Extending an Arm: Service in Social Work
06/04/2018
“I extend my arm and then ask them to hold … I have to trust that they’re going to hold on while I turn my head away,” said Colleen Doyle, describing her work at a suicide hotline.
Doyle answered calls during the night shifts to fulfill a practicum requirement as part of her social work degree at Saint Louis University. But long after she fulfilled the required coursework hours, Doyle continued to volunteer at Provident, a St. Louis mental health agency.
“I learned to listen… how to not panic under pressure… organize my time more effectively. We answered every single call that came in and sometimes I had to put people on hold. What I learned about the human existence is that people who are down on their luck–addicted to drugs, unemployed, having some scary suicide ideation–they want to find a way to make it better,” she said of her three years at the 24/7 crisis line.
In addition to her work at Provident, Doyle also volunteers with PROMO, Missouri’s Statewide LGBT Group, making cold calls to communities about relevant legislation, including the now-defeated Missouri Religious Freedom Act.
Talking with local business owners in Columbia, Springfield and St. Charles, about legislation related to LGBTQIA issues is not for the thin-skinned, says Doyle; many hung up or yelled at her. But, it was good training for her as a future social worker.
“If you only talk with people that you agree with, you’re not going to change much of anything. You don’t have to change their mind; [by] just understanding their point of view, you can help them hear you,” Doyle says, adding: “It might be a slow burn.”
In addition to her service, Doyle recently graduated with a Master of Social Work degree from Saint Louis University. She hopes to use the skills she learned through coursework and service to continue advocating for diversity inclusion or her new passion: financial social work.
About the College for Public Health and Social Justice
The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities.
It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the College offers nationally recognized programs in public health, social work, health administration, applied behavior analysis, criminology and criminal justice and urban planning and development.