The Journey to Social Work

Hello! My name is Haley Nguyen, and I became involved with the Children’s Healing Center in June 2021.

I am currently in the master’s Social Work program at Grand Valley State University. A passion of mine has always been working with children. I have worked at a daycare, volunteered at the Children’s Advocacy Center, and currently work with children and adults with developmental disabilities. My hope for the future is to work in the medical field as a social worker, specifically with children, so I knew the Children’s Healing Center would be an excellent opportunity for me to become more involved and gain experience working with children. I have enjoyed my time here, providing social and emotional support for the kids, interacting with them, and engaging in fun and safe learning activities.

The Children’s Healing Center is a fun-filled, safe learning environment for children ages 0 to 24 years old. I have had the pleasure to work with a caring, creative, and intelligent staff that is always open to suggestions, as they value everyone’s input in being able to make improvements in the age-appropriate activities provided to the children. The Center emphasizes the importance of providing a clean environment and building positive relationships with all children. It has been wonderful to see the children develop friendships with their peers. The place is important because it allows children to grow, build long-lasting connections, and be themselves.

My time at the Center has been amazing and the experience is something I will always cherish and be thankful for. Because of my profession, I am familiar with trauma and diagnosis, but my time here has added to my expertise and helped me grow as a person. I have learned how trauma and diagnosis affect a child and their family and how we can be a light for the children. I am a part of the “Little Tots Program,” and seeing the children’s growth from the beginning to now has been meaningful; I have seen such a significant difference in how the kids interact with each other because of their comfort level. It has been a privilege for me to be in the lives of the children as I have enjoyed watching not only the children form connections but also their family members. I have learned so many important lessons during my time here and will apply that to my future practice.