I was both a volunteer and social work intern at Safe Place. Being exposed to the duties that come with both of those roles impacted me greatly. I think the most positive thing was that my compassion for others grew due to working with the clients who were receiving services there. My experiences at Safe Place helped me to grow as a person and to see what was going on in the "real world". My worldview expanded from limited “college student" to realizing the real problems people in an abusive relationship face. They helped to cement my desires to go into a helping profession. My career path took me to mental health and substance abuse. Working at Safe Place provided the foundation for me to be able to do this because this is what we did with the clients at Safe Place. My work has also brought me several clients who are in abusive relationships. My knowledge of DV dynamics, empathy, and community resources greatly increased the effectiveness in which I can work with them. That knowledge I gained from the staff at Safe Place and the clients I worked with while there. I am very grateful to have been a part of Safe Place.
-Heather R, Safe Place Volunteer/Intern
MSU Safe Place was my very first internship and honestly, I’m not sure I would be as confident in my ability to be in the Social Work field had I not interned there. I came into the program with only a little confidence because so many of my peers had come from Social Work backgrounds and I came from a theater background. I had also taken 8 years off between undergrad and graduate school so I already felt a bit behind. I was welcomed at Safe Place and treated with such respect that my confidence grew.
I remember Holly helping me when I was a bit panicked about having my first client. She reassured me that as long as I kept the best interest of the client as the center of our sessions that I would be fine. I learned to trust my instincts while working there and to look at life through a different lens. The clients that I worked with really opened my eyes to a world that I had never seen first-hand and it has made me appreciate the work that places like Safe Place do to help survivors.
-Jen B, Safe Place Intern
Volunteering at MSU Safe Place has positively impacted me by enabling me to be a voice for the victims of relationship violence, who may be suffering in silence. It has given me the tools and skills I need to help educate communities that domestic violence is a community issue that needs community resolutions. I feel honored to be a part of the team at MSU Safe Place. Helping people put the pieces of a broken puzzle back together, does wonders for the heart. Making connections and building a network of professionals who have like goals, certainly has reassured me that I can make a difference, one step at a time.
-Nikki B, Safe Place Volunteer
My experience at MSU Safe Place was irreplaceable. It was a perfect opportunity to experience firsthand an amazing staff and enriched learning environment. The work that was done with not only the residents of the shelter, but the outreach towards the community was inspiring. I had never been exposed to the effects of relationship violence, or how that translates to Michigan State.
After meeting with my first client, I realized how prevalent in my community domestic violence is. The support that is provided, whether it is shelter, advocacy, counseling or support group, is needed and worthy of recognition. Interning at Safe Place has left an imprint on me. The relationships I formed with the clients, along with the staff, allowed me to look at myself from a different perspective. I will forever hold my experience at Safe Place dear in my heart, and never forget my experiences there.
-Kaitlin C, Safe Place Intern
My internship at Safe Place was a wonderful and enlightening experience. I was a fairly innocent, naïve college student when I started at Safe Place. I learned through working with the staff and clients that life was more complicated than I had ever realized. It also made me appreciate the struggles that single parents, victims of abuse and people coming from poverty experience. One of my most meaningful experiences was when I was able to work with a family that consisted of a single mom and at least 7 children on a weekly basis. This mother did her best to care for her children and meet their needs without many resources. My eyes were opened to the daily challenges that families were facing and the importance of resources to these families being successful.
I still use my training from Safe Place in my work today. I feel that my internship at Safe Place and other work experience have given me a very well-rounded perspective which makes me more able to understand the needs of the people I work with. I love working with at risk families and feel strongly about advocating for their needs. MSU Safe Place planted a seed of compassion and advocacy inside of me which led me to a Masters in Social Work. I currently work for the State of Michigan and am so thankful for the unique perspective that my internship at Safe Place has given me. I am forever grateful for the lessons I learned and those who taught me what true compassion and advocacy are.
-Kristen C, MSW, Safe Place Intern
Interning at MSU Safe Place provided me with the foundations I needed to further my social work career. I engaged in critical thinking, problem solving, advocacy, event planning, learned about intervention strategies for survivors of domestic violence, and learned a lot about the court system and how it responds to domestic violence. I always felt supported and engaged with the staff, other interns, and volunteers and was given many opportunities to grow and succeed. I learned a lot from the clients as well, they were open and ready to begin healing, and I was honored to be a part of that process for them.
-Megan K, Safe Place Intern
MSU Safe Place has positively impacted me by showing me how resilient humans are. The clients I interacted with while interning at Safe Place proved this to me. They were all so strong in the face of their hardships and circumstances. The empowerment that they gave each other was amazing to me. All too commonly we underestimate the survivors that stay in relationships where domestic violence occurs, when actually they are some of the strongest and most resilient people you will ever meet.
I was most impacted by the support group that I co-facilitated. Although I say co-facilitated, I feel that the clients who attended the support group counseled and supported each other in ways that I was not able to. These clients had the right advice to give at the right time to whoever needed it the most at the time. The amount of compassion that the survivors showed each other (even without knowing each other well) was amazing to me. These clients gave support and strengthened each other every time they attended the support group. It was awesome to be able to be a part of something so meaningful and helpful.
-Moriah F, Safe Place Intern