Yesterday, I had an interview for a social work internship at a hospital and it was a good fit 🙂 Aside from the typical interview questions, the social worker head supervisor described to me all the various departments in the hospital in which social workers tend to be involved. These included: the mobile crisis unit […]
What is Mental Health?
The other day, I had my first summer class in Human Behavior III. This is a class for social workers in training in which mental illnesses and how to make a diagnosis are discussed. My professor first asked us to split up into small groups and come up with our own definitions of mental health […]
Completed First Year of Social Work Field Placement
I had my last day of placement the other day. It was difficult for me to leave because I had gotten quite attached to the staff and most of all to the women and the work we were doing together. The part that has been most gratifying to me is that this […]
Employing Fran Drescher’s “Cancer Schmancer” Approach
“Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.” – Josh Billings This saying is so true… I took my health and the health of those around me pretty much for granted, that is, until the near and dear friend whom I had mentioned to you a […]
Stories Women Have Shared Illustrating Resilience
In just a few weeks, I will have completed a full year of graduate studies and a minimum of 600 hours at my placement (internship) towards obtaining a Masters’ degree in social work. I am so excited! One of the notable characteristics that I have observed among the low income or poor women who frequent […]
Thoughts on Mortality and Making Every Day Meaningful
Recently, a friend who is near and dear to me was just diagnosed with cancer. I am terribly sad about this and it’s made me realize that I have been taking my health and the health of all those around me for granted. I’m hoping and praying that the cancer was caught early enough so […]
Reflections about Thoughts, Feelings and the Law of Attraction
One of the interesting books that I’m reading for my practice class is Thoughts & Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life (Workbook) by Mathew McKay, Martha Davis and Patrick Fanning. Cognitive behavioral therapists argue that thoughts cause feelings. In other words, an event in of itself has no emotional content but rather it […]
Wish List for 2nd Year Placement
I had a meeting with my faculty advisor this week and I am feeling so relieved now. I no longer feel confused or conflicted about my field of practice (or area of focus) for next year. My advisor was most helpful in asking me questions to help me clarify what I am seeking in next […]
Choosing a Field of Practice (or a Specific Focus) in Social Work
At my graduate school of social work, we (all first year students) are now at the point where we’re supposed to be updating our resumes to reflect the experiences we obtained this past year at our respective places of internship. These updated resumes, in turn, will help the field placement office find us our internship […]
Running a Group for the First Time
Have you wondered what it would be like to run a group for the first time? A couple of weeks ago, I started a weekly group for pregnant moms at my field placement. The moms range in age from late teens through mid-thirties. The goal of the psycho-educational weekly group is to inform the mothers […]
