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THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Well since graduating I interviewed for one university advocate position & believe it or not it was a contract position requiring a masters degree, but had no benefits & only paid 14.83 an hour. Well, I make more than that sub teaching during the year & that's not enough plus I'm gonna need to pay back my student loans. Other than that I have worked with a right to life organization to teach young mothers, I have worked with a womens counseling center as an outreach educator. I managed the satillite office for five years before they down sized & I loved that! And I have worked with churches & their community outreach. My problem with churches & the right to life organizations is this -- although I'm a Christian & I am. I don't want to be caught up in the "right to life issue" or the "moral debachery - if you do this you're going to hell thing." I just want to help people & not get into the politics & religion of it. I compare it to my Dr. If I made an appointment with my Dr because I could barely breath I wouldn't expect him to ask me are you born again, do you believe in abortion? Ummm........I can't breath could you take me back & see me please & give me something so I can breath please. So that's the issue I've found when working with some agencies & churches EXCEPT the womens counseling agency. They would help regardless of your belief - I don't think they even asked & although this wasn't a religious agency almost every counselor, administrator & outreach worker & board member there except for 2 or 3 were Catholic, Christian, Lutheran, or Methodist. And we were directed to respond if anyone calles in and ask are you prolife or prochoice we were directed to answer - we're neutural, we're a counseling center. And many agencies had an issue with that & tried to stop our funding - never mind the women who were being seen by counselors for sexual abuse, marital abuse, child abuse whatever or the parents who came in for diapers, food, clothing & parenting classes, or the education that was being done in the community or abuse prevention and recognition or shaken baby syndrom & Sids. So anyway - that's the issue I've run into with agencies. Its funny I remember I was facilitating a toddlers class & we took a break. Although every parent in the group was in fact a parent, we were not allowed to discuss birth control & that was fine. So this one day we were on break & I came back to group from the rest room. I walked right into what --- you got it, a birth control discussion about getting your tubes tied. I sat down, looked around to see who we were missing & said, "ladies, you are all young mothers. Don't make a permanent decision based on a temporary condition in your life. You might meet Mr. Right get married and find you want your quiver full of kids. You never know the possiblities life might hold for you." Okay is everybody here? With that we regrouped discussion over. The next day I was called into the office & told that someone reported me for holding a discussion on birth control, I was warned, written up & directed to tell the class in the next meeting that we are a prolife organization, we do not believe in or discuss birth control in class, so we can not have the type of discussions that took place in the last class. So that was a long way of answering you. Hmmm, did I answer you? OMG! Also I am aware there are some area's I can't work in, one being senior citizens. Oh my goodness. I love seniors & I accepted this case mgr position that only paid 10 an hr by the way. I lasted 3 days! Why? I felt so sorry for the seniors. I literally cried every day @ the ladies house. At one point I went outside & sat on the porch crying. And I don't know why this affected me so badly. I've worked with abused women, kids, and men and I read the stories, I know how they said some senior citizens live because of deminished mental capacity, finances, resources, family etc. I read the case studies, but when I was there. I was not prepared for what I saw. It was too much for me. I don't know maybe I could do seniors in a senior citizen building in a "controlled enviornement." But the conditions of the clients homes that I had, no. I just wanted to wrap them up & take them home with me. Oh dear...I'm rambling again. Sorry.
Greetings, recent graduate student!
June hates to say this, but...."Welcome to the real world of..." having a Master's Degree in Psychology! (June's degree is a different one, yet she works with many colleagues who have the same degree/qualifications that you have.) --June is here, however, to tell you: despair not! There is much hope here, based upon your work history, your response to your own experience, and the degree you have. If June may be so bold, she would say the following: Given your words about the area that you worked in for five years, and loved, along with the fact that you can substitute teach, what about the idea of applying for jobs at Homeless Women's Shelters? Lord knows you could run groups, deliver much needed services, and counselling comes with the territory.
June would further say that if you have any substance abuse training/background, all the better! June's caseload is comprised of upwards around 70% dually diagnosed patients, so having a good grasp on the dynamics of substance abuse is not only essential, but highly marketable in terms of profession.
Don't worry about the fact that working with seniors is not for you. If anything, it is a huge "plus" to know what areas, populations you can't effectively work with! Far too many people accept jobs for which they aren't suited, only to have their self esteem suffer, and/or result in their questioning whether they are really cut out for this type of work.
So June would say focus on what you know, what you have loved in the past, and go for it! As for the money aspect? When you're talking "outreach" and "community mental health" you are talking low pay. --Unless you are interested in eventually getting licensed, and going into private practice.
Best of luck, and please let June know how you make out!
