Talia Balkin

My interest in the International Program in Crisis and Trauma, with its MA in Social Work, is both personal and professional. As a child, I was witness to the devastating effects of clinical depression and was inspired to help others. My childhood inspiration stayed with me, and led me to pursue a mental health related career.

Following that inspiration, I spent 2 years working with children, adolescents and adults who experienced personal crisis and trauma. My work and travels in Africa broadened my range to include communal crises and issues in global development. After seeing Africa firsthand, I wanted my knowledge to encompass and build on my experiences in personal and communal crises. 

Right now, through the Crisis and Trauma Field Experience, I am working with The Schoolhouse, which provides adult education for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrant communities. I have been observing the impact of the organization by participating at Schoolhouse events such as excursions, conversation evenings, classes, the graduation evening, and most importantly, by building a rapport with the students. I have also been assessing the population’s needs in order to develop and implement an educational program that could be of assistance to the Eritrean and Sudanese migrant communities. 

I believe that my background as a teaching assistant in SEN (Special Educational Needs) schools, exposure to child and adolescent patients in a clinical setting, experience living and working in Tanzania for a youth-led development agency focusing on civic participation, livelihood, and sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as my vocational training, have helped prepare me for my field experience as they have built my emotional and psychological resilience to working in demanding and stressful environments. The Field Experience enables me to apply the theoretical knowledge I have gained in the classroom to real life situations, and to achieving visible results. 

Since my field experience requires culturally immersing myself in the refugee, asylum seeker, and migrant community, I have witnessed first-hand the plight of these communities and I’ve grown a passion and a burning desire to work with these communities to help build collective resilience. As a consequence, the field experience has enabled me to build a network of organizations and people working in this field, which will be a valuable resource when I complete my degree.