Harm Reduction Print

“I met Sara for the first time at the house of our mutual friend, Grace- we were gathered to help with a home improvement project and we had hours to talk as we taped, primed and painted Grace’s kitchen walls. We talked about our jobs, I shared that my first social work job was a bitter disappointment. The homeless shelter was so poorly run, with residents living with dirty clothes, lice, poor nutrition, and the most creatively lazy interpretation of “harm reduction” I had ever heard of. I had recently quit and reported what I witnessed to every oversight board and ethics committee possible. I was crushed, I wondered if social work even was for me. I was so moved when, months after initially meeting Sara, she sent me a painting of a healthcare worker with a mask made out of folded hands clasped over the mouth and expressed that the painting was inspired by our conversation. The image resonated so deeply with me, it really spoke to the struggle of being a helper, a human being navigating the complex waters of our own trauma and burn out and the sorrow of making meaningful change in a broken system. This painting acknowledges the plight of helping professionals as human beings, and the need for dignity for both the people in service and the people being served.” - Beth Hagen