tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post7727521016240809859..comments2023-08-10T05:32:21.649-07:00Comments on The Fat Social Worker: When the social worker has mental illness.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post-30749443463788710832011-04-01T01:23:20.365-07:002011-04-01T01:23:20.365-07:00I remember my first practicum. I worked with refug...I remember my first practicum. I worked with refugee mothers who spoke no english and whose husbands had either been killed in front of them or 'disappeared'. <br /><br />It was such hard, but amazing work. I felt honoured to be a part of it. <br /><br />And then I noticed that I was shutting down more, easily overwhelmed, and getting less done. My supervisor brought in a counsellor to do a workshop on vicarious trauma and it all made sense. <br /><br />How do we leave the soul-breaking work behind at the end of the day? what meditation, ritual, or activity to we engage in to bring closure to our work and open the door to living our lives to their fullest? How do we maintain cohesion in the face of such tragedy and inhumanity?<br /><br />I'm not sure yet. But a lot of bubble baths, breathing, cognitive shifts, silver linings, and keeping my eye on my big picture is moving me forward so far. Oh, and a good therapist. <br /><br />You're not alone in that fight.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post-26121466444699945652011-03-30T15:36:42.610-07:002011-03-30T15:36:42.610-07:00I just have to say.... you are wonderful. Thank yo...I just have to say.... you are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your self.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post-33834797327319144122011-03-09T13:33:13.866-08:002011-03-09T13:33:13.866-08:00I appreciate you sharing your story with me. Your ...I appreciate you sharing your story with me. Your situation sounds tough :/ I wish you the best, and feel free to contact me if you ever want to talk. I hope you find something that helps.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post-19342531026958033522011-03-04T05:18:11.926-08:002011-03-04T05:18:11.926-08:00Thanks for sharing your story. I, unfortunately, h...Thanks for sharing your story. I, unfortunately, have been unable to manage my depression and a career. I left social work over 3 years ago due to the stress. Im pretty sure I suffer from secondary trauma which has complicated my recovery from depression. Im on new meds which has helped tremendously. I also believe I suffer from compassion fatigue. I do care about people, but detach from other people's pain. It is just too overwhelming. The fact that I suffer from social phobia doesn't help either. I dont know if I could ever practice again in a clinical setting, but I dont know what else I could do non-clinically. Nothing interests me anymore. I wish you luck and thanks again for blogging your experience.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post-81797718288284035932011-03-03T23:34:47.713-08:002011-03-03T23:34:47.713-08:00I've been dealing with a lot of stress as well...I've been dealing with a lot of stress as well (unemployed, starting school, worrying about my dad's health) and I'm surprised I'm not having many depression symptoms right now. I am definitely focusing on self-care things like getting enough sleep, eating regularly, exercising, and making to-do lists so that I can SEE the progress I'm making when I check things off.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post-57409306219680813472011-03-03T23:25:58.485-08:002011-03-03T23:25:58.485-08:00Thanks for the comment on the blog's look! I j...Thanks for the comment on the blog's look! I just spent a good hour tinkering with it!<br /><br />I guess I hear you on the angry clients. I have one in particular who was confronting me every time she saw me about this ONE time I missed our session (it wasn't a huge deal logistically--she saw her counselor who she needed to see anyway). She misses appointments with me all the time, but I just thought it was so fascinating how she zeroed in on this with me. And I feel guilty. I'm not sure how to process that yet. She definitely has some abandonment problems going on (I'm at a DV shelter--there's a lot of self-victimizing that happens), so I guess in some ways this could be good for her. She will learn to see that there are others to help her when I'm not around. <br /><br />Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with me.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000781413823009205.post-53412833040865133312011-03-03T23:19:03.041-08:002011-03-03T23:19:03.041-08:00Social Work can without doubt be emotionally drain...Social Work can without doubt be emotionally draining and you do need to look after yourself although I'm sure they teach about that at college! As for absences, I just deal with them honestly. I fortunately haven't had to deal with mental health issues but I had a really detach and a lot of difficulties when my father died and when he was dying - possibly exacerbated by the fact that I work with older adults so I looked around and constantly saw old people and children and felt upset and almost resentful that I didn't have any living parents (my father brought us up as a single parent). <br />One of the most difficult things I've ever done was on the first day back after compassionate leave after the death of my father, going to speak to a woman I'd been working with for a while about her dying son and her own feelings. My manager said she would send someone else but I bravely went on, thinking, I'd built up a relationship with this woman and to 'abandon' her when her son was dying wouldn't be helpful to say the least. <br />I cried before I went in, managed to keep it together when I saw her and sat in the park next to her house and sobbed my heart out afterwards. Every time I go there, I still look at that bench in the park and it always reminds me of my dad and how I felt in the days after his death. <br />Anyway, one thing that absence taught me was that sometimes you can plan sessions and interventions but you can't always plan your own life and things that happen in it. You just have to go with it and do the best you can in all situations but you can't do more than your best. <br />Another personal story but I also had to go into hospital last year for some unexpected surgery. I had some clients who were almost angry with me for 'leaving them'. I found it much easier to walk away and trust my colleagues to pick up the slack. <br />I try and compartmentalise work into two categories. Things I can change and Things I can't change. <br />As long as I do my absolute best to work on the 'things I can change', I have to mentality divest myself of responsibility for the 'things I can't change'. That includes my health and family. <br /><br />A bit rambly but it's still early here. Good luck with the studies. Love the blog's look!Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15038846483670845665noreply@blogger.com