Family Continuity and Advocates: Affiliates and Friends

​Meredith Rodrigues came to Family Continuity after completing her Master of Social Work degree at Bridgewater State University. While completing her degree, she served as an intern at Family Continuity and loved it so much that she stayed on in a full-time role after graduation. Not content just to enjoy the experience herself, she encouraged her Bridgewater State classmate and friend Peg to join the Family Continuity team, as well. In a fun twist of fate, Meredith and Peg quickly realized that their grad school classmate Maverick was employed at Advocates, Family Continuity's affiliate agency!

We recently asked the trio about their favorite parts of working at Family Continuity and Advocates. Here's what they shared:

Meredith: I love coming into work every day and feeling supported by my co-workers. We all have the mutual goal of helping our clients, and this is constantly shown through discussions of the family and individual work that we do. Most clinicians here have an open-door policy where we can ask any questions or get case consultations when we are struggling to see it from a different perspective.  The caring atmosphere that we work in was the reason I decided to stay with Family Continuity to grow as a clinician.

Peg: I love seeing that moment when a client “gets it”—when they begin to understand that they’re not ‘broken’, and that there’s a reason why they thought, acted, or felt the way they did. It's that moment when they understand there’s hope, and path to a better future, and someone to walk with them through the process—that they’re not alone.  The second thing I love about my job is my coworkers.  They’re generous, funny, resourceful, kind, and they carried me and encouraged me when I felt I couldn’t do this work.

Maverick: I love when clients share their attempts at stepping out of their comfort zones, trying something new or something previously scary, because that shows me they are active participants in their wellbeing. Part of my therapeutic practice is to encourage clients to be authentic and to seek joy in their lives. So often therapy is viewed as a means to reduce depression or anxiety, but a meaningful life is about so much more than reducing suffering. The clown nose in my photo? That’s a nod to Patch Adams, an inspiration for his belief in the role of humor, humanity, and joy in the therapeutic process. At Advocates, I get to bring that spirit to my work every day.

This trio of social workers and friends truly represents the shared values of Advocates and Family Continuity.

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(left to right: Meredith, Peg, and Maverick)