Two sides of the coin
It has come to my attention that my blog has an unhappy vibe about it. Which it does. But at the same time I want to express how incredible this program is (the reason for being here). While the homesickness is awful and I would rather stay home and not come back on the weekends that I go home, this program is what keeps me coming back for the weeks....(months...years...). I love what I am learning and I am so completely into it. I feel like things I have thought and felt in my life finally have explanations. It's awesome (as in huge) and I love it and I wholeheartedly want to be a counselor. So I will endure feeling cut off and homesick for that, even when it feels like I would rather do anything but.
posted by Womoon @ 4:36 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Well - I'm glad you are out of your funk - b/c I'm starting to get in a funk of my own. I'm getting another UTI (let's see that's 1 whole month without one). I have to go in for a colposcopy and get my cervix lazared on October 19th. I'm feeling really stupid at my job at the moment. I feel like grad school didn't prepare me for reality enough - so I am constantly reading up on stuff. I was so freaked out about my stupidity that I read like all weekend on the issues my clients are dealing with. My boss is expecting me to come up w/ some great idea that relates to mental health proffessionals helping youth (gee that narrows it down). First - it was that he wanted to start an early intervention truancy program which I was suppose to be researching for all summer - which I did and then he turns around and tells me that it's not possible and that we should find something else to work on. The problem is a truant child does not fit one profile. I and I suspect no one else on the planet cannot look at someone and tell whether or not they are going to be truant. Of course there are indications (truant siblings, drug use, learning disabilities, known mental health problems, school phobia, those who are being bullied or those w/ parents who simply don't care). As far as early intervention though - it's virtually impossible and dealing w/ the already truant is a difficult issue too b/c positive incentives are out of the question - why reward Johnny Bad Ass for going to school when there are plenty of people who go to school on their own. Plus there are different issues present at different grade levels. Anyway - all of this came blurting out of my head when I talked to my boss about my feelings on things and I'm sure I sounded like a blithering idiot. I would love to start something new (but you have to get past the red tape people first and that is difficult). Teachers don't have extra time - case managers don't have extra time - plenty of people care, but at the end of the day the people who impact kids lives the most are too tired to do anything extra and I can't really say I blame them. My point to my boss was this (yes I am getting to the end of my long winded point): We are the Community Services Board - so let's use the community resources instead of keeping to ourselves - let's get the imput from youth group leaders, coaches, guidance counselors, principals, case managers, parents, neighborhood committees, the YMCA people - form focus groups - briefly inform them (give them a check list) on how to spot a child w/ possible mental health problem and maybe we will catch them quicker - b/c relying on the school social workers alone is not doing it. There is no liability in having the above people fill out checklists and then filtering those checklists through the school social worker who can then refer those kids to a mental health provider. The way it works now - kids are coming to us way after there is a problem - often after they have been in the courts several times (hello - red flag). I don't know - I'm just feeling really frustrated that I'm not coming up with the big ideas. Sorry to piss and moan. Hope all is well.
Allison :)
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