The Prescott House Child Advocacy Center serves Jefferson County, Alabama so that children who have allegedly been the victim of abuse can tell their story in a safe, child-friendly environment. This is important because in the past these children would have had to be interviewed by social workers, law enforcement, and other agencies, which increases the risk of the child being retraumatized. Now they can tell their story once to a specially trained forensic interviewer. The careful process they use was fascinating and I was able to see how the theories I learned in my major had been applied to these processes. I wrote a paper on this which you can read by clicking the "Applying HDFS" button on the left.

 

As an intern in this environment, I was able to observe these interviews in order to better understand abuse and trauma. Hearing this day in and day out was difficult for me at times, but I was able to learn coping skills so that my functioning improved markedly over the semester. Through this experience I was also able to interact with professionals who work in social work, law enforcement, and public defense. Each week the members of these agencies would come to team reviews, where they would discuss the open cases and make decisions about what needs to be done for the case. In this way, I became acquainted with the processes of each of these agencies and the practice of justice and law. I also observed how these persons function together as a team and how to foster cooperation. 

 

Since Prescott House is a non-profit, I learned about grant writing and the intricacies of it. I aided in fundraisers and now understand the difficulties faced in raising money for the important work done by non-profits, which gave me a new appreciation for it. 

 

On a more basic level, I learned to function well within a work environment and take initiative to get the job done. One way I did this was by creating an excel program which would aid in statistics keeping. Generally, I kept the Prescott House running smoothly by doing victim advocacy, paperwork, filing, answering emails, and fulfilling receptionist duties. Along with these practical skills, I learned the importance of building rapport with my coworkers, especially in such a taxing field. 

 

In the future, I expect to look back on this internship as a pivotal time in my life. I learned better how to function within a professional environment and work with others as a team. I also became more knowledgeable about how the world of child advocacy and law enforcement works and better understand children who have experienced trauma. All these are skills I will take with me into my future jobs.