Skip to main content

Family Services Intern

Hi! My name is Caitlyn and I am the current intern for Family Services in Fort Worth and will be here through December. I am a social work graduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) working towards becoming a LMSW. I will also graduate in December.

Family Services provides post-adoption support for families who have adopted internationally. Some of our services include: parent education and training, home study services, counseling and support resources. As the Family Services intern I have had the opportunity to learn about the services we provide and review follow-up reports from our adoptive families. So far, I have spent a lot of time with Uncle Ricoh (our trusty copier/printer) and sending these reports to the country where the children were adopted (Ethiopia, Taiwan, Russia). I love reading up on how the children are adjusting and thriving with their family in the U.S. and I especially love seeing pictures of their sweet faces! Soon I will be able to take part in visiting some of these families with our Counselors and experience the post-adoption services we provide first hand.

I am so glad to be an intern at Gladney and I know that my experience will be one to remember! It has been my goal since I began my graduate studies to intern at Gladney and now that it has become reality, I feel blessed beyond measure for this wonderful opportunity. From day one I felt an overwhelming sense of community and family here and I am so happy to be a part of what God is accomplishing through this amazing agency.

Caitlyn Ussery | Family Services Program Intern

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

It's not Business, It's Personal

Well, it is the beginning of my second full week here at Gladney as an intern, and it has been wonderful! I think that my favorite part about being here, besides the free cake that randomly shows up in the break room, is the people that are here. I have felt continually supported by each person I come in contact with. Each time I ask a question, or look lost, I am anwered with a smiling face and a helpful attitude! So, thank you Gladney staff! :) As I am typing this, I am overhearing a conversation with a caseworker and one of their clients, and the caseworker is getting to tell the family that they will be able to travel to visit a child in the next month! On the phone the mother started crying at the thought of, possibly , seeing their new baby in a month...and then I started crying as I recognized how special and personal this work is. What is done here touches lives, not only the families lives, but the staff's (and intern's) as well! That family will be changed from today ...

Gladney's ABC program

Today I spent most of my time researching how Gladney can improve the web presence of their ABC program. Gladney's ABC program helps place African American and biracial babies with families. In researcing this topic, I learned that there are far more biracial and African American babies who need homes than caucasion ones. Therefore, I think it is important that Gladney do increase the web presence of their ABC program to bring awareness to the availability and need of biracial and African American babies to be adopted. Here's Gladney's ABC page on their website: http://http//www.adoptionsbygladney.com/html/abc/index.php Overall, I thought it would be a great idea for Gladney to provide links for biracial and African American moms to search for prospective parents who want to adopt from the ABC program so that they could more easily find a match and good family for their baby. Hopefully, making the ABC program more accessible will influence prospective adoptive parent...

My Dream Come True!

Have you ever had a moment that you thought was insignificant, but it ended up shaping your life and career in a way you never anticipated? That’s how this dream all started! I was thirteen years old, and a group of children from a Russian orphanage traveled to the United States for a summer camp. These precious children were hosted by families interested in adopting them, loving them and giving them a bright future! Many families adopted, and during that time, I witnessed some of the most authentic, selfless sacrifices and love I could ever imagine. My heart broke that day for the fatherless.   Fast forward a few years… okay maybe more like ten, I began passionately pursuing a career in Social Work, knowing my emphasis was going toward children and families. Though I knew there was a need for social workers in CPS, I dreamed of being in an adoption agency. In 2014, my parents were empty nesters and felt called to foster. We were placed with a sweet eight month old boy, who ne...