Unsung Heros: Celebrating A Colleague. A Mentor. A Friend.

Written By Carrie Freshour

Last week I talked about a child advocacy center (CAC) here in Maryland, BCAC, and The Center for Hope, an integral part of my life.

Today, I want to highlight another CAC doing fantastic work to protect kids—CARES Northwest. http://www.caresnw.org/ as I honor one of their unsung heroes.

CARES stands for Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Services. They are a collaborative community-based medical model CAC that has long been a leader in the field in the #pacificnorthwest. One of the first to pair medical practitioners with clinical interviewers and take a whole-child approach to evaluate child abuse and neglect.

Who I want to honor is a woman who has been behind the scenes, giving 26 years of her career to being a leading force and a fierce advocate for children at CARES NW. Today marks the end of an era for her as she moves into a new season of life and work. Meet my friend @Karenphiffer. Karen was my placement supervisor during my last year of graduate school when we first met back in 2007.

I was a working mama of 2, attending graduate school at #PortlandStateUnivereisty at night to obtain my MSW. I was intentional about where I wanted to serve my internships during that time, given I had already spent years in the field, I went into it looking to fill gaps that I thought would complement my social work background as I launched my personal vision of my future career—leading me to where I am today.

Karen is an insightful and compassionate #socialworker, but she was so much more. As a leader, she exemplified self-care in work and knew it was necessary for longevity in the field. She established vicarious trauma sessions for her team to participate in routinely. She was innovative in her approach, leadership, and advocacy of consultive sub-specialties services for child abuse evaluations within the local hospitals and clinics.

She planed the occasional (and always fun) evening events with our team and our significant others #murdermysterydinners, and she choreographed amazing hospital team costumes for Halloween, putting the #CARESNW team on the Legacy Emmanuel Hospital Halloween Contest map!

We shared a love for soccer. We bonded over philosophical conversations around child abuse and neglect, family systems, and multi-generational trauma theories. We connected over child advocacy as mama’s and navigated the education of our children, and sought what was best for them and their learning styles.  

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She taught me that you needed a good sense of—humor, humility, and sarcastic (sometimes dry) humor to stay in this field for the long haul.

 

Her insight and pensiveness to each and every child’s story, her forward-thinking leadership—She is a change agent!

 

She imparted advocating for children without shaming or judging. Seeking to understand and showing humanity to others. Aiming to teach, to educate. Putting attention into prevention. Breaking down stigma and talking openly about child abuse to prevent further child abuse.

 

Her insight and pensiveness to each and every child’s story, her forward-thinking leadership—She is a change agent!

She imparted advocating for children without shaming or judging. Seeking to understand and showing humanity to others. Aiming to teach, to educate. Putting attention to prevention. Breaking down stigma and talking openly about child abuse to prevent further child abuse.

When I moved to the East Coast in 2010 – A tough move for me for many reasons, one that took me several years to grow through-- she surprised me with the sweetest gift. She sent me on a scavenger hunt in my new town of #EllicottCity in down #OLDELLICOTTCITY in search of chocolate from Cascade chocolates, Wine from the wine bin, dinner at, and a few lovely gifts from the journey from junk and sweet Elisabeth Janes (fact check names-year and stores at the time). Each place leading me to the next. I mean, who thinks of that?

Karen, I have looked up to you as a social worker, as a leader, and as a bad ass lady boss. You have been an important mentor and cherished colleague and you will be a life-long friend. So, I shout from the EAST coast to the WEST-- Congratulations on a successful career and new beginnings! You are going to continue to do great things, my friend!

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CARES Northwest’s mission is to stop child abuse and neglect through multidisciplinary prevention, medical evaluation, and ongoing treatment in partnership with our community.

 
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To all you new and fresh social workers in the #PDX – check out CARES NW for your internships and careers. There are still some of my FAVORITES, and equally, fantastic colleague’s doing amazing things to protect kids over there:  Kim, Jeanie, Sally to name a few— I have thought of you and our insightful conversations many times throughout my career! #socialwork

#TFCBT #Medicalsocialwork #CAC #nationalchildrensalliance #PDX #Traumainformed #trainer #consultant #preventchildabuse #survivors #breakdownstigma #socialworkconsultant

http://www.caresnw.org/donate/

Give back and support the work of CARES

Carrie Freshour

Carrie Freshour is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and founder of Carrie Freshour Consulting, LLC, a firm that empowers and equips individuals and teams to maximize their potential, navigate systems change and break down stigma to address the long-standing needs in the behavioral health field. Equity, fairness, and equality are at the core of the strategies she guides her individual and group clients to implement. Carrie leads from a purpose-filled lens of strength and resilience, weaving together her lived experience, clinical training, and executive leadership; She’s not afraid to have hard conversations to help teams, organizations, and people break through barriers to achieve and sustain results.

Having worked as a clinical social worker for over twenty-five years, she has extensive experience developing programs, and public awareness efforts, writing policies, and creating training curriculums in diverse settings. She’s a dynamic speaker and facilitator, leading community conversations and conducting community-wide assessments. In addition, she has led internal organizational operations and created inclusive cultures that empower teams to work authentically and transparently.

http://carriefreshourconsulting.com
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