Faculty of Community & Health Sciences D r S e r e n a I S a ac S
r I S I n g S ta r
Developing family and community resilience in a post-pandemic world DOCTOR Serena Isaacs is keenly aware of the daily struggle to of) work. Not only are we taking care of the house — cooking, create balance in families and individuals. She is a supervising cleaning and doing the laundry — but we also have to fit our Research Psychologist and a Senior Lecturer who professions into our home space as well. Creating has been with the Department of Psycholthat separation of work and personal space ogy at the University of the Western Cape has been quite the challenge.” since 2011. She graduated with a PhD Over the years, she has managed to in Psychology in April 2018 and her develop a resilient system for achievpostdoctoral work has focused on ing her goals. furthering the field of family resil“My priorities are based on my ience research in South Africa. life goals – both work and Her work has never been personal. At the beginning of more important than during every new year, I identify a list the pandemic. of main goals. For example, “It is hard to pinpoint how one of my goals for 2021 women are disproportionis to ensure that the proately affected because it’s gramme I developed is imsomething we experience plemented and evaluated. every day — even before Another goal is to ensure the pandemic. that all students I supervise “I see it in academia all the have received their ethics time. When you’re in a meetclearance and have collected ing and something needs to data. My third goal is to ensure be arranged or organised, inthat I participate in meaningful evitably there will be a woman and impactful community or outbehind it. reach activities. “You carry so much responsibility by “In order to achieve these goals, I definition of being a woman, and when need to ensure that each month, I have you add the label academic to that, you accomplished something to those ends. are carrying the weight of the world. We’re So, on Monday mornings I sit and prioritise looking after the current and next generation, not tasks for the week. At the end of the week, I go back only at home but at work as well (and these days, work is home). to that list and review what I was able to do and what I wasn’t able In academia, so much of what you do affects others and can have to complete and why. a significant impact on the rest of their “There’s never been a more pressing “Not only are we taking care of the lives. It’s no exaggeration to say that need for families to build resilience. people’s futures are in our hands.” house, but we have to fit our professions That’s why my aim is to contribute to When talking about work-home balinto our home space as well. Creating and develop the area of family and ance, Dr Isaacs admits that the lines can community resilience in a post-panget totally blurred. “Our work is now at that separation of work and personal demic world, and inspire others to folhome and our home is now (our place space has been quite the challenge.” low suit.”
