DeWitt ePortfolio

Welcome to my ePortfolio. My name is Jeri DeWitt, and I am a senior undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) at Appalachian State University. Having served on the front lines as a psychiatric technician on an inpatient psychiatric unit, I have developed a deep, practical understanding of crisis stabilization, mental health disparities, and the profound human impact of healthcare systems. Moving forward, my primary career aspirations lie at the intersection of clinical mental health and acute care, where I plan to practice either as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) specializing in psychiatric care or as a psychiatric nurse. Ultimately, I am dedicated to breaking down administrative and structural barriers to mental health access, utilizing a holistic, trauma-informed lens to empower vulnerable populations, and translating ground-level clinical insights into systemic macro advocacy.

This semester in RC 2001 has been a challenging journey, it has helped me to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world clinical application. Going back across the coursework, my writing process was defined by various distinct moments of struggle, but immense professional growth.

My greatest struggles absolutely occurred during Week 2 and Week 5. In Week 2, when trying to organize my thoughts and focus campus mental health data and integrate interdisciplinary frameworks, I experienced severe thought blocking. It felt impossible to organize my thoughts into a cohesive argument, leaving me stuck trying to connect medical models with social work perspectives. Similarly, Week 5 also had a return of that stress, as figuring out a way to write a cohesive website to include a semester's worth of writing into a comprehensive portfolio required a scary shift from rigid academic structures to accessible digital media. However, Week 4 was my most successful and creative experience. When choosing to design a Multidisciplinary Crisis Response Team proposal for Appalachian State University, I found immense satisfaction in organizing my thoughts into a tool meant to help future students understand the stakes of campus mental health funding. That assignment allowed me to see writing not just as an academic chore, but as a structural blueprint for showcasing social justice in different forms and ways of helping.

Through these assignments, I have learned that research and writing within the social work discourse community are inherently tied to our ethical mandates. Analyzing scholarly literature, like the McGinnis et al. scoping review on child protection turnover. That taught me that data is a vital tool for macro-level policy advocacy. I learned how to use peer-reviewed evidence to back up clinical intuition, proving to stakeholders that systemic issues like staff burnout directly impact client safety. Furthermore, completing the grant proposal reinforced the necessity of using objective, persuasive, and strictly "person-first" and strength-based language to uphold client dignity.

To further improve my writing moving forward, I need to develop early proactive strategies to help with thought blocking when tackling larger, thought provoking topics. I have looked into different strategies and ways to help myself in future courses and implementing draft outlines not just notes of bullet points or concept maps could potentially help me organize my thoughts visually before diving into full assignments. By refining my ability to balance quantitative data with empathetic, human-centric narratives, I will strive to become a much more effective advocate, capable of writing persuasive documentation that protects clients and secures vital community resources.