Running Head: CALL TO SERVE REFELCTION 1

Call to Serve Reflection

Angel Brooks

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR3116: Population and Global Health

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Call to Serve Reflection

St. Joseph’s Villa is a nonprofit organization whose main goal is to help children and

youth of all kinds challenged with a range of special needs reach their full potential. The children

and families are challenged with homelessness, developmental disabilities, mental illness, special

needs, and more. This agency started as an orphanage in 1834, and has grown into a nonprofit

organization with more than 20 different programs and serving more than 3,000 children and

families each year. Some of the programs include: alternative schools, rapid rehousing services,

the crisis stabilization center, and day treatment for both children and adults. [ CITATION StJ18 \l

1033 ]

My group had the honor to observe and interact in the after-school Therapeutic Day

Treatment for children. The day treatment program is funded by Medicaid and catered to

children between the ages of 5-18, a majority of the kids are currently between ages 5-16. The

program provides services to children from Henrico county, Richmond, Hanover, and

Chesterfield with transportation provided for some. With the program being Medicaid funded,

all of the children who are referred to the program must have active Medicaid coverage in order

to even be assessed for the program. After the confirmed coverage, a clinical supervisor or

clinician interviews/assesses the child to determine if there are enough behaviors to qualify the

patient. There are official guidelines and criteria that the child has to meet in order for the

assessor to feel the need for services. If the assessor thinks the child meets the requirements, they

must then send the information to Medicaid for them to officially approve. Once accepted, the

student is given three months to be in the program. Each student is given an individualized

treatment plan and goals that they have to meet within the three months. Within this time, the

counselors run groups that work on social skills, managing anger, coping skills, academic skills
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and so on. The counselors keep progress of the children by writing progress notes every day

based on if the child is meeting their goal. This is also how the program gets paid for, so no

progress note equals no funding for that particular kid. If the counselors, clinicians, and other

members on the team feel like the child has not met the goals in three months, the clinician can

reassess and request another three months from Medicaid. From there, the child is entered back

in the program with new goals and techniques.[ CITATION Bry18 \l 1033 ][ CITATION StJ18 \l

1033 ]

Within the program, the children are divided into three different groups that vary on

maturity. The groups are basically elementary, middle, and high school ages. We were assigned

to observe and interact with the elementary school kids. In the session, there were two counselors

in the room with about 10 children. The children have a routine everyday that they must follow

in order for things to run smoothly. The first half is structured free time as they wait for the rest

of the class to arrive. Once all of the children had arrived, the first counselor began in and started

the first group. The counselor first went around the room asking the children about their current

mood and a goal for the day, and wrote it on the board. From there he lead a group on the word

“caring” and what it meant to be caring. After that group, the other counselor took over the class.

One of the students was not too fond of the other counselor and began to shout “I hate her” in the

middle of her talking. Both counselors were calm and tried to use their words to deescalate the

student. However, it did not work causing the well spirited counselor to take her out of the room

to calm her. After homework time, the remaining counselors monitored the children as they had

an hour of free time in the game room. This is where was got to interact with the children and

play games with them as well.

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I was always taught not to make judgments about anyone that is different from me. I

personally love working with the mental health population because I feel that they are some of

the most vulnerable, misunderstood, and range widely in age. This population effects all races,

cultures, religious groups, socioeconomic groups, and etc. I believe that understanding this

population will really help you connect better to all populations because you just like on a

hospital floor no patient is the same and needs the same treatment. Working with the mental

health population helps your critically thinking skills and well as therapeutic communication as a

nurse. Understanding the patient’s emotions and triggers, really helps you understand the best

treatment plan for the patients you work with. As stated before, one of the students was unable to

effectively get along with the counselor. Instead of the counselors becoming upset and reacting

negatively, they were able to stay calm and talk to the student about issues that are bothering

them. The counselors stayed positive and did not let the negative energy of the student effect the

class, and most importantly how they worked. Having that positive energy, effective listening

skills, and being a client advocate are all the values that you need to be an effective nurse.

Working with this community, I have learned that more people need to pay attention to

the mental health community. A majority of these children have these issues because of the lack

of attention and support they get at home as well as out in the community. Sometimes the

simplest verifications can change these people lives. For example, one of the little boys in the

program was not confident in doing the assignment for the homework. I encouraged the little boy

to try his best and show when he feels like he is improving. The little boy did a couple of words

and immediately got up and showed me. I told the little boy he was doing a great job and told

him to keep up the good work. This little boy made it seem like me recognizing him and

encouraging him was the best thing that happened all day. This personally made me feel good
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because I didn’t know this little boy, and he made it seem as though my opinion meant so much.

With that being said, the community needs to do more to recognize this community. We all

should be giving theses people more opportunities to be heard, to be encouraged, and to feel

accepted by all.

The therapeutic day treatment program has confirmed me a lot about views and my

approach to others. I have always been taught to “not judge a book by its cover because I am no

better or no less than anyone.” One main thing I confirmed was to be grateful for what I have.

Some of these kids are not getting their basic needs fulfilled, and that is something that most

people take advantage of. Another thing I have established was that everyone has a different

story, so it is important to listen and not judge. Finding the things that increase the quality of life

for anyone is important. Things that can increase the quality of life can just be as simple as

listening, encouraging, teaching, and building trust. I feel like this is a key factor in

understanding your patients as a nurse. We are dealing with these people at their most vulnerable

times. With that being said, they are looking for us to teach them and to understand them so they

can know what’s going on and the best treatment for them. This experience was definitely an

eye opener and a refresher of the importance of all people. It is important to interact with people

appropriately and to understand your patient. It is important to have a great attitude at all times

when interacting with people. I believe that every nurse should experience the mental health

community.
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Resources

Heinitz, B. (2018, October 24). Day Treatment Qualifications for St. Joesph's Villa. (A. Brooks,
Interviewer)
St. Joesph's Villa . (2018). About Us. Retrieved from St. Joesph's Villa :
https://www.neverstopbelieving.org