Awake and Dreaming - Other blogs - Social Work Blog

counselling

I had a super intense session with someone today. We had a really intense one last week too. I don't know if the client finds things as intense as I do, but I feel like we're really hitting the root of some incredibly deep pain. I've been...

Published 22 Sep 2009 4:17 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: counseling, employment, mental health, work

craaaaaay week

It is amazing to me, that one of my clients could ingest more than 200 pills, wind up at the hospital in an ambulance, be treated in emergency and be released with no admission, not even a follow up. The day before that they refused to admit her to psych...

Published 22 Aug 2009 5:53 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: me, mental health, Oliver, suicide, whining, work

rant around the clock

I'm having an issue at work that I'm kind of getting sick of. My clients seem to have a VERY difficult time keeping their appointments. Now, I don't mind the occasional missed appointment that was forgotten about, and I of course don't...

Published 13 Aug 2009 1:39 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: counseling, mental health, pet peeves, thoughts, whining, work

Hearing Voices - Workshop

Last week I went to a fascinating workshop called " Hearing Voices that are Distressing ". It's based on the idea that a person can experience hearing voices, as someone with schizophrenia might, the same way a person can experience a physical...

Published 10 Aug 2009 3:23 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: mental health, social work, workshop

it's a lot easier

Lesson of the week: Sometimes it is WAY easier to be a social worker than a friend. One of dearest and most beloved friends is currently dealing with extremely debilitating anxiety. If she was a client, I would know what to do, but it's so much harder...

Published 30 Jun 2009 3:46 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: bike, friends, learning, life, mental health, social work

disclosure

Something that was drilled into us during school was the idea that you can't take a client further than you've gone yourself. In otherwords, deal with your own crap before you try and help people deal with there's. If you can't bear to...

Published 22 Jun 2009 2:29 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: mental health, work

What I'm reading this week: Confidentiality in mental health

Cordless, C. (Ed.). (2001). Confidentiality in mental health . London. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. One thing of note when reviewing an edited volume is that each article is not equally good or equally relevant to one’s interests. This book for example...

Published 11 Jun 2009 3:21 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: book review, mental health

Housing Part Four: Barriers to Safe Housing

So now that I’ve written about kinds of housing, reason people need housing, and what safe housing looks like, it’s only fitting to consider some of the barriers to safe housing. Why, in an industrialized nation such as Canada doesn’t everyone have safe...

Published 28 May 2009 11:01 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: beurocracy, homelessness, mental health, thoughts

Housing Part Two: Who needs housing?

I’m assuming that the majority of people reading this blog have some form of safe housing. This is simply based on what I know about the demographics of those who comment. However, I’m also going to make the assumption that at some point in our lives...

Published 26 May 2009 10:58 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: homelessness, mental health, thoughts

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

I had one of those eye opening moments the other day. We had a client present with all the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and virtually no positive ones. Actually, rather then realizing that she had gone off her meds, we assumed she was on too many...

Published 23 May 2009 3:30 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: counseling, learning, mental health, thoughts, work

The Service Eater

Most social workers have dealt with these clients. The clients who have been to every program under the sun and hope that yours will give them that something they need, that one extra push etc… The question is, what do you do with them? Something I’ve...

Published 10 May 2009 2:57 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: counseling, mental health, work

Borderline Personality Disorder

You know, I’d never really understood the hype about Borderline Personality Disorder; I kind of thought of it as an over diagnosed phenomenon with a huge stigma attached to it. I’m starting to get it. I have a client with a diagnosis of BPD. I have one...

Published 8 May 2009 2:53 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: mental health, staff relations, thoughts, work

deinstitutionalization

Let me start by saying that I realize I'm touching on a controversial subject. I'm going to talk about it anyway. A few nights ago I was at a meeting about disability rights legislation. Yay advocacy and policy development! Anyway, at the end...

Published 7 May 2009 3:38 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: harm reduction, health care, mental health, thoughts, treatment

What I'm reading this week: The culture of our disconent

Small, M (2006). The culture of our discontent: Beyond the medical model of mental illness. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press. To start off with, let me say I really liked this book. Meredith Small is an anthropologist who sets out to look at models...

Published 28 Apr 2009 3:45 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Social Worker (with a little help from her Sophie Cat)

Filed under: book review, mental health

My new job

So, I've written tons and tons about the shelter over time, but I haven't yet written anything about my new job in terms of what I do, and what our program does. The simple answer is that we provide job search support and employment support to...

Published 14 Apr 2009 1:39 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: employment, mental health, social work, work

update on me

I've been off most of this week in between my two jobs, so naturally, I didn't bother to use any of my free time to write. So, I'll try and make up for that with an update about how things are going. 1. The Sophie cat seems just fine. I have...

Published 4 Apr 2009 8:31 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: life, me, mental health, sick, sophie, thoughts, work

thank you

Thank you guys all for your support. It really does mean a lot to me. I think I'm a bit calmed down now, I'm trying to see the big picture, to look at this from the outside instead of from my heart. Watching Sophie cat drink water with her paw...

Published 22 Mar 2009 7:18 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: church, crying, friends, me, mental health, work

just an all around sad story

This is a story about death. This is a story about everyday life. This is a story about the poor and the middle class. This is a story about people struggling to get by. This is the story of inequality, unfairness and injustice. This is truth. Everyday...

