IQALUIT
Rachel Hollingshead said the start of her journey to social work was in childhood.
"I was always a really shy kid," she admitted. "I had an affinity with people's struggles and I found it easy to connect with people on an intimate or compassionate level. I always knew from a young age I would be in a 'helping' profession."
Rachel Hollingshead received a distinguished service award. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo |
She went on to get a degree in psychology and sociology and then a masters degree in social work.
Earlier this year, she was awarded a distinguished service award for the Nunavut territory from the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW).
"It was an honour for sure," she said, adding that part of that is the sense of pride she has in her profession.
"I've always been proud of social workers and what we do. I think there's so much work to be done to build our profile and understanding of the profession. It felt good in that respect to have that recognition."
Asked if social work in the North is any different than in the south, she said yes and no.
"I would hope that the same sort of underpinnings would exist anywhere: always being mindful of your own lens, the way you see the world and how that might be different from other people," said Hollingshead.
"And just being humble. I've always kind of liked the term 'cultural humility,' approaching people humbly and the willingness to learn from them."
She said there's a misconception with social work, that the job is about getting overly involved in people's lives and telling them what they should be doing.
"It's supporting people to find the resiliency that they already have," explained Hollingshead.
Currently a mental health consultant with the Government of Nunavut, Hollingshead once worked at the policy level in homelessness and housing but has since returned to frontline work.
"My love has always been for the clinical work, working with people one on one or in small groups on the stuff of life," she said, adding she will never regret her time in policy.
For now, Hollingshead says she just wants to keep learning from colleagues and people she serves along the way.
She hopes social workers across Nunavut can connect more often, especially through organizations like CASW.
