Tag Archive for: Rebecca Williams

Tracking Your Child’s Development

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By Rebecca Williams, MSW, LSW – May 14, 2025 –

As parents or caregivers, we have so many questions: Am I doing enough? Will my child be successful? Is my child achieving appropriate developmental milestones? Why doesn’t my child want to spend time with me anymore?

These are some of the questions parents may face throughout their child’s development. As a school social worker, I have heard them from parents myself on occasion, and they are not always easy to answer. However, there are some standards parents can consult to see how their child is developing and whether they need extra support.

Psychologist Erik Erikson outlined eight stages of human development. For the purpose of the audience, I will go over the first six.

  1. The first stage is trust vs. mistrust during a child’s infancy. This is the stage where children learn that if their needs are met, they can trust the adults catering to those needs. If their needs are not met, then children often grow to become less trusting in others.
  2. The second stage is autonomy vs. shame/doubt while the child is a toddler. Autonomy allows the child to have independence, thus creating a sense of confidence. However, doubt in the child or dependence on their caregiver can lead to low self-confidence.
  3. The third stage is initiative vs. guilt during the child’s preschool years. If the child’s initiative is taken positively, the child learns that being assertive can be a positive behavior. If the initiative is taken negatively, it can lead children to be shy or timid.
  4. The fourth stage is industry vs inferiority during the child’s early school years. This stage has a lot to do with self-esteem. If children feel like they are having success like their peers, they gain a positive self-image. If they feel like they are not meeting the same milestones as their peers, they can have a negative self-image.
  5. The fifth stage is identity vs. role confusion in adolescent years. During this stage, children are finding out what their identity is. If they are not given the opportunity to explore what their identity is this can lead to role confusion. Don’t be surprised if your children spend more time with their peers and pursuing their own interests at this age. Stages 4 and 5 have a lot to do with a child’s social system and may feel out of your hands, so it’s important to provide support and encouragement when you can.
  6. The sixth stage is intimacy vs. isolation during the young adult stage. This stage is all about forming relationships. Those that can form bonds and relationships well will form a sense of intimacy, while those that are unable to form positive relationships feel isolation.

Now this is not a cut and dry layout. There will always be exceptions and gray areas, but this can be a helpful tool to identify what your child’s needs and milestones are at different ages. Being a parent or caregiver isn’t always easy, but your support, encouragement and care will go a long way toward a child’s success. As your child grows, create a space and relationship with them that promotes open and judgement-free communication.

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Summer Provides Opportunity to Combat Burnout

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By Rebecca Williams, MSW – June 6, 2024 –

Burnout is defined as chronic stress related to helping others. As a school social worker, I can certainly relate to this, and I believe teachers and other school personnel can as well. According to Michelle Ratcliff in the article, “Social Workers, Burnout, and Self Care” in the Delaware Journal of Public Health, social workers and mental health professionals are very susceptible to burnout.

Ratcliff also notes that a form of burnout we may feel the most is emotional burnout. This type of burnout comes from being emotionally drained and can result in feeling a low sense of personal accomplishment, depersonalization, and pessimism. According to social worker burnout statistics on the website crowncounseling.com, emotional exhaustion is observed at a rate of 70.3 percent of social workers. Current burnout rates among social workers are at 39 percent with a lifetime rate of 75 percent.

Maybe you have experienced burnout before or maybe you haven’t. Either way, we should try to prevent it or reverse it. As school-based service providers, I believe we are given a unique opportunity to combat the onset of burnout. This opportunity comes with holiday breaks and our longest break, summer.

Although some of us may take on an extra job or have young kids home in the summer, we should try our best to plan time for ourselves. We have many options during the summer to implement self-care for our families and ourselves. When I think of summer, I think of a time to take a vacation, go for walks, go on picnics, learn a new skill, go to the beach, or read a book entirely for pleasure instead of something educational. These new skills and forms of self-care we build on in the summer will better prepare us for a new school year in the fall and have us feeling refreshed to provide the best service.

It is also very important for our students to be refreshed. Summer is a perfect time for parents to engage with their children during a much-needed break. Teachers and school personnel should encourage families to implement their own forms of self-care.

According to the article, “Schools Out! Tips For Taking Advantage of Summer Break to De-Stress from the Hustle and Bustle” on the website psychiatry.org, many summer options can fit into any family and lifestyle. The first idea is to spend and enjoy time outside. This can be as simple as going for walks, going to a park, or going to the pool.

A second idea is to reduce the use of technology and electronics during summer break. Technology can have a negative effect on a young person’s mood and self-esteem, so it is important to encourage families to unplug their devices and find creative ways to interact with each other. Additionally, we should encourage our students to spend time with friends and keep their healthy/positive relationships strong.

Lastly, consider practicing mindfulness, which can be defined as paying attention in the present moment. Mindfulness can include practices such as meditation, walking while observing nature, mindful eating, or taking stock of how each body part is feeling while sitting or lying down. This is a way for the family to relax and build closer connections. Mindfulness is something I encourage with my students, and extending that to their family would be an added benefit. This way the family can reinforce progress the student has made and build good habits together.

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