Confidentiality is key in social work. No matter what country one is practicing social work, the number one thing discussed is confidentiality. In a therapeutic setting, that confidentiality is defined as: Anything said will not be repeated or shared with anyone else unless the client intends to hurt themselves, the client intends to hurt someone, someone intends to hurt the client, or if the client gives specific permission as to what may be shared to whom.
Me and the school social worker preparing for a day full of group work. I work with the best people!
As you may remember from previous posts, here in Cape Town, I have a social work internship. I am working side by side with our school social worker, and we work together to best serve our learners by supporting and counseling them in a multitude of ways. I would love nothing more than to share stories from my internship to show you how I have been growing and processing alongside hearing powerful stories from incredible young individuals who exude endless resiliency and compassion, but the reality is that as a social worker I must maintain confidentiality. Even leaving names out of stories and examples would still not follow confidentiality protocol. Therefore, this blog will continue to highlight a different side of life here.
I know it might be strange reading a travel blog from someone who went abroad to do service, but yet none of their posts are really about that service. However, I believe there is a deeper concept to be understood here.
Service is not about being able to tell stories of the “good” you are doing. Donating is not about feeling good because you see a sad child being cared for by someone you donated to. Interning is not about telling everything you know to an organization who needs help and telling them what they need to do to be better.
Service is about being humble and learning how to compassionately help. Donating is about supporting someone you believe is doing good work and financially assisting them in their personal and professional growth. Interning is about using your gifts and talents to be of service to others and grow while intentionally learning from a different perspective.
2 current Lumos Travelers and 1 past Lumos Traveler. Oh how thankful I am for them!
So the rest of this blog might not be what you expect from a service travel blog, but it will still be filled with stories and reflection. I hope to be able to show you more of what life is like here, being an international woman living alongside people from all over the world, learning a new way of life in a new, incredible culture.
Love Always,
Lexi Sweeney