The Beauty in Bearing Witness

As a social work intern at Open Table, I have seen our unsheltered neighbors experience many injustices and frustrations- bureaucratic, personal, social, physical. Suffering is human, and we all know that there is injustice in the world. But it’s one thing to know it, it’s another thing to really see it, to be faced with the truth of suffering and to not look away. 

For most of my career so far, I have assumed that at some point I would learn how to care less, how to feel less of the pain that I see- and there is something to that, something about longevity in helping careers, something about avoiding burnout. And I am learning that taking on pain which is not mine is not compassionate or helpful for me or my clients. 

But, as a future social worker, I do think sometimes the job is simply witnessing— facing injustice and not turning away, confronting suffering without flinching. Social work isn’t about fixing problems; it's about being a compassionate presence, helping people navigate their unique challenges in their own way, and advocating for change. It’s about bearing witness, about holding presence with pain, holding space for the truth that the way people carry their pain can be confusing and difficult to watch. 

And truly witnessing is difficult. It can be easier to look away. It gives me hope to see the people I work with and people in our community opening their hearts and keeping them open. I know it matters and I feel grateful to see so many people doing that difficult and important work.

-Kylie Kuhn

OTM Social Work Intern