5 posts tagged “work”

I've relocated to the desert and finished my first week of work just yesterday. It started out rather slow, but I think I'm going to enjoy it. Especially after the clients are just mine and all the transitioning is over. I'll be working mostly with children and their parents (as well as teachers and DCFS workers if the situation calls for it). I haven't had a female client yet. It seems all the little girls are doing just fine adjusting. The odds are very interesting to me. It is still a weird position for me to have to remind myself that people are waiting for my "assessment" and I have to give it, rather quickly. I'm definitely having to brush up on my DSM skills which is fun. There have been a few instances where my supervisor wanted a diagnosis for a child/teen and after looking up the qualifiers I refused to diagnose the kid with it because he didn't meet the criteria.

This job is pretty much the best job in the world. I have the biggest office because there is a playroom in it. I only have to be there when I have appointments and as long as all my paperwork is done, I can be at home with my husband. That's something else that takes getting used to, leaving work at ten in the morning when I'm used to having to be there for forty hours regardless. I almost don't trust the process. I still worry that my paycheck will be deducted because I'm not there all 40 hours.

Yesterday, my husband and I went to the bank to start a local account and the bank manager and I became engaged in a conversation about kids and bipolar disorder. Again, weird that someone actually was curious about my opinion, but I think it's really great that society as a whole is becoming aware of mental health issues and they aren't afraid to discuss them. I suppose that looks good for therapists. :)

Today we go and put all my books, etc. in my office. It'll eventually look like it's mine.

I would venture to say that upon one's graduation the new alumni looks toward the future with hope and excitement. It is finally over. I stayed the task. I survived the classes, demands and emotions that are encompassed in working toward a degree.

Then reality strikes. You are now in competition with every other person that just graduated in your field...across the nation. Entry level becomes something you dream of as you use whatever means necessary to get a good night's sleep without worrying how you'll survive without good ol' Uncle Sam helping you out.

I'd heard about these scenarios for several people. I suppose I was in denial just a little bit. Sending out resumes to the best places. No response. We are not hiring. The market has dropped (whatever that means). All "good" excuses, I suppose. How does the "market" drop in mental health anyway? People stopped having problems because of the high gas prices? Maybe people have less stress because they aren't sure they can make their house payment or not. *shrugs* Whatever the reason, it leaves some of us new graduates between a rock and a hard place.

Do we settle for something we are WAY overqualified for? Do we keep looking even though the bank account dwindles every day? Do we contemplate the potential income of the beggar at the exit ramp and consider a similar lifestyle? Do we just give up and look for anything just to have an income?

I'll admit, I applied for jobs I was too qualified for. I was offered one actually. I applied for Administrative and Executive Assistant positions, because I knew I was qualified for that, at least in one way. The next day (after I was offered a job below my qualifications and pay scale) I was offered a job in my field with every possible benefit imaginable. 401k, insurance (life, medical, dental), long-term disability, student loan reimbursement, paid supervision, vacation, sick days...need I go on? The catch is, it's in the middle of nowhere. A smaller town than I was in before. Then the near deal-breaker...No Wal-Mart. Not only is there no Wal-mart. There is not a Wal-Mart until you drive about 118 miles. What happened to that whole "A Wal-Mart every seven miles" goal mom?

Was it worth the wait? Nearly a month since graduation and no job? I think so. One day we'll laugh about the month I didn't work. I'll probably long for a day off actually. In any case, we are now just waiting on details regarding my licensure and then we'll make the four-hour move to this small town to hopefully embrace the almost completely faded dream of a new graduate. 

It's a good thing too because I'm not sure my husband would go for the whole street beggar thing.

Class today was good and I have thoughts that I'll point out when I have my backpack on hand, but right now I'm going to go over my "field trip" experience of the day.

Today was the day that we all were going to the state mental hospital to tour the "Forensics Unit" and interview some "patients" (a.k.a. the criminally insane). I didn't really have that many expectations of the trip. It was a little frightening, knowing I'd be in the same place as people who were capable of rape, murder, etc. but I didn't really worry about my own safety for the most part.

