Resmiye Oral, MD

In my practice, I work with families in which child abuse and neglect might be occurring or where there are risk factors for abuse or neglect. I look at the big picture and evaluate each child with a family-centered focus because children thrive best with their thriving family members. I do everything possible to help the family understand that I care for all family members, not only the child who has been referred to our clinic and that I will do everything in my power to help them as a family.

My spoken and body language convey compassion, understanding, honesty and respect. My compassionate, collaborative manner gives my patients the opportunity to open up to me with their strengths and weaknesses, including their hard experiences. This helps me better understand their struggles in providing the best care to their children despite their best intentions. Being able to “walk in the shoes” of the parents I work with is, to me, the first step in a successful, trust-based connection.

As a result of this holistic understanding of family circumstances, it becomes much easier to arrive at an agreement about what kinds of services may help both the child and the family. I feel most fulfilled when a family is connected with and receives all necessary services and makes the transition from a struggling state as a result of their hard experiences to a more stable, peaceful, loving and caring family structure.

I have always been socially conscious and wanted to help the most needy in my society. This desire led me to work with children who were—intentionally or unintentionally—abused or neglected by their caretakers. I wanted to prevent and stop abuse as well as help families rehabilitate.

My work is often challenging and sometimes thankless, and that’s what makes it all the more important. Understanding others' struggles has shown me that we are all interconnected with our struggles. When I can build a compassionate relationship with my patients and am able to guide them through a path of recovery from their past and present traumas, it gives me great fulfillment.

Regardless of our color, race, gender, ethnicity or economic status, we are all the same. We all have a good core. We all have both positive and negative relationships and experiences. And we all have the capacity to reach our good and wise core to make the right decisions, be healthy and happy to raise healthy and happy children. My job is to help the families I work with heal and become stronger and happier in the process.