You know, I don't know about you guys, but I always find Bible Stories uplift & encourage me. I look at those stories & I take them literally & seriously. I'm like you know we're reading the story from the end so we know the outcome - they win. But think about it Abraham was in the fire, Noah, Moses, Job, David, Boaz (yep even Boaz), Jacob, Tamar, Ruth, Rehab, Bathsheeba, Mary. They were all in the fire. And they came out. Then I go to Hebrews & I read about the Heros of faith, some of who I just mentioned. They were in the fire! OMG & God was doing something that they couldn't see & didn't understand, but when He was done it was good. Even the bad was good. If they can make it through the fire (the pain, physical pain, mental pain, the anguish, self assurance, self doubt, understanding, fear and wavering, lonileness, questioning - comfort etc cause the fire brings - the fire). So my prayers are with you.
Tried to rep you!
I too love to relate what our ancestors of the faith walked through; I have Turner's bible collection
TNT Bible Collection, The Movies on DVD – TNT Bible Collection, The Photos and Quotes from Turner Classic Movies (http://turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.com/browse_list.asp?cid=re&dept=TNT+Bible+Collection%2 C+The&media=d - broken link)
which really takes me into the mindset of those we read about.
June hates to say this, but...."Welcome to the real world of..." having a Master's Degree in Psychology! (June's degree is a different one, yet she works with many colleagues who have the same degree/qualifications that you have.) --June is here, however, to tell you: despair not! There is much hope here, based upon your work history, your response to your own experience, and the degree you have. If June may be so bold, she would say the following: Given your words about the area that you worked in for five years, and loved, along with the fact that you can substitute teach, what about the idea of applying for jobs at Homeless Women's Shelters? Lord knows you could run groups, deliver much needed services, and counselling comes with the territory.
June would further say that if you have any substance abuse training/background, all the better! June's caseload is comprised of upwards around 70% dually diagnosed patients, so having a good grasp on the dynamics of substance abuse is not only essential, but highly marketable in terms of profession.
Don't worry about the fact that working with seniors is not for you. If anything, it is a huge "plus" to know what areas, populations you can't effectively work with! Far too many people accept jobs for which they aren't suited, only to have their self esteem suffer, and/or result in their questioning whether they are really cut out for this type of work.
So June would say focus on what you know, what you have loved in the past, and go for it! As for the money aspect? When you're talking "outreach" and "community mental health" you are talking low pay. --Unless you are interested in eventually getting licensed, and going into private practice.
Best of luck, and please let June know how you make out!
I too love to relate what our ancestors of the faith walked through; I have Turner's bible collection
TNT Bible Collection, The Movies on DVD – TNT Bible Collection, The Photos and Quotes from Turner Classic Movies (http://turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.com/browse_list.asp?cid=re&dept=TNT+Bible+Collection%2 C+The&media=d - broken link)
which really takes me into the mindset of those we read about.
(sorry about the prop )
Thanks for the link. I'm going to check it out in 5 min
LOL! I'm a shrink, and all my sessions weren't great today.
(Through no fault of my "just June" shrinky self, mind ya!)
I am very thankful for "shrinks". My son has been helped immensely with his obsessive compulsive disorder over the years....no meds just Exposure Response Therapy & GOD !!!
It has been acting up as of late though so he is heading back for more therapy...he feels the need to confess everything to everybody - what a strange illness OCD can be...... His therapist said its like a computer virus that all of a sudden shows up in the brain.
I'm a singer so I always sing when I'm down in the dumps. It makes me feel so much better!
June has heard that belting out a perfectly pitched "Amen" at the end of saying grace (when saying 'grace' is needed to be said) is something of a rather cathartic nature.
Hey, Dewdrop: Can ya hit a high "C?" June's thinkin' that oughta do it!
Something of an inside joke here, folks...nothing off beat. Or in Dewdrop's case, off key, for that matter, either!
I am very thankful for "shrinks". My son has been helped immensely with his obsessive compulsive disorder over the years....no meds just Exposure Response Therapy & GOD !!!
It has been acting up as of late though so he is heading back for more therapy...he feels the need to confess everything to everybody - what a strange illness OCD can be...... His therapist said its like a computer virus that all of a sudden shows up in the brain.
In so many respects, June has always thought that those who suffer from OCD are up against one of the most difficult diagnoses out there....It was interesting to read what you wrote regarding what your son's therapist said about it being analogous to a computer virun that afflicts the brain. Back in my intern days, I worked with two individuals who suffered from the same disorder, and it struck me as being analogous to a record that skips, and cannot get back on track...Whereby the person is just compelled to ruminate, ruminate, ruminate and can't control the ruminations. The turmoil that June witnessed in those individuals was so incredibly real, and made their lives more than just "challenging!"
June's glad to hear that your son has been helped without medication! While she has nothing against meds (when they are truly needed) by the same token, there is something about working with a person and helping to empower them to do what meds might! So good for your son, and for you! (And even the nonbeliever would have to add: Good for God, since you attribute it to him, as well. June can respect that!)
I can't carry a tune in a bucket But Others who can do cheer me up...hope i'm not Saul
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so he is heading back for more therapy...he feels the need to confess everything to everybody - what a strange illness OCD can be...... His therapist said its like a computer virus that all of a sudden shows up in the brain.