Advocacy is woven into the daily rhythm of clinical mental health work, especially within environments where young people are navigating substance use treatment, trauma histories, and limited resources. Within the environment in which I work (a Detention center with a substance abuse rehabilitation center for adolescent boys ages 13-17 years old), I have tried to form a framework for promoting dignity, safety, and meaningful change. Within my role in a juvenile detention–based treatment program, I have supported adolescents who often arrive with few voices speaking on their behalf. Helping these adolescents find their empowerment takes root in small, steady interactions in which they are encouraged to understand their own needs and recognize their capacity to make healthier decisions. Much of my work involves teaching self-advocacy skills, helping residents articulate their concerns, and fostering spaces where they feel safe to express vulnerability. Community collaboration extends this effort beyond the facility walls. By coordinating with families, probation officers, and community resources, I help ensure continuity of care so progress can sustain itself during the transition back home.

Most of these adolescents come from extreme poverty and traumas that no child should witness or be the victim of. In these situations, advocacy involves respectfully challenging existing practices or proposing alternatives that align with trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate care. Collective action emerges when advocating alongside colleagues and with my supervisor's support. Through team meetings and case reviews, we work together to address recurring concerns, such as inconsistent support, insufficient mental health education, and systemic obstacles faced by youth.

Social and political advocacy forms the outer ring of influence, reminding me that each resident’s needs are shaped by broader social forces—poverty, discrimination, access to treatment, and community violence. Engaging in ongoing education and dialogue helps me stay attuned to these realities and use my position to elevate issues affecting the population I serve. Before releasing these adolescents, I meet with their probation officers, and we develop a plan full of resources to help them become effective members of their community. 

My commitment to advocacy has also extended into cultural understanding. As part of developing a lesson plan on the Holocaust and supporting Jewish students’ historical and cultural awareness, I immersed myself in Jewish traditions. I attended a synagogue service, spoke with a rabbi, and interviewed a Holocaust survivor. These experiences deepened my understanding of Jewish history, spirituality, and the generational impact of trauma. This immersion allowed me to approach the subject with greater sensitivity and gave me the cultural grounding needed to teach and advocate respectfully for accuracy, dignity, and representation.

Advocacy remains less of a task and more of an orientation—a decision to stand with people whose voices are too often muted. In my environment, this means lifting the young people in my care, challenging the structures around them, and continuing to learn so I can serve them with clarity, cultural humility, and purpose.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of my advocacy for these adolescents is done through phone calls or emails with probation officers, parents, and schools so there is no way to document them. However, I have included multiple written papers by myself where I have advocated for a specific population. I hope this is sufficient.