Published 22 Mar 2009 11:38 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: attitudes, death, first aid, homelessness, intoxication, mental health, thoughts, work

getting out and doing things...update on my "care plan"

This past two weeks I've been focusing on getting out and doing things. It's been hard, but worth it. I've managed to spend time with most of my good friends (although best friend and I have played quite a bit of telephone tag...maybe I'll...

Published 21 Mar 2009 11:28 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: life, me, mental health, sleep

it's almost spring

I can't believe I haven't posted in a week. Things are not going well in dreamerville, and writing just seems like too much, that and I just haven't seemed to find anything I really want to write about, I know I'll feel better if I write...

Published 8 Mar 2009 7:45 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: IPDA, life, me, mental health, sick, sleep, social work, the enforcer, thoughts, whining, winter, work

What I'm reading this week: Prozac Diary

Slater, L. (1999). Prozac diary . New York, NY. Random House. I realize this makes two book reviews in a row about medication, and I promise the next one won’t be (although it is about healthcare, and then comes suicide, it is a social work blog after...

Published 26 Feb 2009 12:12 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: book review, mental health

Actions and Consequences

When I was a child, my parents taught me that there was a consequence to each of my actions, good or bad, and often, if I did the wrong thing, they were the ones to enforce the consequence. For example, leaving my room in a mess despite repeated warnings...

Published 22 Feb 2009 11:57 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: alcohol, attitudes, emotions, FASD, homelessness, intoxication, learning, mental health

What I'm Reading this Week

I decided that since I read a lot I should start writing about what I'm reading if for no other reason then making me process what I read. I often pick non fiction from the new non-fiction books at the local library and this book stood out to me because...

Published 6 Feb 2009 8:33 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: book review, mental health

why they stay

I tried to blog last week about how hard it is for people to leave the shelter... it didn't come across quite the way I wanted it to though. I really shouldn't blog when I'm so tired my eyes keep closing. So, my thoughts on why people don't...

Published 4 Feb 2009 10:05 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: homelessness, mental health, shelter, substance use, thoughts, work

Leaving the Shelter

I really want to be sarcastic about this picture. I really, really do, but I'm not going to be, because finding a picture of "empowerment" is hard. It really is. I mentioned earlier that the enforcer and I got in a fight, it was about empowerment...

Published 30 Jan 2009 8:31 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: attitudes, homelessness, mental health, shelter, substance use, the enforcer, treatment

yikes... too much.

Maybe it's stupid, but I always feel bad posting rants on my blog about how tired I am. I always vowed I'd never be on of those "emo" bloggers who just complains about how much life stucks and how the world is out to get them. Especially...

Published 28 Jan 2009 4:34 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: crying, emotions, mental health, shelter, sleep, sophie, staff relations, whining, work

examining evil aka examining my biases

There's one client who for a long time I was scared of, petrified of even. Ever since I started working on the side of the tracks where he makes his home, I've been scared of him. He's the kind of person who has a reputation in the neighbourhood...

Published 2 Jan 2009 10:04 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a (not quite) Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: attitudes, intoxication, me, mental health, thoughts, work

come inside, it's cold.

It's very cold where I live. Incredible bone chilling cold. It is the kind of cold where exposed skin can freeze in minutes. I only wish I was exaggerating. And yet I know people who live outside year round. And I know people who get stuck outside...

Published 15 Dec 2008 2:59 AM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: homelessness, mental health, shelter, snow, thoughts, work

over confidence

Okay, so I just slept from 4PM to 8AM with only minimal interruptions. That is so, so, not healthy. Neither, apparently, is my over confidence. I've noticed at work, that my favourite supervisor has been really laying into me about putting myself...

Published 1 Sep 2008 4:06 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: attitudes, first aid, IPDA, learning, me, mental health, sleep, work

bad bad day

I had a bad day at work last night. There's no other way to describe it. Yuck. Part of it is that I'm really stressed about packing, cleaning and moving, but part of it is just that last night sucked. I went into it with a really good attitude...

Published 30 Aug 2008 2:58 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: emotions, first aid, IPDA, mental health, nights, work

sexual harassment and me...sigh

I'm mad enough right now that I'm going to post a fairly real story. As usual, details and stuff have been changed, but really, I don't know how I could even begin to make this up. Did you now I have "buffalo breasts"? Because I...

Published 7 Aug 2008 3:13 PM by Awake and Dreaming - The Ramblings of a Brand New Social Worker

Filed under: intoxication, IPDA, me, mental health, paperwork, policy, whining, work

Browse by Tags

Syndication

Recent Posts

Tags

Archives

counselling

craaaaaay week

rant around the clock

Hearing Voices - Workshop

it's a lot easier

disclosure

What I'm reading this week: Confidentiality in mental health

Housing Part Four: Barriers to Safe Housing

Housing Part Two: Who needs housing?

Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

The Service Eater

Borderline Personality Disorder

deinstitutionalization

What I'm reading this week: The culture of our disconent

My new job

update on me

thank you

just an all around sad story

getting out and doing things...update on my "care plan"

it's almost spring

What I'm reading this week: Prozac Diary

Actions and Consequences

What I'm Reading this Week

why they stay

Leaving the Shelter

yikes... too much.

examining evil aka examining my biases

come inside, it's cold.

over confidence

bad bad day

sexual harassment and me...sigh