I remember reflecting early in my career about difficult situations I would often encounter and desire to help more than I could. As a crisis worker at the time, there were days when I'd long for resources that didn't exist, wishing I could magic someone a place to call their own or to trace back a family cycle of abuse to heal the entire tree. A supervisor introduced to me an acknowledgment that it is difficult to feel both responsible and powerless. I didn't have words for what I felt at that moment, but that seemed to fit. Those words were empowering.
Social workers, health care professionals, and therapists choose to walk with people........