The purpose of the Pueblo of Laguna Social Service Department is to promote and strengthen families, to prevent the breakup of Laguna families by providing family and child welfare services that are culturally relevant and when the removal of a child is necessary, to place the child in a placement that is least restrictive. To ensure services to clients, the program will refer and coordinate services with other Tribal programs, State, County, Federal, Indian Health Services (IHS), Bureau of Indian Affairs Social Services and Police Department to meet the needs of our children and families. The Social Service Program offers, Child Welfare services, which includes investigation of child abuse/neglect referrals, placement, coordinating services for family reunification, foster parent recruitment and training, service only, ICWA services, elderly services, investigation of elderly abuse/neglect referrals and BIA General Assistance, which is financial assistance for individuals who are not eligible for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, (TANF).

Assist with the crucial new hire training, will provide insights that will help the department better target the needs of new employees, and assist/potentially lead staff trainings. Coordinate the Mental Health First Aid and Cultural Humility training.

Serving families with high need children that suffer from behavioral issues, that could use a little more support than therapy alone. Utilizing the nurtured heart approach, the role of the behavioral management specialist is to assist children in learning skills important for daily living. These skills include: learning to regulate their energy, managing their emotions, having the ability to accept “no” and “wait”, and increasing independence and self-management skills. The nurtured heart approach focuses heavily on the family dynamics and specifically on the bond between parent and child.

Provided one-on-one counseling to students; assessed and examined students health stability; provided academic and social guidance; recommended outside referrals with local agencies and organizations when necessary; led and supervised service learning students for their undergrad social work course and helped students gather/compile literature data for their research projects; advocated for troubled students that came into conflict with the university and guided them through court hearings with the student conduct committee; created, planned and organized awareness presentations throughout the term related to prevention and mental health subjects; and a support staff for student organizations and clubs at the university; other duties related to case management, case staffing and case conferences on student hearings within ethical and confidential boundaries.

Tasks consist of investigating placements or optional treatment for clients; assessing and discussing recommendations with client regarding mental health treatment and/or social service needs such as obtaining classes, medical treatment, government benefits, etc.; tasks were assigned by defense attorneys as needed; and worked on special projects which included literature research and advocacy; Other duties related to case management, case staffing and case conferences on court hearings for St. Louis City offenders within ethical and confidential boundaries.

Washington Internship for Native Students Intern: Collected empirical data related to minority serving-institutions and tribal colleges/universities for the Office of Civil Rights end Equal Opportunity department; gathered literature data that focused on issues significant to American Indian/Alaskan Native communities through a combination of lectures, discussions, relevant readings, projects, and presentations.

Navajo research and policy-making focused, in-field qualitative and quantitative data collection, data transcribing and coding, preparing and note-taking for public presentations on the Dine Food Sovereignty Initiative.

Worked closely with the University of Kansas PhD students; collaborated with local university and focused on the impacts of climate change on natural and human systems; designed an independent research project focused on climate change within native communities; presented research project at Haskell Indian Nations University and the Dr. Vine Deloria Symposia at Northwestern Tribal College.

Perform clerical duties in records management assigned by Records Management Specialist for assigned section; Assisted with inputting data into an automated system for records being received at the department; Assisted with maintenance of program records, files and prepared filing documentation; Assisted with retirement records. Clerical tasks included operating the copy machine, faxing, and scanning. Additional task included preparing documents with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint.

Being a team leader within the department by re-establishing working relations with Bryce Canyon National Park and Southern Paiute Tribe; Managed protective sites and park activities by incorporating culturally appropriate traditional and cultural values/practices within the local Utah area; Engaged in National Park projects, Provided literature research that addressed culturally sensitivity; Assisted in educational services, Duties included resource management and activities in understanding Paiute traditions, and emphasizing youth engagement to enhance environmental awareness; Developed youth leadership projects & internships for the park service.