RICHMOND, Va. -- March is Social Work Month, a time to celebrate social workers who dedicate their lives to helping other people. The theme for Social Work Month 2023 is Social Work Breaks Barriers.
Denise Purgold has served Richmond-area families, children, and foster families for 25 years.
She is an adoption supervisor with UMFS, a non-profit organization based in Richmond, that provides foster care, residential treatment, and private day school for students with disabilities and other issues.
“One of the big changes, I think, is more awareness about trauma and agencies and providers and parents being more trauma informed, which was not always the case,” Purgold said when asked to reflect on what has changed within her profession over the last two decades.
More awareness of trauma has led to an increase in children diagnosed with mental health issues and other possible hindrances.
But she said that increase doesn’t address the severity of the issues that she is now experiencing.
“Our children in our therapeutic foster care programs now seem to be struggling at a level that our residential kids were when I started. So we're providing services to kids who have a higher level of need and a lower level of service,” she said.
Purgold helps adopted families better navigate issues with children.
Part of that is realizing that some behavior tactics, like praise and rewards, may not help some kids.
“When you understand trauma, you realize that their brain is in a different state and they can't necessarily stop,” she explained. “We have to help them with regulation.”
She works to help adoptive families maintain relationships with the child's biological family, but that can't always happen.
Danielle Pitchford has spent about 10 years in the social work profession and has worked at UMFS for half of those years.
She serves as a senior intensive care coordinator. Pitchford said her focus is to help stabilize families.
“The resiliency of families — they don't give up,” she said. “They just need someone to help encourage them, to be their cheerleader, and to really walk alongside with them.”
Pitchford stated that her life experiences have helped lead her to this work and her passion.
“Not being from very fortunate circumstances and really having to prove myself as a young Black woman — I think that my initiatives and my drives is really to empower families to use their voice,” she said.
The Richmond Association of Black Social Workers (RABSW) is accepting applications for their 2023 scholarship. The application deadline is April 1. Email richmondabswscholarship@gmail.com for more information.
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