Reference Letter from Ellie

Date: 8 May 2012

To whom it may concern,

I have been supervised by Elizabeth Quek  since joining the THK Family Service Centre @ Tanjong Pagar in June 2011.

As a new social work graduate, I was rather daunted by the responsibilities of a social worker in a Family Service Centre setting. However I was fortunate to have a supervisor like Elizabeth who was empathetic and created a very positive and encouraging atmosphere for me.  This enables me to trust her and have honest discussion regarding my work whenever we meet for supervision. Elizabeth is also very open in sharing reading materials and ideas she gained from talks. And her enthusiasm is certainly infectious!

One trait I observe of Elizabeth is her belief in empowering clients and focusing on their strengths and this belief of hers sometimes challenges my perception of clients. For example, I was initially sceptical about Elizabeth’s idea of getting clients to volunteer for us in events as I assumed that volunteerism is the least of client’s priorities. However Elizabeth believes that most clients would like to give back in some way to the FSC and volunteerism presents a good opportunity. Hence I made my call to my clients, bracing myself for rejection, To my surprise they say yes and after getting their feedback for volunteering, it is always almost the same – they are happy to do it and even asked that I contact them if I need help in future!

I see Elizabeth as a good role model professionally and aspire to be like her as she is ever-ready to make changes to her practice for the benefits of her clients.

Best regards,

Elizabeth Thambidurai

Social Worker