After class I was passing out the maps because it is an hour or so away and one of the guys in our program that has been having a hard time was in the hallway and I offered a map to him and he said that he is no longer in the program. He and one other girl are already out of the program. The other girl isn't official yet, but now there are thirteen official members of the program. The guy just got married at the beginning of the year and has been having trouble adjusting to the demands of school and married life. I get that things are hard here, but I never imagined it to be so hard that I would give up. It's discouraging a little because he really was a positive contribution to the group and he's from my home state, but he needs to do what is best.

The mental hospital was really interesting. They put us all in a room with three patients and we got to ask them all kinds of questions. It was pretty cool and there were lots of good questions. I thought that was it. Then we went to the activities area and stood around and talked (sans patients) some more, then we toured the rooms and saw the seclusion room. In most cases, on any other day, I would have loved to stick around and soak it all in, but I had work at 5:00 and it was nearly 4:50 by the time we left the hospital. To top it off, the girl I rode with was talking with another classmate up front and was only going 50 almost the entire way back (on top of rush hour traffic) so I didn't get to work until 6:00! I'll go back when I don't have anywhere to be, but today I wasn't thrilled. I didn't get to pick up my check or finish packing or anything. We'll see what happens.

I'm at work now after a nice little nap.

In class today I asked Hickman how "one" would overcome the arrows once the arrow is named.  My mind was already mush before he started to answer the question so I'm not sure if he really just danced around it and said that the therapist needs to establish the relationship with the client that would counteract their conclusions or if he really answered it and I completely missed it.  Either way, I'm still a little lost on the resolution after the fact.  It's rather frustrating in that case.  It's like being cut open for surgery and then having to wait for the surgeon to learn the procedure before you can be sewn up and better.  Exhausting.

I also found out that we have another presentation due in a couple weeks.  This time in Hickman's class (that's two for Pollard, one for Moore, one for Rackley, and one for Hickman) and we have to have partners.  Granted, I've already established a pretty functional relationship with my partner so that isn't the issue.  The issue is time, scheduling, etc.  Had I known about these presentations at the onset I could have planned and balanced them out, but Rackley and Hickman both sprung them on us and we have a total of about forty to fifty pages of writing due in the span of a week or so.

I also learned that once rotations begin, I'll be working weekends.  I don't know why I thought we'd have the weekends off or what not, but it's just part of life.  At least I don't have to worry about work or social obligations while I'm here.  I mean, yes, I work at the clinic, but that will only last until I start doing therapy because I can't very well man the desk and do therapy, can I?  Eh, I still haven't gotten my first paychecks though.  I'm going to have to go by HR tomorrow and check on that.

There is a great deal of reading to do in the next couple days.  I have to finish Moore's paper and get ready for my presentation on Monday.  Pollard's assignment on Tuesday (which is now much less than we thought *whew*).  Then those four chapters for Rackley that I didn't do while I was home last weekend.  I have a feeling that weekends home will not be a frequent thing once I get into practicum.  One trip made me realize how little sleep I get, how frequently I put my own needs behind the needs of others, and how exhausted I am when I get back.  I suppose working on the weekends won't be the end of the world.  At least I won't be bored.

I was about 100 yards from my front door on my way to class this morning when I began to approach someone on the sidewalk and realized I couldn't see them properly.  I rolled my eyes, turned around and trudged back up the stairs to retrieve my glasses.

Monday was a great day.  We finished our stories in Rackley's class and did an interactive activity that also served as a teaching tool.  It was really great to be back in class if for no other reason than to know that the boredom of the weekend had passed. I am fine being by myself, really, but you run out of things to do and even things to think about.  Plus, I really enjoy the classes and the people in my classes so of course I would look forward to my time in class.

A quick walk home on lunch and stopping by Human Resources in an effort to get my tax papers taken care of for my "job" beginning on Thursday.  I forgot that the entire school takes lunch at the same time.  Instead I spent some time on the computer, getting my internet fix, then for class to begin.

Dr. Moore's class was equally interesting.  We talk about basically the same thing in Rackley's class except from a different angle.  Dr. Moore really wants us to look at things from another angle and get that whole creativity thing down when it comes to treatment, etc.  There were some really great things that we talked about.  I'll have to bring my notes up here for a complete analysis.

In somewhat unrelated news, I've been having a great deal of trouble sleeping these days.  I don't know why. Maybe I should turn my bed a different direction.  I don't think that would do the trick though.