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What has your life/work experience been that brought you to SCAN? What is your current role?
I previously worked at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital with their Violence Response Team for four years. I was a Victim Services Advocate, working alongside the Forensic Nurses, seeing pediatric and adult patients coming through the ER who had concerns of physical or sexual abuse. I felt inspired to become part of SCAN’s community due to my background in working with victims of violence and being a part of a multi-disciplinary team. My current role at SCAN is Family Advocate with the Child Advocacy Center at our Henrico CAC location. I have been a Family Advocate with the CAC since September 2024.
What inspires you to stay involved with SCAN?
Working in the field with families who have experienced violence, you have to redefine what success means or what it means for justice to be sought. There are small success stories with every encounter with families, but you just have to look closely. Perhaps a parent was certain their child would not talk during the forensic interview or wouldn’t go in the interview room without a parent by their side; but the child conquered their fear and spoke to the interviewer by themselves. Perhaps a parent or caregiver did not understand why their child didn’t initially tell them when the abuse occurred but are given information on the many reasons why kids don’t tell. The parent now understands that they the child didn’t tell because they were fearful of disrupting family dynamics or didn’t have the words to describe what happened. These glimpses of success, growth and understanding are what keeps me in the work.
Is there anything you wish other people knew about SCAN?
Being part of the Child Advocacy Center, one of SCAN’s programs, you realize the importance of teamwork. As a Family Advocate, I work closely with the Forensic Interviewer at the CAC, law enforcement, CPS, Victim Witness, Forensic Nurses, mental health, the Commonwealth’s Attorney, and other entities. Every member of this team is truly dedicated to helping children and families who have experienced abuse. As a team, we convene on a monthly basis to discuss cases and the needs of families. We talk about families by name, not a number, and everyone at the table is genuinely invested and puts in the effort to ensure that families feel heard, supported and safe.
What has been the best experience with SCAN so far?
Being a part of SCAN feels like being part of a family. The culture is warm, inviting, and supportive. Leaders want to see their employees grow by encouraging attendance at trainings, conferences, and other learning opportunities. Leaders understand that being a part of this work requires promotion of self-care and wellness.
What are any challenges you have faced in your work with SCAN?
A child’s healing journey is strongly linked to their parent or caregiver’s understanding of trauma and how it can affect the mind and the body, presence of compassion and empathy, and providing an environment that is conducive to healthy communication and active listening. As a Family Advocate, I meet with many parents who disclose their own personal histories of trauma. Sometimes parents and caregivers use this as a strength and have completed the years of therapy to process the trauma. On the other hand, some parents and caregivers who have personal histories of trauma feel triggered by the child’s trauma. As a Family Advocate, assisting the entire family unit is crucial, which includes caregiver resources on self-care, burnout, vicarious trauma and ultimately connecting caregivers to therapy or additional support.
Do you have any goals or hopes for the next year with SCAN? Is there anything coming up/happening in your work that you are excited about or want to share?
One goal of mine is to begin the process of pursuing my License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW). I graduated from VCU with an MSW and have been interested in completing the hours to receive my license.
Are you involved with any other community organizations, hobbies, or activities?
My hobbies include riding my Peloton bike (yes; even after COVID I still love it!), spending time outside, trying all the new sweet treats and foods at Trader Joe’s, walking to Carytown, trying new and local Richmond restaurants, seeing live music—I love the Friday Cheers events on Brown’s Island and very excited to see a concert at the new amphitheater in Richmond this summer, and spending time with friends and my family in Harrisonburg. I also love traveling to Outer Banks with my fiancé and his family.
What might someone be surprised to learn about you?
I was a competitive swimmer growing up. My events were long distance freestyle and the butterfly. I spent most of my time as a child, teenager and young adult in the water, whether it was lifeguarding, coaching or swimming competitively.
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