Social workers bring humanity to the medical field, says WBAMC social worker

Photo By Amabilia Payen | Christina Hagaman is one of the newest social workers at William Beaumont Army Medical Center Behavioral Health Department and her duties involve working with TRICARE beneficiaries through the Fort Bliss Family Advocacy Program. The month of March is Social Work month, and Hagaman believes social workers bring humanity to the medical field. (Courtesy Photo)  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

03.21.2022

Story by Amabilia Payen 

William Beaumont Army Medical Center

FORT BLISS, Texas – With almost two years in the William Beaumont Army Medical Center Behavioral Health Department, Christina Hagaman is one of the team’s newest social workers. Her duties involve working with TRICARE beneficiaries through the Fort Bliss Family Advocacy Program.

The San Jose, California native became a social worker in 2014 because she loves mental health and is fascinated by human psychology and how the mind works. Her first social work position was in community mental health, working with kids in the juvenile justice and foster care systems.

“Social work was the most broad field,” said Hagaman. “Having a Masters in Social Work opens a lot of doors as far as job opportunities for employment go.”

To her, social workers bring humanity to their work.

“I think that sometimes in the medical field, the individual client or person can sometimes get a little lost,” said Hagaman. “The social worker will bring it back to the person, the whole person. We are not just looking at the person in front of us, we are looking at the whole network of systems they bring with them.”

Hagaman believes that understanding spouses, children, and parents helps with an individual patient’s treatment. She also believes that social workers don’t want to reinvent the wheel.

“We want to do things that will work and have worked for the family and the client,” she said.

It’s Social Work month in March, and Hagaman recalls reading on social media that social workers are only thought of when it comes to Child Protective Services.

“We are licensed, qualified mental health professionals that do have a wealth of knowledge in the specialties we work directly with,” said Hagaman. “We can offer unique perspectives to both medical professionals and individual clients.”

Being a social worker can have its rewards and it’s challenges, but Hagaman believes that social workers need to find their individual rewards.

“For me, I really appreciate hearing directly from my clients on any progress that they are making,” she said. “Those things are great and provide a lot of hope when the going gets tough.”

Hagaman doesn’t know specifically where she sees her career in the future, as she takes it day by day, but she hopes to continue to contribute to the military population by helping them solve the problems of daily living.

“We (social workers) can be overlooked. I think we can be a great member of any interdisciplinary team, and I think including social workers in all levels of the conversation has a lot of benefit,” she said.

• Date Taken: 03.21.2022
• Date Posted: 03.21.2022 13:51
• Story ID: 416851
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US
• Hometown: EL PASO, TX, US
• Hometown: FORT BLISS, TX, US
• Hometown: SAN JOSE, CA, US