Talking with Trudi

I've known Trudi for several years and recently chatted with her about her work. Since leaving county social services, she has been a volunteer child advocate and now coordinates the Listening Post, a drop-by counseling program at San Jose State, where I volunteer once a week as a listener. She didn't choose to be a social worker; it was chosen for her. She was an English major, a new faculty wife in a Texas University town; the family needed more income, her in-laws suggested social work and urged her to take the state civil service exam. She passed, and with her husband's family influence, got a job (without any training) as a nursing home social worker. She later applied for opening in the adoption unit and was successful. She received excellent on-the-job training and supervision and found she enjoyed working with foster, adoptive and birth parents. After her divorce she moved to California, studied for a social work degree at SJSU, and continued her work in adoptions for Santa Clara county social services. She became an advocate for birth parents when she realized that no one was giving them a voice in the court system. She felt that she was making a difference working within the system, though not "for the system." She worked with school counselors and teachers and found them the best sources of information on children's welfare; a teacher the only person at the time who had an ongoing interest a child's welfare. She has found that her writing skills as an English major were an asset in compiling and documenting records for court appearances. What advice does she have for people considering a career in counseling? Volunteer in some capacity in an agency where you have an interest, so you can find out what it's like, if it's an area you'll want to pursue.