Meaningful Moments

Statistics say that 50% of all psychologists have some hidden trauma that drove them to their profession.  I would bet that almost every healing profession has the same odds.  It doesn't need to be a huge trauma, but a life changing interaction. 

I have met more nurses who's had a family member in the depths of chronic illness and more physicians who have been "cured" of pediatric cancer.  Such is the same with social workers. 

I didn't know my staff all that well when I was a co-worker, but in an advisory role I find that the supervision sessions always bring up counter-transference from their past into current cases.  (Its a nice fancy way of saying that old feelings from the past get put into present time.)  I have social workers who have been displaced by DCFS, those who have gone through therapy in rough times, and those who are healing families when their own couldn't be saved.  Note:  there is a very fine line of those therapists who need therapy more than they should be giving it...its my job to sort these people out. 

I too have my own story, but that is not the purpose of the entry.  The fact that I know what is in my past and am self-aware is very important.  What I wonder about is what moments am I creating for others to choose this particular helping profession?  I think back to the most rewarding moments in my career and one really tops the list. 

It was a multi car MVA (car crash) that happened in Southern Utah.  The family was traveling from DC to LA for their first Disneyland vacation.  The two adults were lifeflighted to SLC with their younger son.  The oldest daugher (10 years of age) was flown to Phoenix.  This familiy was devistated.  The father was released the first day to be with his son who was on my unit.  His wife was still in intensive care.  I worked and worked to coordinate a transfer so that the family could be together.  In the meantime I provided notes to employers, insurance agents, phone cards for long distance, meal passes, transportation to get the luggage, charity flights to get them home once everyone was discharged, temporary housing, etc..  I had one of my favorite doctors in the Emergency Dept agree to do a doc to doc transfer and went up to our life flight offices to explain the situation myself.  It took 18 hours, but the daughter was transfered to our PICU (pediatric intensive care unit).  The father cried, the mother came to visit me in a wheelchair, the kids made me thank you notes and bought me a mylar baloon...I still have these in my desk.  The next week I was transferred to administration.  This was in August of 2003.

Before this incident I would have told you that my best career moment was when I was president of Tulane University's School of Social Work...I felt as though I was making a meaningful change in that role of leadership.  That was in 1998.  Now I can honestly say that it is the family moments that mean the most.  I have had countless traumas, deaths, and miracles in my professional life.  Only a few stand out. 

You never know in any interaction who will be the one most affected, the one most deeply changed.  I don't know where this family is now, but I hope they know how much of a difference they made in my life.  They reminded me of my roots and passion of why I chose this field in the first place.