First Step Home

Ankita Sharma, Summer 2015

When I first arrived at the First Step Home (FSH), I was a little nervous and apprehensive to meet everyone and start my internship. I was mostly nervous because I did not think that the women of FSH would accept me, and it would take me a long time to build relationships. Only over the next few days did I realize that all my worries were unnecessary. FSH was established as a residential facility to allow women who were addicted to various substances to bring their children when seeking treatment. There were many young children and babies when I entered the facility and it felt like I was walking in to a house full of women and children. It was a really comforting and positive atmosphere. This was very different from what I was expecting a treatment facility to look like, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The first day at FSH went by really quickly. I got to meet most of the faculty and staff at FSH, and everyone was really supportive and friendly. I got to shadow a group session and it was a very powerful experience. The group sessions focus on various topics meant to provide holistic treatment for the women and this particular session focused on forgiveness and building self-esteem. At the end of the group session, I felt so empowered and, even though the session was for the women seeking treatment, the messages were universal. After the very first session, the women were very accepting of me and would always greet me and ask me questions about my day. What surprised me the most was their ability to trust me and respect what I had to say.

Working with the women throughout my internship was the best part because, even though I was trying to teach them about various topics and ideas, I felt like I was learning so much about overcoming adversity and hardships from them. The women at FSH are definitely some strong women who have a lot of grit, determination, and endurance. They struggle with a lot of the same things that women in our general society struggle with such as body image, self-esteem, raising a family, etc. What I realized is that their addictions do not define who they are; instead, they are just a part of their lives that they are trying to manage. This is similar to when someone is diagnosed with any sort of illness. The individual is not defined by their illness; rather, they seek treatment for it to overcome the illness or manage it. Overall, the work I did over the summer focused on helping the women feel empowered and ready to face the world post-treatment.