Despite hearing some horrific stories, Clifton Hills Primary School chaplain Desiré Atkinson says her career choice has been nothing short of fulfilling.
“I don’t think I could do any other job, to be honest,” Mrs Atkinson said.
“You really need to have a passion and a love for helping other people.”
Mrs Atkinson’s work was recognised at the annual Governor’s Chaplaincy Awards at Government House held earlier this month.
At the grassroots level, the Armadale chaplain won the chaplaincy impact award for her role in helping a family escape a domestic violence situation and for helping another get back on their feet after a devastating house fire.
“For me, firstly, you see the person for who they are and not the situation they are in,” she said.
“You make sure you build a relationship and rapport with them.
“Then it’s about really listening – not just hearing what they’re saying.
“Then it’s about identifying their needs – what is the immediate need?
“You journey alongside them and make sure they know there are people cheering them on.”
Mrs Atkinson said she was honoured to receive the award.
“We don’t do our work for the recognition,” she said.
“Everyone deserves respect and dignity no matter their walk in life and everyone deserves compassion and respect.”
Working at Clifton Hills PS, Mrs Atkinson said the students came from varying backgrounds.
“We have kids that come with lunch and kids that don’t,” she said.
“Kids that are able to afford things like excursions and families that aren’t able to.”
Despite the varying backgrounds of the children, the growing need for support was a common ground.
“Whether that’s crisis support or help with domestic violence situations, I think the issues that we are seeing in our school community is a reflection of what’s going on in the outside world,” Mrs Atkinson said.
Before becoming a chaplain, Mrs Atkinson said she was studying to be a teacher.
“I quickly realised that when you are in a classroom, you’re not always able to help people one-on-one, and that’s where my passion lied,” she said.
Mrs Atkinson said the impact of the work she’s done has been the key driver behind continuing chaplaincy.
“I think it’s really rewarding to see that the thing you’re investing in, often mentally, emotionally and physically, actually has a really good outcome,” she said.
“I go home every day knowing that I’ve made a difference.
“Don’t get me wrong, in chaplaincy there are definitely some days that are hard, but we just need to hold on to the truth and stand firm on the beliefs that we have to keep us grounded and to come back to that even when we’ve had a hard day.”
