#MakingTime A Day in the Life of a Domestic Violence Court Advocate in D.C.

MakingTime A Day in the Life of a Domestic Violence Curt Advocate in D.C. Women can do anything but notlage everything. As the largest online career community for women, we at Fairygodboss realize that balance is a myth, and that picking what to prioritize when everything feels important on a day-to-day basis isnt always easy. In the MakingTime series, women share with us how, for one day, they chose to spend their most precious resource time.--WhoErinWhat Senior Domestic Violence Court AdvocateWhereArlington, Virginia--630 a.m.My alarm goes off twice (okay, three times) before I crack open my eyes and get the day started. If I wasnt paying as much as I am for my yoga studio membership, I swear I would not be able to wake up this early. As it is, I have a class starting at 7 a.m. a quick car ride away, and Im not going to miss itMy job is impactful and rewarding, but can also be extremely emotionally draining I work as an advocate at a D.C.-based organization that assists survivors of domestic violence in filing for orders for protection and navigating the legal system, including by providing physical at-court support for these women (and sometimes men). Theres a lot of burnout in this line of work, so starting my day on a note of self care is essential.645 a.m.Smoothie in hand, Ive kissed my boyfriend goodbye (hell be gone by the time I get back) and am out the door. Im going to be three minutes to this class, but the instructors kind of expect that by now750 a.m.Im breathing deeply and heading back home to quickly shower before its time to commute to the office. Prior to starting my yoga regimen, Id probably be at home glued to my laptop and answering emails right now. This is a much healthier and mora mindful start to my morning845 a.m.Back in the car, I drive to the train stop while catching up on some news via NPR. Once Im on the train, Ill switch over to getting some email catchup going.930 a.m.Walking into the office and had just enough time to grab a coffee beforehand. Score Now its time to take fuller scope of the day ahead and divide my to-do list into buckets of urgent, nice to do, and can get to this later. We are a small team doing work that is making a powerful impact for survivors of trauma that may not have an advocate in their ecksto otherwise. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork and operational duties involved, and taking stock in terms of the bigger picture at the start of my day helps.10 a.m.Our new intern is here I have an hour blocked off to train her on some operational details, particularly around intaking clients, sharing safety processes with them, and the confidentiality this whole process entails. None of us are licensed therapists, but weve undergone training on the language and protocol specifics of working with clients who have many times experienced a great degree of trauma. Theres an extreme amount of sensitivity, and confidentiality, involved in even the smallest piece of commu nication.Also, I speak some Spanish, but this intern is fully bilingual, which is going to be a major benefit as we look to expand the communities were serving, so we chat a bit about what this will look like.11 a.m.Time for a quick 11 with our program director. She was a lawyer for many years before switching into this line of work and is an incredible resource to our team and the population were serving.1130 a.m.schmelzglass, emails, emails Then I need to get out the door and grab lunch on my way over to the court. I will be working with one client for the better part of this afternoon.1230 p.m.Im at the court to meet my client. This is her first day in court, and I will be serving as her advocate as she seeks full custody of her kids. Some of what you see and hear in court can be incredibly difficult, particularly where there are children involved. But all women (and men) deserve to live their lives safely, and I cant imagine not contributing my time and energy to helping make th at possible for our clients.4 p.m.Im back at the office for a meeting with our community outreach coordinator. Her job (its a big one) is making sure our program information is accessible to people in particularly underserved communities, and that theyre able to take note of that information in a safe way. When so many victims of domestic violence are in situations of being heavily monitored by their abuser many arent allowed to have a cell phone or internet access in general sometimes, having information for getting help posted in an unexpected public place, like a supermarket, can be what literally saves lives. For this meeting, there is a festival within the Spanish-speaking community taking place here in a couple of weeks, and I have some ideas for how we can be a part of it.530 p.m.Its been a full day, and Im ready to get home to my boyfriend. We love cooking dinner together. Tonight, its going to be shrimp and veggies cooked on our grill But first, Ive got to run a couple er rands en route home.745 p.m.Dinner is served We eat outside on our apartments back deck, which was a huge incentive for us to buy this place. We catch up on each others days and watch the fireflies come out.9 p.m.Time for an episode of Killing Eve (our friends just got us into it). Except, I cant stay awake for the full thing my boyfriend wakes me up from the couch and we go to bed. Time to do it all again tomorrow--Do you need to talk to someone about domestic violence? Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or speak with an advocate online.Interested in contributing to Fairygodboss MakingTime series? Email infofairygodboss.com with MakingTime in the subject line.