What We Do?

msgtofmarines

Sep 3

3 min read

Patrick and I, sitting here writing this together, wanted to give you all an understanding of what it is that we actually do.

When many people hear social worker, therapy, and ministry they do not entirely understand the scope of what they may mean. We want to help people understand what we do.

Nora and I both have experience, professionally and in life, with many challenges that people face on a day-to-day basis.

In the area of social work, we find professionals who advocate for others who are often in difficult circumstances with limited resources. Social workers are the hands and feet of connecting people to real assistance through navigating challenging systems. We are equipped to help with this and certainly connect people to resources.

Nora talking here. As a Family Support Specialist (FSS) and student of social norms, changes and challenges, I am able to help individuals with navigating systems, modeling and giving feedback to empower others to gain the confidence to be able to do so for themselves. This help includes but is not limited to helping clients in the school, human services and judicial systems. I have worked primarily in case management, but now in the role of an FSS. Under the umbrella of these three main areas there is a plethora of things that can fall under them, for example this can be anything from housing to assistance for individuals with disabilities. The goal is to advocate for clients so they can live a meaningful life with dignity.

Patrick speaking, in my position as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Therapist, I work with clients to identify their mental health challenges with a focus on improving their daily living. This crosses over into addressing areas where clients can improve and make positive changes in their self-care, fitness, eating well and sleep. I practice Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which in a nutshell, any situation that brings about negative thoughts, generally leads to negative and powerful emotions/feelings, which result in bad behaviors. CBT focuses on challenging negative thinking with an aggressive approach. I also practice Solution Focused Therapy which is helpful when clients know what their issue is and need time and assistance in working through it in a thoughtful way. Lastly, I would say an essential tool in my toolbox is Motivational Interviewing, which is goal-oriented, helping clients find within themselves the motivation to make real and substantial changes.

For us, this is our ministry. As spirit filled believers in Jesus Christ, who is the greatest social worker of all time, we believe you cannot adequately get beyond the symptoms, challenges or circumstances without the spiritual healing only Jesus can provide. Nora and I incorporate the Lord’s help in the work that we do. We have witnessed that when all the mental health approaches and assistance rendered fails, it is faith that ultimately answered the client’s needs and healed them, bringing meaning and purpose to their life.

I began in ministry in 1997, pastoring and got into social work/therapy later in life. Nora has been a believer since her youth, and her faith guides her approach to caring for people. Professionally, school-trained social workers and case managers have been taught to walk a fine line around faith. We believe it is essential and incorporate this in our work for those who welcome it. Again, you can use all the methods and fill out all the paperwork, yet the most important aspect of healing is left out.