By Patty
When I first saw the work Taller de José did, I was intrigued. Reading the blogs of compañeras as they shared their stories and encounters made me even more interested. Now, as a new compañera here, it is my turn to share my experiences in my work and journeys with clients.
As I was watching the clock waiting to be called notifying me of the arrival of my client, all I could think was, what new challenges will we encounter on this journey? Will I be able to help the client? Am I mentally prepared to face whatever challenges this client brings to the table? Those questions were soon to be answered. 
First meeting my client, I always want to make them feel welcome and instill confidence in them as we go through the intake process. My client today, Norma*, is such a lovely lady. She is so friendly and talkative, and so thankful! Seeing how thankful she was I knew I couldn’t let her down! As she began to talk about her challenges, one after another, and tell the stories behind them I knew we had a long road in front of us. So that Norma or I didn’t become overwhelmed we began to break down the parts into different steps. We talked about what parts would be hard, what parts would be easy and started with what seemed most manageable to us that day.
Crossing tasks of the list, Norma was always so grateful for what we were able to accomplish together. Even though some things seemed small and tedious, we were slowly achieving a lot. Not only did Norma need my support navigating the barriers she faced, but I needed her support as well to make this plan, agree to the plan, and take these steps together. Every aspect of her case involved her and I working together as a team. That is really what Taller de José has shown me, that working together as a team we can make a long journey much more manageable and enjoyable.
*Names and details have been altered in order to preserve client’s privacy
