Karen Winkelmann

Agency: The Blake Foundation

Term: Fall - 2003

I am doing my internship at The Blake Foundation, in the Parent-Aide program. The Parent-Aide program serves families who are involved with CPS. The program provides supervised visits between parents and their children, and one-on-one parenting classes with the parent-aide and the parents. Along with other parent-aides, I am responsible for objectively documenting all of the interactions between parents and their children during the supervised visits.

As you may imagine, supervising visits is not the most glorious job. In fact, it is very unnatural to sit in a room and watch parents play with their children, knowing that they only get to see their kids for an hour or two each week. It is also heartbreaking to hear a 5-year-old talk about going to therapy. It is not a normal situation, and it makes me want to help the family even more. At The Blake Foundation, it is a goal to have re-unification (meaning the children are returned to their parents). Parent-aides work very hard with parents to teach them skills that they need to know and need to have if they are to ever get their kids back. It is a great feeling knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life, but at the same time, it is incredibly hard to see and family and realize that they will not be getting their children back. You know that it probably is in the best interest of the children, but you also see how much the children love their parents, and how much the parents love their children.

Recently, I went to a visit, and the mother was very excited to see me. She was telling me how they had found their very own apartment, and how her husband had a job interview that afternoon. This was a huge step for these parents. Previously, they had been living with other family members, and their only income was from Social Security. It was really amazing to see how hard she and her husband were working to get their children back and to change their life around. It was also really neat to have them be so excited to tell me. Sometimes I think that the families just see me as some rich girl, who has never had to work for anything, and it is really special that they see me more as a friend, than as a threat.

I decided to do this internship because I am interested in doing social work as a career, but I had no experience, and I really had no clue what it would be like. I also wanted to see what I have learned in my Family Studies classes in real life. This internship has showed me what social work really is, and has confirmed that I would like to pursue a career as a social worker. I have also seen what I have learned in class, and it is very applicable to the real world.

After I graduate I do not know exactly what I will be doing. I would like to pursue a Masters degree, and well as a career. The hard part will be deciding which to start first. As far as long term career goals go, my dream job would be to work for an international adoption agency. I think this would be an amazing job, and one that I would never get tired of doing.

My internship has taught me a lot. I have learned a lot about myself. I have seen what it is like to live in poverty. I was raised in a family where all my needs were taken care of. That is not the case with some of the clients served at the Blake Foundation. This internship has made me realize how important certain government programs are, and how badly some people need help. I think it would be a great idea for policy makers to go and live with someone who lives in poverty, to see what it is like and to think twice about cutting programs.

To students thinking about doing an internship, I would highly recommend it. There are so many options as to what you can do, and the experience that you will gain is immeasurable. An internship will solidify within you that this is something that you should be doing. Some days it won’t be easy, and you will think to yourself, “Why in the world am I doing this?” and other days you will absolutely love it. But, you won’t know, unless you try.

University of Arizona | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
School of Family and Consumer Sciences | Family Studies and Human Development

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