Rather than promise to keep this blog of mine updated on a regular
basis, let me pledge to make an effort. Let’s not play this game anymore, shall
we?
There is an enormous amount of change in my life to share
since my last update…let’s see…in February of 2010…
Among the most significant items, I have since left my
position at the Brashear Association in order to focus entirely on my Masters
of Social Work degree. That last semester was completely jam-packed (eighteen
hours) but I made it. I graduated in December of 2010 and interviewed for a
position at an agency called The
Stern Center for Developmental and Behavioral Health where I provide
Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services. This is just a fancy term for
in-home child-centered therapy and behavioral observation.
Although I eventually advocated for responsibility for up to
eight clients with a variety of diagnoses (including Bi-Polar Disorder,
Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), I am currently
down to a single client. My experience here has been highly educational.
Despite some structural changes in supervision and expectations, I’ve gotten to
learn a tremendous amount on the job about my competencies, my needs from a
position, and my vulnerabilities. I also, unfortunately, reported child abuse
for one client for the first time.
Additionally, I interviewed for and was hired at Wesley Spectrum Services working as a
therapist in the Family-Based Mental Health program. This is similarly a mobile
therapy service that works with families in the midst of crisis who may
potentially be involved with Children, Youth and Families or juvenile justice
programs. Although it has its deficits (twenty-four hour availability via a
crisis phone!), I’m immensely enjoying learning about the Structural Family
Therapy modality and integrating many of the techniques and experimentations
I already know and love with new ones. I also have a truly fantastic partner
named Lori who is immensely talented and a wonderful support.
In addition to these jobs, I’m still learning and
growing at the Women’s
Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh’s MEN/S Group. This job continues
to be the love of my professional life especially since I am co-facilitating a
group without my mentor! Initially it was quite a humbling experience to
integrate my approach to my partner’s but we’ve since developed a wonderful and
trusting rapport with one another.
Somehow, despite all this, my relationship with Chavonne
continues to be a source of strength. We, in fact, managed to take a vacation
to Baltimore earlier this month for the first time in three years! We swam in
Chesapeake Bay, ate delicious vegan
soul food (oh, I’m also a vegan now), saw magnificent sea life at the National Aquarium….and whiled away a day on awful, awful
television.
As I mentioned, we made the decision to go vegan recently
and I couldn’t be more pleased. In tandem with this, I also saw a wonderful
naturopath who provided me important insight into my health. As a result, I
feel healthier and more vital than I ever have.
In this spirit of self-improvement, I’ve begun seeing a
truly brilliant private therapist who, once again, is helping me to restructure
my own life in the way I want. She’s already helped challenge my way of being
with respect to connecting more to others (perhaps prompting this blog, now
that I think about it).
I’m also beginning a Japanese language class this evening!
Please anticipate future blog entries (if any!) to be seasoned with obnoxious
half-language.
Our dogs continue to be fat and happy in their fifth year of
life. Matlock, as I type, is raising the alarm through the neighborhood for no
damn good reason.
We also have two lovely rescue cats! Jadis and Lilika (from The Chronicles of Narnia
and Rogue Galaxy,
respectively) are wonderfully sweet, rambunctious, corpulent additions to our
home.
There’s a lot more to say but for now, just know I’m better
off now than even a year ago. I’m happier; I’m richer in friends and spirit; I’m
a more capable clinician than I was before; I don’t have to try as hard; I’m
content and I’m still growing.
