Reflective Paper: Childhood Experiences with Healthcare and Implications for Practice

Health- and Illness-Related Beliefs

I was mostly taught about physical health early in life. I learned that hygiene is an important part of staying healthy (e.g., washing hands, brushing teeth), but that there are sometimes illnesses or health challenges that people are born with or develop, such as asthma, high blood pressure, and cancer. I learned that doctors could help make us feel better when it comes to infectious diseases, and even if illnesses are not curable, they are often treatable. In times when someone’s life is on the line and even the best doctors could not necessarily save them, I was taught that prayer could help. I come from a Christian family, so prayer was a big part of my life. I learned early on that trusting doctors and God is important for recovery.

In high school, I became more aware of mental health. I had several friends who struggled with anxiety and depression at that point in my life. I did not know a whole lot about who to turn when things were emotionally or mentally difficult, so I would usually just talk to my mom. I did not see a therapist until I was 20 years old, at which point I was referred to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with GAD and MDD. I had been struggling with these mental illnesses since middle school, but my family did not fully understand them or what to do to help me. I may still be undiagnosed and untreated today if I had not gone to college and met friends who encouraged me to seek professional support.

Beliefs about Caregiving

When I was sick as a child, my mom or dad would monitor my symptoms and take me to the doctors as needed. I frequently got sick as a child and often went to the doctor because simple colds would quickly spread to my lungs and cause issues with my asthma, which is a condition I was born with. My parents divorced when I was three years old, so who took care of me during an illness would depend on which parent I was staying with at the time.

I was considered sick enough to stay home from school whenever I had a fever or when my asthma was severe enough that I had noticeable issues with breathing. I was also allowed to stay home from school if I had permission from my family doctor or had a doctor’s appointment that day. In middle and high school, I was allowed to take personal days whenever I had a hard time overcoming feelings of stress and emotional “unwellness,” what would later be diagnosed as Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression. When I became overwhelmed mentally and emotionally, I most often confided in my mom and she supported me more often than not.

Beliefs about the Health Care System and Social Workers

My family has long felt comfortable going to the doctor, especially because we had an established relationship with a family practitioner. My mom had gone to my pediatric doctor since the time she was a child, so they had a strong bond of trust. Even after we moved out of the area, my mom and dad took us to that practitioner for several more years. However, for practicality of saving mileage and gas on travel, my mom decided to find a new family doctor. My mom and I now go to a doctor’s office only a few minutes from home and believe they are trustworthy. We are generally wary about new doctors and emergency hospital visits because we don’t know what kind of person (bedside table manners, level of expertise, personality) the nurses and doctors might be but so far, we’ve had decent experiences.

The first time I ever heard about a social worker in the health care setting was a few years ago when I started seeing the new family practitioner near our house. Prior to that, I had no knowledge of or experience with a medical social worker.

Practice Implications

Taken together, my experiences with the health care system might influence work with my own clients by influencing certain expectations and interactions. I would need to counter any assumptions I have in order to best serve clients. For example, I like to think that I am a generally trustworthy person, as many people in helping professions seem to be in my eyes, but I need to remember what it can feel like to meet a health/helping professional for the first time. Trust comes with time, not immediately in a single meeting. Also, thought this was not my experience growing up, some people are religious/spiritual and prefer natural remedies and self-treatment over prescriptions and doctor’s visits. This is something I would need to be mindful about in a health care setting.

Implicit biases can be managed by first acknowledging that I have them and then challenging these thoughts. Self-reflection and introspection after meeting with clients are important, as well as seeking out supervision for guidance and being mindful during interactions with clients. From there, it is important to actively seek out information from the client and learn more about them to understand both their needs and strengths. Trusting the client’s expertise on their own lives can help me overcome my implicit biases and judgements through education and perspective changing.