Hello, and Welcome!
Why We Are Here
We are here to listen, not to work miracles.
We are here to help people discover what they are feeling, not to make feelings go away.
We are here to help people identify their options, not to decide for them what they should do.
We are here to discuss steps with people, not to take steps for them.
We are here to help people discover their own strength, not to rescue them and leave them more vulnerable.
We are here to help people discover that they can help themselves, not to take
responsibility for them.
We are here to help people learn to choose, not to make it unnecessary for them
to make difficult choices.
~Anonymous
Hello and Welcome! My name is Kristina and this my culminating, capstone portfolio for the Human Services Program (HSP) at Western Washington University (WWU).
Navigating this portfolio:
Below you will find a brief introduction, followed by statement of professional goals and philosophy of helping. To access information regarding my culminating depth project or to see a list of my appendices, just click on either of these links listed above. To access essays regarding the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) and program outcomes, click on the drop-down links that appear when you hover over the academic and professional breadth or program outcomes tabs above. You may notice certain words are underlined and hightlighted in some of essays- please click on these links if you wish to see examples of my work that relate to, and support my learning.
Introduction:
To help you better understand the person behind this portfolio, I will share with you a little bit about myself. As a 20 year-old young woman, I commonly identify as a daughter, sister, friend, leader, social-justice seeker, encourager, and as a person of faith, integrity and respect.
My experiences in the field of Human Services are vast, and with it so are the populations that I have worked with. I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside, and encouraging high school students as they work through team-building activities, and come to better understand their own unique leadership abilities. Thanks to two very different internship experiences, I have also worked with older adults suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s at an Adult Day Health (ADH) program, as well as families working with the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS). As I transition onward from the HSP, I hope to continue working with all three of above-mentioned populations in some way, both locally and internationally.
Professional Goals:
I am excited for the unknown, and all of the communities and populations that I have yet to work with. Through my work, I hope to maintain a sense of purpose and adventure, spending time as a Human Services professional abroad. I hope that my work will be engaging, and that I will know when to take risks and embark on new professional adventures that will challenging me, and cause me to continually evaluate my role as a professional. Within a few years after graduating from WWU, I plan on obtaining my Master’s degree in either International Care and Community Development (MICCD), or Social Work (MSW), and then further utilizing both new and old skills as a professional to continue serving in communities near and far.
Philosohpy of helping:
As far as I can think back, I've always been interested in service and helping others. Reflecting on how my views have shifted from when I first entered the program to now, it is evident that my original views on helping have been challenged, and reshaped. Similarly to the Why We are Here poem above, I've come to understand and view helping as an opportunity listen, support, encourage, and facilitate change- not to sugarcoat hardship and do things for someone. As a professional, it is not about what I can do for someone, but rather highlighting the strengths of clients, and what they can realistically achieve to live their best life.
We are here to listen, not to work miracles.
We are here to help people discover what they are feeling, not to make feelings go away.
We are here to help people identify their options, not to decide for them what they should do.
We are here to discuss steps with people, not to take steps for them.
We are here to help people discover their own strength, not to rescue them and leave them more vulnerable.
We are here to help people discover that they can help themselves, not to take
responsibility for them.
We are here to help people learn to choose, not to make it unnecessary for them
to make difficult choices.
~Anonymous
Hello and Welcome! My name is Kristina and this my culminating, capstone portfolio for the Human Services Program (HSP) at Western Washington University (WWU).
Navigating this portfolio:
Below you will find a brief introduction, followed by statement of professional goals and philosophy of helping. To access information regarding my culminating depth project or to see a list of my appendices, just click on either of these links listed above. To access essays regarding the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) and program outcomes, click on the drop-down links that appear when you hover over the academic and professional breadth or program outcomes tabs above. You may notice certain words are underlined and hightlighted in some of essays- please click on these links if you wish to see examples of my work that relate to, and support my learning.
Introduction:
To help you better understand the person behind this portfolio, I will share with you a little bit about myself. As a 20 year-old young woman, I commonly identify as a daughter, sister, friend, leader, social-justice seeker, encourager, and as a person of faith, integrity and respect.
My experiences in the field of Human Services are vast, and with it so are the populations that I have worked with. I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside, and encouraging high school students as they work through team-building activities, and come to better understand their own unique leadership abilities. Thanks to two very different internship experiences, I have also worked with older adults suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s at an Adult Day Health (ADH) program, as well as families working with the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS). As I transition onward from the HSP, I hope to continue working with all three of above-mentioned populations in some way, both locally and internationally.
Professional Goals:
I am excited for the unknown, and all of the communities and populations that I have yet to work with. Through my work, I hope to maintain a sense of purpose and adventure, spending time as a Human Services professional abroad. I hope that my work will be engaging, and that I will know when to take risks and embark on new professional adventures that will challenging me, and cause me to continually evaluate my role as a professional. Within a few years after graduating from WWU, I plan on obtaining my Master’s degree in either International Care and Community Development (MICCD), or Social Work (MSW), and then further utilizing both new and old skills as a professional to continue serving in communities near and far.
Philosohpy of helping:
As far as I can think back, I've always been interested in service and helping others. Reflecting on how my views have shifted from when I first entered the program to now, it is evident that my original views on helping have been challenged, and reshaped. Similarly to the Why We are Here poem above, I've come to understand and view helping as an opportunity listen, support, encourage, and facilitate change- not to sugarcoat hardship and do things for someone. As a professional, it is not about what I can do for someone, but rather highlighting the strengths of clients, and what they can realistically achieve to live their best life.