Deyanira Gomera is a school-based clinician at Housing Families, Inc., a nonprofit in Malden, Massachusetts, that offers a range of programs for individuals and families in need of stable housing. In this varied and fulfilling role, Gomera works in partnership with Everett and Peabody public schools to provide group therapy to children and teens who are living in shelters.
She also facilitates life skills workshops for the agency’s Permanent Supportive Housing Program, an initiative that combines affordable housing placement with support services.
“Processing all the challenges that come from being unsafely housed can be difficult, especially when you have young kids,” says Gomera. “Building coping skills is a major focus of our work.”
Recently, Gomera became involved with other training efforts, including educating case and housing managers and clinical interns on such topics as suicidality and domestic violence. The training, she says, helps colleagues “understand from a social work perspective the circumstances that can affect housing stability.”
The Value of Pursuing an MSW at Simmons
Three years ago, Gomera was working as a therapeutic mentor in a group home for youth when she realized she needed a Master of Social Work to grow professionally.
“I saw how deeply the clinicians worked, and I wished I could do more,” she says.
A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross with a degree in psychology, she chose Simmons for its rigorous clinical focus.
“I’m a hands-on, visual learner, so I loved how much Simmons emphasized being in the field,” she says. She also appreciated the opportunity to complete her degree in three years through the Extended-Study Program.
Preparing for a Social Work Career
Gomera found Simmons to be an “open” learning environment.
“There was acceptance of different views and identities that led to different conversations in the classroom,” she explains.
In addition, she praises her professors for “holding space” for students to bring their field experiences into discussions and coursework. For her first internship, she worked at Housing Families, Inc., gaining experience working with adults and children.
A high point, says Gomera, who is a native Spanish speaker, was facilitating a caregiver support group for mothers in Spanish. To build on this work, she completed her second placement at Brookside Community Health Center in Jamaica Plain, where she conducted one-on-one therapy in Spanish for teens and adults.
“As I moved through the program, my knowledge and confidence developed,” she says. “I began to understand different cultural considerations and specific populations and to follow my instincts.”
Why Social Work is Meaningful
“For a long time, I thought the work wouldn’t be complete until the individuals found a stable home,” says Gomera.
“But I now realize that it’s being there for them to take it one week — or even one day — at a time. Finding stable housing can be a long process, and we give people the tools to take care of themselves and their families as they go through it,” she says.