“It takes a special kind of person to do what I do.”
Coming from anyone else those words might seem arrogant.
But not Pepperdine alum Melissa Testerman. She pulls it off with true humility.
As someone who has spent the last three years as a social worker in Los Angeles – a century in such an emotionally grueling job – Testerman has proven she is that special kind of person.
“It’s like being a part of a miracle she says as her eyes light up.
As a social worker for the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services, Testerman works with children who have been abused or neglected and have severe medical problems.
Most people think the hardest thing about social work is all the depressing cases but it’s not Testerman said. It’s all the frustrations with the rules and regulations … it’s bureaucratic red tape.”
Slight irritation played across her face but it turned to a warm smile when she thought of the children she has helped.
“I have recently been working with an 11-year-old boy who was in the hospital in San Francisco due to cardiomyopathy Testerman said. He was transferred down to UCLA and put on the heart transplant list. A few weeks ago he received a new heart and is already home with his father.
“After a particularly bad day at work I visited the boy at home to see how he was recovering. He was doing amazing! He made me laugh for the entire time I was there and definitely brightened my day. Incredible since he has been through so much pain and heartache in his short life.”
For Testerman it’s the little moments. These are the kind of experiences social workers like Testerman have to hold on to so that the frustrations don’t take over.
“Change doesn’t happen that quickly she said. We have to rely on our own developed systems.”
This is part of the reason why Testerman aspires to climb the career ladder to help with policy development. “I think I could make the small changes that would make the system that much more efficient.”
The large work load for a typical social worker — about 20 cases at a time — seems impossible since they have to visit each child once a month twice if they’ve returned home recently.
“I could have a case for up to 18 years she said. They stay open until they’re either adopted or aged out of the program.”
Due to the difficulty of the children Testerman deals with it can be hard to build relationships with the kids. Their medical conditions often inhibit communication and can make it hard to connect.
“I have one child she’s nine and she draws me pictures and tells me things she said. I spend about an hour with her each time and it’s developed trust. I’m a normal person to her not just someone who has to check up on her all the time.”
Testerman proves that relationships go beyond just the verbal side of things. Coloring with a kid playing a game – anything that is spending time with the child is moving forward letting them see just how much she cares.
This care is evident in the way she speaks about her cases. Each was not just a case to her. No matter how hard a single one was her heart was in it.
“I love being an advocate she said, doing something that helps to better someone’s life.”
Testerman is the daughter of Pepperdine journalism Professor Dr. Mike Jordan. She grew up living in the faculty condos on campus and attended Malibu High School. After graduating from Pepperdine University in 2005 as Melissa Jordan Testerman went to USC to get her masters’ degree in social work.
But it wasn’t her education that fueled her desire to pursue social work.
“I’ve always wanted to be a social worker since like middle school she said. We adopted my sister when I was 15 and that’s when I first saw a social worker in our home and I knew.”
She smiled when her now 12 year-old sister Kendall adopted by Dr. Jordan and his wife Nancy in 1998 entered the conversation.
“I try to create sibling rivalry make her see what it feels like to have real siblings she joked. She likes to come hang out at my house once every couple of months.”
She laughed and tucked a piece of her golden red hair behind her ear. Even though they’re not biological sisters Testerman ensures that Kendall gets the same sibling experience she had.
On the job Testerman says “every day is different.
“An emergency could happen at any time said Testerman, who married Jeff Testerman in 2008. I have to schedule 20 visits in 20 days (I have Fridays off). I have court reports to write but sometimes court dates will pop up and I will have to cancel visits to write it. I’m a very structured and organized person so that took a while to get used to.
“Now it’s nice to jump in the car and get out sometimes.”
Testerman adapted quickly to the ever-changing atmosphere of social work. With kids entering and exiting her life as easily as opening or closing a case Testerman has to work on her feet and live in the moment.
“I don’t get to see the kid again after the case is closed she said. Sometimes if a teenager seems nervous or anxious about it I’ll slip them my e-mail just in case but I have to let it go and just do the best I can so I don’t feel regret later.”
And so Testerman takes every day as a chance to do her best but as the profession goes it’s hard.
“The job is a constant rollercoaster. I have to write down the good things to remember or it’s all too easy to get down.”
She frowned as she recalled a case where she couldn’t help as much as she would have liked.
“I worked with two teenage boys who had been in and out of foster care for 16 years Testerman said. They had experienced all types of abuse: neglect physical abuse sexual abuse exposure to drugs. One of the boys frequently threatened to commit suicide and the other frequently ran away and participated in delinquent behavior.
“I did everything in my power to get them in a loving home with someone they cared about but it just seemed as though I was too late. Unfortunately when I transferred to a different office I was unable to continue being the social worker.
“I heard that one of them was sentenced to (juvenile) camp through probation and the other is a group home for the mentally ill. These are the type of cases that I work tirelessly on.”
In the three years she’s spent in the field Testerman has handled over 100 cases. What seems like only three years is a lifetime in social work. Most social workers leave after they work off their contract to pay back tuition from grad school.
But not Testerman. She feels she’s where she’s supposed to be no matter the difficulty.
“I have to prioritize and pay attention to what needs to be done she said. Some cases are more difficult than others especially when they’ve been in the system for a while. Sometimes a child has been in foster care in and out of homes. After the honeymoon period they’ll start acting up and then they go to a new home and a new school.”
It gets especially hard when Testerman isn’t even the one getting to call the shots. She is the one in the home and seeing the child on a regular basis but final decisions are often out of her hands.
“I have to go by what the judge says she said of the high percentage of her cases that involve the legal system.
Regardless of how hopeless it all seems at times, Testerman’s in it for the long haul.
There’s been tiny little moments where I’ve wanted to quit. But after talking to someone or having a good cry I’m over it she said. It’s in my blood. I’ve gained so much experience in different areas: medical judicial working with a team dealing with politics in an agency work is so challenging … anything else would seem easy.”
Her advice for anyone thinking about social work?
“If you can work in child protective services as a social worker you can do anything.”
