March is National Social Work Month: Kristen Wilson
Kristen Wilson is from Navarre, Florida. She went to the University of West Florida and says she originally wanted to be a social worker to do counseling but wanted nothing to do with child welfare. However, the more and more she learned about the child welfare system and the needs of families, she knew that this would be her calling. She loved working with families in their homes to help accomplish their goals. She took her love for this work home and now her husband works in the social work field as well!
Kristen worked with a mom of 6 children who was living in a homeless shelter. “We would meet between her work shifts at a Burger King parking lot. She was motivated to work, but had a difficult time keeping a job due to having to call out with kids being sick. I was able to get her into income-based housing that she was able to afford with her part-time job and she found a job working remotely from home. When I closed out her case, she was planning a trip for her first cruise!”
Advice for a new social worker: “listen to their stories. Everybody has a story that needs to be heard. Advocate for others and teach others to advocate for themselves.”
In her spare time, when she’s not being awesome, Kristen loves true crime documentaries, video games, spending time with her 2 kids, and snuggling with her 3 cats.
Thank you, Kristen! You work hard and we appreciate you!
