By Rizia, volunteer on the LAWRS helpline and on the Psychotherapy Team as Administrator.

Introduction

Nice to meet you, my name is Rizia Cabral. I am Brazilian, born in the Amazon region, third daughter of 5, trained psychiatrist and for more than a year I have been volunteering for Latin American Women’s Right Service.

When I decided to apply for a volunteer role at LAWRS, I was looking for fulfillment in my new life in the UK. With basic English I was trying to say out loud that I want more of this experience of living in foreign lands. I was unable to occupy the available space on the VAWG team after my interview for the position. But the first step had been taken. The volunteer coordinator, Betsy, promptly offered me a new opportunity to perform another role as a Portuguese Helpline Agent. This time I studied hard to give my best in the interview. My desire to feel useful and return to work had gained even more strength after getting to know and learning more about LAWRS. This time the position was mine.

My experience as a Helpline Agent

Listening to the vulnerabilities of Latin American women  and working as a team in the first contact and reception of service users was great. Supporting our community and feeling like you belong to a group has been incredible. I have never imagined how strong an impact this could have on my personal life. I was able to appreciate the extent of my privileges when I realized the number of women who go through and deal with extreme suffering here in the UK. At the same time, I identified with the shared sufferings of all of us, Latin American women : the challenge of a new language, a new environment, a new perspective on life, homesickness and many others. I also learned a lot about my adaptability and resilience, necessary to move forward. I developed more confidence in my intellectual capacity, I created strategies to deal with my fears and my false beliefs about myself. Each woman I supported on the helpline taught me with her story and touched me as a human being in a transformative way.

Transition to Psychotherapy Service Administrator

I continue to work as a volunteer administrator of the psychotherapy team. I can see a big and profound change in myself in the professional field. I am not only involved with the Latin American community, participating in workshops or contacting our clients to measure mood and anxiety data or verify their satisfaction with our service offered. But I have also participated in discussions and exchanges of experiences with my fellow psychologists and counselors in the office.

This exchange has been so rich in terms of learning, as well as personal encouragement, for me to take further professional and academic steps here in the UK. To give you an example: I am in the process of validating my specialty here. I was successful in my first exam (paper A) at the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Back then, before I managed to expose myself to my first volunteer interview, I couldn’t even dream of practicing my profession here in the United Kingdom. Before, there were only fleeting moments when I could see myself working as a doctor here in the UK. But being embraced by LAWRS opened doors for me to make definitive changes, changes in thought and behavior.

Now, I walk a path filled with purpose and hope. I can’t wait to share even more with you. To each member of LAWRS and to each person reached by our services: Thank you very much!