Pre-Employment

Who knew pre-employment would be so much work! I understand the need for all of this information. Aside from the normal items, I need to do a bit more since I will be working with humans and more importantly, children. I get it.

• Drug test
• Electronic fingerprints
• TB screen
• Notarized Affidavit of Good Moral Character
• Original Diploma
• Official Transcripts
• Infant/Adult CPR and First-Aid Training
• CFARS Certification
• Proof of Eligibility to work in US
• Driver's License
• Proof of Auto Insurance

I’ve got most of this done already though, because that’s how I am. ☺

-SWS

I am employed!

I have secured my first job after graduation. I am extremely excited and nervous as hell! I will be a Therapeutic Behavior On-Site Counselor, which means I will be going in to homes and schools and working with children and adolescents who have diagnosed mental disorders. It sounds like a doozy for my first ever therapeutic job, but I just know the experience is going to be so beneficial to my growth as a social worker. And hey, getting my feet wet on the therapeutic side might just urge me to get licensed. We’ll see how much I enjoy the work. :)

I start 8/1 with a 2 week orientation. They gave me a slew of background checks I have to get completed prior. So, I need to hop on that.

Go me!

-SWS

Testing, one, two…

Hello! New blog for a new chapter in my life. :) This won’t be the most active of blogs, but I think it will be pretty good content. I plan to write about my social work / therapeutic experience. I recently graduated with my MSW and have a job prospect. More soon.

-SWS

P.S. I've imported my old social work posts from previous blog.

Site Visit

I had my site visit yesterday with my field supervisor an field professor yesterday. The site visit occurs every semester to ensure everyone one is happy, the student is learning, the agency is pleased with student’s work, etc.It was a little late in the semester because my field professor is behind.

It went well, and I am so pleased that I have a caring, understanding and knowledgeable field supervisor. (I really lucked out with my 2 placements, let me tell you!) I let my professor know that I am engaged with 4 individual clients - one teen, two children and one adult - and that I am dabbling with play therapy, CBT, strengths perspective and case management. I also facilitate one children's group and co-facilitate the other. As for macro, I’ve attended some community events around Domestic Violence, and did some internal trainings on child development and trauma-based care. I plan to kick up the macro next semester, and see some court proceedings. I plan to attend the local Domestic Violence council meeting on Tuesday too. I really like macro work and want to get as much as I can out of it.

That’s my update! Now, off to finish a presentation…

A Movie Review: Reviving Ophelia

I heard about this movie through BreakTheCycle.org whom I follow on Twitter. This organization aims to educate teens on dating violence and empower them to make their own decisions. Reviving Ophelia aired on Lifetime and will probably play more. Check your local channel listing to see when it airs again.

Reviving Ophelia is a story about a normal, well-to-do, calm and collected teenage girl, Elizabeth, who becomes involved with a guy named Mark. Mark is a gentleman, is respectful towards adults and showers Liz with affection and attention – just what teenage girls are looking for! Unfortunately, Mark isn’t what he seems to be. Underneath his cool façade and cute exterior is an angry young man who has become quite obsessed with Liz. The signs are absolutely blaring. Her cousin, who is deemed the wild one in the family, tries to alert her family to what is going on, but no one wants to believe her. She tries to step in and assist her cousin, but she is quickly pushed aside and told there is no problem. Once Liz’s parents find out, they do everything to control the situation and protect their daughter. However, telling Liz No only make her want him more…

If you do plan to watch the movie, or read the book, don’t read any more. It will give away a lot of the story. I wrote down all of the signs I recognized:

• He gets miffed because she made plans without consulting him
• You find out his mother left him and his father, and that his father called him a loser because his mother left him.
• You later find out his dad beat his mother, which is probably why she left. As ugly and unfortunate as it is, abuse is a learned behavior a lot of the time.
• He becomes jealous of her friends and guys she sits by in class.
• He tried to control her behavior.
• He calls and texts her constantly, and gets very angry when she doesn’t respond promptly.
• He tracks her on her phone’s GPS! Stalking is a serious red flag.
• There is a small blip about an ex-girlfriend, who we don’t learn much about. However, sounds like he has been down this path before.
• He makes her feel guilty for everything.
• There is the obvious physical violence. The first incident, Mark lies and says he had to slam on his break and she hit the dash. She confirms the story. The cycle repeats itself, even if he says it will never happen again.
• When she really tries to end the relationship, he pulls the suicide card. This is a very common response to once again use the blame and guilt that the victim feels to get them to stay.

The denial was thick as molasses. Liz blames herself for the fights. He has manipulated her mind and has fed his guilt into her. She makes a statement in the movie that if she were a better girlfriend, he wouldn’t have to hurt her. In one scene, she is eating dinner with her family and Mark texts her. Her dad tells her that it is family time and she can reply after dinner is over. Liz pretty much has a tiny panic attack. She becomes very anxious because her body is releasing adrenaline in response to what will happen if she doesn’t get back to him ASAP, even if her mind doesn’t make the connection.

One scene I found very powerful involved the social worker. After Liz lied to her family about breaking up with Mark, she visited her therapist. When the therapist asked how life was now that Mark wasn’t in it, Liz didn’t have much to say – because she was still seeing him. The therapist likely caught on to this and I think she used a powerful technique. She handed Liz her laptop and asked her to type in “warning signs of abuse” and asked Liz to read them to her. The clarity that washed over Liz was so heartbreaking, but it is what she needed to realize the situation she was in. At that point, she took control back of her life.

I plan to read the book ASAP, and will also report on it.

http://www.amazon.com/Reviving-Ophelia-Adolescent-Ballantine-Readers/dp/0345392825