When I was applying to Taller De José, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I knew what the mission was and the goals we had for meeting with clients. What I didn’t know was how much I was actually going to impact the client’s lives. There have been a few examples of where I could feel and see that I was impacting the clients.
A woman came to Taller de José for an appointment and told me that she had been in this country for 10 years without her kids and felt alone. She recently became a citizen and wanted help to start the petition for her kids. Once I was done helping her, I talked to her about the rest of our services, and she told me that she felt welcomed and was glad that she was able to find a community that she could rely on. She shared that she had a couple of other people in mind that she was going to refer to our organization. I was able to make her feel welcomed and comfortable.
Another gentleman came in seeking help with his car accident case. He was short-changed on it and wanted additional help. Through our conversation, the client expressed that he was also interested in mental health services. It was becoming difficult to find immediate help for this man due to most resources being booked up for months. After some time, the man said, “If you can’t find anything it’s okay”. I told him that I was in no rush and willing to spend more time searching. Mental health services are very important. After reassuring him that we weren’t going to stop looking, he felt relaxed and appreciated that we cared.
People have their guard up for many reasons. I am glad I was able to experience a few times where the client felt comfortable with me and was able to open up naturally.
