I get that question a lot, "what exactly are you doing?" The answer is not so easy. My title at my job is Direct Support Specialist (DSS). But is sort of like calling the driver of the garbage truck a sanitation engineer. Is the title a pretty version of something else? Yup. Here are some synonyms: Behavior coach, mentor, and friend. Probably the best one is behavior coach. I work with children and teens that have serious behavior issues. Yes the work is exhausting, but it is also really fulfilling. The method behind our approach is called the "wrap-around method". It basically surrounds the family with all of the services the family needs to move forward toward their objectives. Some of the young people I work with are in families, some are in CPS custody in group homes. They are all amazing kids who just need an additional pair of purposeful hands working with them. I have been stretched in ways that I never thought possible. I have worked with MMR kids, kids with autism, kids that have been abused, and kids with pretty serious mental illness. ALL IN SIX MONTHS! This job can burn people out quick! If it were not for my family and friends I would also be right there. I still have my pets to play with, my good friends to go to lunch and "thrifting" with, and my granddaughters to play with. That is what keeps me sane. My church keeps me grounded. My lifegroup prays for me. I am blessed. What is sad is that every child in foster care who is in a group home could really use a mentor. Not because they all have behavior issues that need immediate attention, but because they need the presence of a caring adult in their life to prevent those behaviors FROM becoming a problem. Do you have time to commit to a hurting child? Consider being a volunteer mentor. But take that commitment very seriously BEFORE you sign up. Adults run through these kids' lives like water through a sieve. You will need to make a longer term commitment for the sake of the child. To provide stability where there is none. I am blessed to know a woman, Mary, who has made that commitment. She is a mentor to a girl who is in a group home and probably will be for the rest of her life. She has been spending a couple of hours with her for almost a year. Thank you Jesus for people like Mary! I get paid, she does it only for love. I am humbled whenever I hear her talk about her girl.
So what do I do? I actually view each day as a challenge to make a difference for a hurting family or child. Some days I blow it big time and go home and cry, other days I see a glimmer of hope. I am trusting Jesus for each new day. That is what I am doing!
