Working in human services allows an individual to help almost everybody. When deciding what institution or organization to open and who to help, the options are limitless. Too often, the invisible individuals are still left on the margins of society, unfortunately. The minorities, those who do not speak English, the hearing impaired and disabled, and children are often forgotten. Unfortunately, resources for children who are homeless are often forgotten, perhaps because nobody comprehends this happen, or wants to admit it is an issue that faces society. The reality is over two million American children were homeless in 2014, making it a prevalent issue . For this reason, I want to establish an agency that counsels and caters to homeless youth, allowing them to have a safe place to express themselves and find shelter. I am choosing this group because not enough people do, and the impact of homelessness on a child is insurmountable, but it can be reversed if we take the time to help.
As stated, the agency will specialize in child homelessness, or youth homelessness. Ages will range from birth to the age of eighteen. We will help children, adolescents, and teens in the community establish a safe space wherein they can seek refuge when necessary. By definition, the agency will not strip the youth of the title, “homeless,” but it will allow the youths to have access to several different resources that they otherwise would not have had access to if they had lived with abusive friends and family, or attempted to live on the streets, as stated in, “Homelessness: A National Perspective .” Counseling is the primary service that will be offered. A sense of community will be offered to the youths, which will help establish a grounding sense of home that otherwise would not have been available. When the resources are available, tutoring will also be available. Regular donations related to clothes, food, and school supplies will regularly be taken in, as well.
As with any human services endeavor, a code of ethics is important in order to manage the area properly and make sure the occupant’s needs are satisfactorily met. The code of ethics must be understood by the entire staff, including volunteers, prior to opening the agency. It must include elements that protect the individuals. For example, when counseling youths, they must be privy to the same confidentiality rights of any other counseling patient. Moreover, the rights of runaways, who would also be considered homeless at that point, must also be respected in a counseling situation. Communication must be a part of the code of ethics. Victim blaming must also be a part of the code of ethics; volunteers and employs must recognize as a part of the code that some children run away due to abuse, which is systemic and not the child’s fault. At the agency, we do not blame the victim, we only help the victim. Helping the victim will include respecting the youth, understanding their circumstance to the best of our ability and to the extent that the youth shares, and approaching the situation from a position of advocacy as defined by the youth. Finally, the code of ethics must strive to protect the client’s confidentiality, and ensure our actions remain consistent with our previously stated beliefs, and the safety of the client. Unacceptable behavior would include denying the client’s right to privacy, approaching any situation from a position that is outside that of a position of advocacy, breaching confidentiality, blaming the victim, or going against any of the other aforementioned policies.
Though the code of ethics appears sound, there are still issues that can arise. For example, if a minor runs away and seeks refuge with the agency, legal discourse must be taken if a parent or guardian attempts to take them back, even if abuse has been documented. Legal guardians, regardless of their disposition toward their children, may seek to claim a client in which case we have no claim on the youth without breaking confidentiality or technically kidnapping the youth. We may be forced to breach our own promise to protect clients in such case, which we must be prepared to do; if the agency is shut down indefinitely due to such behavior, nobody is helped. Proper legal courses of action can be taken that will allow us to help any individual whom we may feel is being wronged even if a temporary breach in ethics is unfortunately encountered.
Addressing issues in the community would be the primary and best constructed practices we have in the agency. Homelessness is often overlooked, especially when involving children. For example, an estimated seventy percent of children who have disciplinary or educational difficulties in school are often suffering from problems at home and thirty percent of those children are, at any point in time, homeless . The effect of homelessness on children takes a toll both physically and emotionally on children, not only during the time of homelessness, but also for years after if the issue is not noticed and corrected. Children who are causing disturbances in society may also be struggling with this issue, as well. If children, often running in what are commonly known as gangs, are causing problems on public property or in business, committing crimes, or harming others, they may not have a stable home, or authoritative figures to discipline them. Recognizing these issues within society, and how to remedy them would allow us to recognize troubled youth in society, which would allow us to understand how to help them at our agency to the best of our ability.
While several counseling styles would be effective to use at the agency, two would be better suited for children, adolescents, and teens: family theory counseling, and counseling through expressive arts. Family counseling would allow youths and families open to the process to nurture intimate relationships that have been damaged by the stress and strain of socioeconomic ruin . Other issues, such as alcoholism and addiction, mistrust, or if the child is a runaway may be part of why these bonds were broken, but family therapy will allow these issues to be addressed. Expressive art therapy, atypical for some therapists, will be primarily used for younger clients. However, it can be used for all clients at the agency as it is a different freedom of expression that may allow each individual to reveal things they may be hiding that needs to be discussed with a professional . This creative form of counseling will allow clients to divulge secrets in a way that does not seem so frightening or intimate; at times they may not even realize they are being counseled, which may be of comfort to some patients. They will still reap the benefits of counseling which is the aim of the agency . Professional development within the agency would always be fostered in a healthy and positive way, provided it did not harm the patient.
Counselors would be expected to grow close to clients within the context of the code of ethics; should they suspect there is a counseling technique that would glean better results for one client than another, it could be approached with caution after being discussed with superiors. Caregiver burnout would need to be avoided, as well. Employees and volunteers would be encouraged to take care of themselves personally and professionally. In an effort to help employees feel sustained and professionally fulfilled, I would attempt to keep them on the forefront of counseling techniques. Resources allowing them to attend local seminars would be allotted. Should they want to attempt different techniques to connect with clients, it would be encouraged until it proved to be a detriment to the client.
In sum, through these endeavors the agency would be fit to help homeless youth. Children, adolescents, and teens could benefit from all resources, primarily counseling. Employees and volunteers would have a strict code of ethics to adhere to, which would protect both employees and clients. Professional and personal care would be stressed toward employees in order to avoid caregiver burnout. This would be in the best interest of the employee, but also the client, allowing us to continue assessing community needs, helping homeless youth while lowering the estimate and diminishing affects homelessness has on this demographic.
References
Cronley, C., Jeong, S., Davis, J. B., & Madden, E. (2015). Effects of Homelessness and Child Maltreatment on the Likelihood of Engaging in Property and Violent Crime During Adulthood. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 195-203.
Dykeman, C. (2011). Family Theory. In D. Capuzzi, & D. Gross, Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theories and Interventions (pp. 287-311). Alexandria: American Counseling Associations.
Robertson, M. J. (2013). Homelessness: A National Perspective. Chicago: Springer Business and Science Media.
Van Velsor, P. (2013). Thinking creatively: Expressive arts for counseling youth in the schools . American Counseling Association.
