Mandated Reporter

I don't think I mentioned this before but I really enjoy group supervision. Every Monday after lunch, Maggie, Jose, Lauren, and I meet for group supervision. We start off our meeting with relaxation techniques followed by check-in's. During check-in's we check in about the previous week. Check-in's don't necessarily need to be work related.  During group supervision we seek support, share experiences, learn from one another, etc. This week during supervision we talked about mandated reporting. This is a topic that she discusses earlier this year as well. I was not really educated about this topic so Maggie and Jose suggested that I take the online training. I learned a lot about reporting while taking this training. If you ladies have time you should check it out at https://mr.dcfstraining.org/UserAuth/Login!loginPage.action, it takes about an hour and you get 2CEU's for completing it! 


Anyway, there was a report made to DCFS by one of our behavioral health workers. The worker explained to the caseworker that there should extra precaution taken while dealing with the case because the father is involved in a dangerous gang. This is a great example of how outside politics impact our agency. There is so much that we could do here at the clinic. The safety and welfare of our patients is our number one priority. We must report and trust that the external agencies will do their job.

Self care

Trying to balance coursework, internship responsibilities, work responsibilities, and home life can get very stressful. I now understand why we spent so much time talking about self-care during our social work classes. I learned that it is important to identify and deal with the challenges that we face in our professional lives. One thing that keeps me going is knowing that everyday is a day closer to graduation. Another factor that is allowing me to move forward is my placement, even though I dread the traffic and the long commute, I really enjoy coming into the clinic and helping others.

When I am having a bad day I try to talk to someone about it. This allows me to let my feelings out and keep sane. Spending time with my friends and loved ones also helps. It is important to keep a balance between personal, school and work life. I came up with a self-care plan that consist of activities and things that help me manage my stress.

Here is a list of some things that I do when I feel overwhelmed/stressed:

Go out with my fiancé

Spend time with my mom

Go to dinner with friends

Work out

Go get my nails done

Wedding planning

Find things that make me laugh (TV shows, youtube clips, pictures, etc.)

Spend time with Bella (my dog)

Take a Sunday off from work (it feels like a mini vacation when you work 7 days a week)

These are just a few things that I do to help me deal with the stressors, demands, and challenges that come my way.

So it was a very laid back week at the clinic. On Monday Lauren and I met with the patient who wanted to continue to see us both for counseling and case management. Lauren and I explained that we were unable to see him both and that he had to decide whether he wanted to see me or Lauren. It was pretty funny because he was bargaining with us, saying things like, "what if I see Dorothy two times a month and Lauren four times a month". He was not able to make a decision and was advised to call to make an appointment with ONE of us.

DONT FORGET TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES, LADIES!