Agents Against Abuse by Gavin

Agents Against Abuse by Gavin - January 2024 Scholarship Essay

I didn’t grasp the intensity of child advocacy until I heard the frantic voice of a mother as she once again hid her son from her drunkenly violent husband. Over the summer, I interned at Defenders of Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting child victims of domestic violence by providing comprehensive legal services and psychological trauma care pro bono. Surrounded by highly trained professionals, I felt insignificant answering the crisis phone... until the first call came. As she pled for help for her son, I heard the shaking in her voice. I immediately sent her emergency housing resources and combed through what public records I could find to prepare her case file for our attorneys. Almost two months later, I watched her win full custody of her son and seal an order of protection against her ex-husband.
In talking to clients, I discovered an unseen roadblock: any information about navigating the court system was scattered. There was no up-to-date register of psychological professionals or best-interest advocates, and accessible descriptions of anything were virtually nonexistent. I discussed the issues with the organization’s CEO, and we decided to create resources to address this absence. In my off-time, I compiled information from reliable databases and catalogs into two resources. First, I crafted a comprehensive contact list of forensic psychologists in the central Arizona area, their expertise, and costs. Second, I authored a dictionary of family court terms, including psychological interventions, court personnel, and licensures. After the initial drafts were complete, I translated both into accessible wording and collaborated with a coworker to translate them into Spanish. That was critical to me, as many clients spoke little English. Once finished, both were printed and put at the front desk, given to staff members, and even sent to other local non-profits with similar missions.