Teen (13-17)
    • 20% Preschool (0-5)
    • 47% sexual abuse
    • 30% physical abuse
    • 27% high risk environment
    • Neglect, witness to violence, problematic sexualized behavior, drug endangered child ​



Why I chose CARES: 
  • Upstream solutions. I believe that in order for the child to grow up into a happy healthy young adult he/she deserves immediate care.
  • B.A. Psychology
  • Working with this population gives me priceless experience
  • Working with this population is tough but it is more so intrinsically rewarding  

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My responsibilities as a volunteer: 
  • De-escalation
  • Child centered care
  • Play
  • Meeting their basic needs (food, clothes, etc)
  • Helping the guardians fill out paperwork
  • Learning (interview recordings, asking questions, etc) 

My Goal as a Volunteer and How I Effect Change: 
 
My goal going into CARES was to be an example of safety, trust, healthy boundaries, and care to every child that comes into the clinic, regardless of their socioeconomic status or circumstances. My educational goals were to learn the importance of emotional space and how to appropriately navigate that space knowing that every child is in a different place. Although my work and success at CARES cannot be quantified, I know I have been successful when I can see the physical changes that take place as a child enters the clinic, withdrawn and anxious, and reluctantly leaves, begging to stay playing games.

UNST GOALS:

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Students will enhance their capacity to communicate in various ways—writing, graphics, numeracy, and other visual and oral means—to collaborate effectively with others in group work, and to be competent in appropriate communication technologies.
  • Trauma informed communication. Verbally and non-verbally 
  • The importance of background on communication 
  • Communicating with parents/guardians and treatment team 
  • Working with disabilities and/or problematic behavior 
  • Working with non-native English speakers, bi-lingual  children, and translators 
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Students will explore and analyze identity, power relationships, and social justice in historical contexts and contemporary settings from multiple perspectives.
  • STOP child abuse 
  • Raise awareness 
  • Demonstrate to children the care they deserve 
  • Working with disabilities and/or problematic behavior 
  • Working with non-native English speakers, bi-lingual  children, and translators
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Students will expand their understanding of the impact and value of individuals and their choices on society, both intellectually and socially, through group projects and collaboration in learning communities.
  • Knowing my place as a volunteer 
  • Redirecting sensitive information or classified case information 
  • HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) 
  • Being aware of my privilege and social status (age, education, etc)
  • Respecting the space of the children and keeping healthy physical and emotional boundaries 
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Students will learn various modes of inquiry through interdisciplinary curricula—problem-posing, investigating, conceptualizing—in order to become active, self-motivated, and empowered learners.
  • Creative modes of entertaining children for long periods of time in a restricted space 
  • Fast solutions for difficult children 
  • Holding in mind the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of sociocultural context stated above 

moving forward

Throughout my time at CARES NW, I have learned priceless skills that cannot be learned in the classroom. My future success as a clinical psychologist lies not in the courses I take nor my GPA. Rather, it lies in the vast and varying experiences I have had and will have in the field. Patience, empathy, awareness of contexts, consciousness of non-verbal cues, (etc.) cannot be taught. ​
Some days I leave the clinic feeling the weight of a broken world without knowing the solution and fearing that children will continue to be hurt and exploited. However, I would say that predominantly I feel more motivated and inspired than ever to continue my educational path towards becoming a clinical psychologist and work with children and adolescents. When we observe wrongfulness in the world, we have two choices: to become overwhelmed with hopelessness to the point of not doing anything or to rise up and do what you can with the skills that you have to effect change. ​
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Many people ask me why I want to get into a career that I know ends in burnout. The answer is on the faces of the children at the CARES NW clinic. I remind myself, “you can’t pour from an empty glass” as I continue doing this work. It is of the utmost importance that people doing this work be taken care of by their employer (such providing therapy/health insurance including therapy and paid time off) and take care of themselves (knowing when it’s time to call in a mental health day)...Working with this demographic is sensitive and the effects of bringing any of your own personal business into the space can be catastrophic.
Although my time at CARES will come to an end, I will continue to seek out organizations in my community that serve individuals in crisis and learn and be of service to them. I am convinced that I have learned more from my time at CARES than I have given to them, as is true with most places that I have volunteered. I leave knowing more about myself, the career I am working towards, the community around me, and the best ways in which I can help.

sources:

CARES Northwest. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.caresnw.org/ 
Images: 
http://ronneb.com/5-cs-to-improve-your-communication-skills/ 
http://blog.time2track.com/psychologists-for-social-justice-lets-not-sit-on-the-sidelines/ 
http://www.openculture.com/professional-ethics-a-free-online-course 
http://greatperformersacademy.com/health/improve-your-critical-thinking-skills-with-these-9-powerful-tricks​

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