英格丽·韦斯·斯利克斯

Slikkers graduated from bet365中文大学 in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in English/communication and has been a full-time assistant professor of social work at Andrews for two years. She also works with Bethany Christian Services where she consults and supervises clinical areas for their Southwest Michigan Immigrant and Refugee programs.

你从事的是什么能让你改变周围的世界?

在过去的五年里, I have been able to work with Bethany Christian Services with unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children. I was given the chance to help develop the foster care and educational program in Southwest Michigan, but more importantly to use my clinical/therapeutic skills to create a trauma-informed environment where the children could feel safe and begin to heal from the emotional and psychological trauma they have witnessed and experienced. This included working with students from bet365中文大学 as interns in the field and in the last two years being involved with students on a full-time basis as social work faculty.

过去的一年, I have also been in partnership with Advocates for Southeast Asians and the Persecuted (ASAP Ministries) in the development of trauma awareness programs to be implemented domestically and internationally that can be modified for use with children and adults. 我们称之为StepS(感觉创伤教育项目). 它提供了至少三个不同级别的培训, 一个给那些帮助难民的人(帮助的步骤), 一个是为难民自己准备的(《bet365中文》), 还有一个是专门针对儿童的(StepS for children). StepS to Healing seeks to deliver introductory trauma education and provides intentional ideas and sensory related tools to encourage healing within the context of relationships.

By having been given the ability to develop trauma-informed therapeutic tools and interventions for healing during my years at Bethany, we are now able to use these modalities to share tools and educate people how to understand and begin to heal within their own communities. 因为这些工具是基于人类的感官, they are able to cross culture and languages and begin to heal many who have been so fractured due to fleeing their country of origin. This is very important as most do not have access to professional mental health services.

这个工程的范围是上帝允许的最大范围. 我们希望继续帮助那些流离失所的人, 无论是在这个国家还是在世界其他地区的难民集会. We are fortunate to have already presented domestically and in a refugee camp in Thailand last March through our partnership with ASAP.

你是如何进入这项工作/活动/项目的.?

五年前，我被邀请为伯大尼基督教服务机构做专业工作. I was working in a different program and was asked if I would take this on based on being bilingual and having worked within the Latino community. 最初, the program started with unaccompanied children coming from the border who were only Spanish-speaking. StepS项目是在与Julia O 'Carey交谈后发展起来的, ASAP主任, 去年秋天在bet365中文举行的难民会议上. 这段对话和其他类似的对话, which addressed the understanding of the impact of trauma on the brain and the healing that can occur as documented by research and science, 对项目的发展有影响吗. 即使在这种可怕的无法形容的情况下，上帝也给了我们希望. 整体, my students and I seek to bring hope and the start of healing by providing awareness of trauma and interventions as we are able.

你是如何被改变的?

我知道神会在祂要你去的地方给你惊喜. 我是一个有计划的人，我从来没有想过我的未来会是这样. It is exciting to see new modalities and treatments develop and witness how they can be applied in the field. I encourage students to do this and to stand in awe that in a fractured world God gives us ways to heal and hope.

I also sometimes feel sad by hearing other’s perspective on refugees and immigrants but I continue to go back to Matthew 25 and strive to live my life in that way. At times, I am surprised by the people I serve alongside with and their spirit of service. 我的学生给了我无以言表的启发! The immigrants and refugees themselves are so beautiful and strong and being with them reminds me of the God who wants restoration for all.

我的世界观也改变了. 现在，当我看着别人的眼睛，听着他们的故事，我就会有这种感觉, 我怎么能不让这件事改变我? 我怎么能不以某种方式回应他们?

诚实, the most influential part of my work has been the ability to spread awareness and to see hope in relationships. It has been wonderful to provide a bit of safety for kids in our care and impact them for the future. The fact that their little brains experienced some healing while they were in our care and that we can share this information with communities is very influential. 我喜欢听别人说, “我再也不会像以前那样思考大脑了,或者“我现在对所有人的看法都不同了。.”

你是如何改变别人的?

The work that I do has hopefully given hope to those who are struggling and given a trauma perspective and understanding to staff, 学生和其他人.

I have seen people be changed when they are able to “name” it (“to name it is to tame it”) and start doing intentional healing. 当你帮助他们时，人们会感激你, 让他们和孩子团聚, 或者保护他们的孩子在美国的安全.S. 当人们开始看到治愈是可能的希望时，这是非常令人振奋的. When someone tells you their story and you see visibly that their body has released some of their pain it is evident that “what’s shareable is bearable.” 学生 and staff have said that seeing things through the trauma lens has changed the way they view others as “what’s happened to you” versus “what’s wrong with you.” Sometimes it’s as simple as having shared and educated on the importance of safe physical touch being healing (something as simple as a hug) and having a refugee hug and cling to you because they felt safe enough to do that and may not have felt that form of human connection before. 当我们在泰国的难民营时，我让一位年轻的母亲这样做. 这对我的影响很大，我相信对她的影响也很大.

We hope our work has impacted those we serve, but I know our work is impacting our students. 在他们的眼中，我看到了他们对人们困境的日益理解, 但也有治愈的希望.