Responding

In response to the person who expressed concern about my blogging . . . I would like to point out that I take pains to not identify my agency, my community, or even the state in which I live. I never use client names, and what you don't know is that I frequently alter details about the client, the time line, or specifics of the story so that even if the client herself read it . . . she might say "that sounds a lot like what I went through" but not "that's me."

I tell client stories for two reasons . . . one, because I have absorbed a lot over the years and need an outlet so that I don't burn out and two, because I think that there are lessons to be learned about the experiences of women, survivors, and allies. You may notice that when I write about clients . . . I'm also writing about my thoughts and feelings and impressions as much as the client's experience.

As for boundaries . . . I have very good boundaries . . . of course, I know this because I know what I've been doing over the years. Anyone reading this blog, naturally, is only getting a small snapshot of my experiences. I'll go back and look, but I think that I took pains to indicate that driving clients is a rarity . . . but in a human service organization, sometimes we must be willing to extend ourselves in order to best serve our clients.

In the specific case of the client I transport, I do so as a specific favor to her and her doctor. She is unable to get counseling otherwise. Her first appointment with us, her doctor provided transportation and is willing to when I cannot. From one professional to another, the doctor assured me that she lives in a safe situation . . . just doesn't have a car or drivers license.

Frankly, the flexibility to extend our services in a way that is truly helpful to clients is one of the aspects of the non-profit service agency I appreciate most.