Norma Wigutoff (’76)’s Social Work Story

By Norma Wigutoff (’76)

A long time ago my first real social work job after graduating from BUSSW was with Child Protective Services at Catholic Charities In Brockton, MA where I was lucky enough to have weekly supervision with a supervisor I still keep in touch with after all these years! I was in my third week or so of weekly supervision, sharing my first experiences of home visits with the parents I needed to evaluate for possible neglect of their children. I remember vividly that I shared with innocent naïveté about how something must be wrong with me because I LIKED those parents. Without a moment’s hesitation, and with a smile, Liz, my supervisor replied, “I’m glad, that is why I know you are going to be a good social worker. Because you see the humanity in these parents, as well as their behavior.” And that was my “ah ha” moment, when the concept of empathy and compassion connected deep inside me, it would be the necessary core of my work with clients, and has never left me.