TRUST
I've been a Volunteer Advocacy Worker for about six years now, and have become one of the more senior among the group. The 'job' is rewarding, frustrating, educational, confusing, demanding, funny, sad, inspiring, gut wrenching, worrying, hilarious and weird, all rolled into one. Varied too. I have met some very interesting people, some very baffling people, the odd slightly threatening person. I have tried to help people deal with problems with housing, benefits, doctors, dentists, lawyers, family, psychiatrists, social workers, the council and many more. I've learned the difference between post natal depression and post partum psychosis, which is something I never ever anticipated happening! And I've learned to deal with what's thrown at me, find out where I don't know, rely on others and rely on my own ability to relate to people.It's never dull.
But the one aspect of the work that always amazes me, and, I hope, always will, is how quickly so many vulnerable people are able to trust me with very intimate details of their lives. In part it's because they have come for help, and that Advocard, as an organisation, strives to maintain a strong reputation for being independent and willing to give what assistance they can through advocacy. In part it may reflect how desperate many of the people we see are. And I hoper a part of it is that, with all the practice I've had, I have developed ways of making people feel at ease. But even taking these things into account it is still incredible that within fifteen or twenty minutes of meeting this total stranger they are able to talk about problems they have going to the toilet, or lacking the motivation to wash for days on end, or if they have recently felt suicidal - all subjects I have to ask about if I'm helping them prepare for a benefits assessment (and don't get me started on how inhumane that bloody system is now...).
Trust. It's never easy to give it to anyone. Less so to someone you've met for the first time a few minutes ago. Not everyone does, and with some it's a long battle to win that precious commodity. But so many do, and that is, with apologies for the cliche, consistently humbling. I'm very lucky.
