It's another day.

[pyrephox]

Today is just sort of a day. I had strange dreams, which is par for the course. This morning, I requested entry into my summer and fall classes...they should be opened up for register this afternoon. I am not going to take a full load in the Fall. I was going to, but I don't /need/ to, and I don't really want to. So I'll just talk to the financial aid and housing people about being on 2/3 time rather than full time, and get stuff taken care of for that.

I am nervous about practicum next Fall. More nervous than I let on a lot of the time. What if I screw up? What if I'm horrible with children? What if I'm too outspoken?

Bleh.

Also: One Thousand Dollar Mint Julips to be Sold at Kentucky Derby. Wow.

Comments

[usekh.livejournal.com]

More proof that rich people are stupid :)

Although to paraphrase Terry Pratchett(I think it was) the point of a thousand dollar meal is not the food, it's to say I have had a thousand dollar meal :)

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Eh.

It's for a charity, and there are worse things to spend your money on. It's fairly silly, perhaps, but not an indication of stupidity. And really, what's wrong with occassionally being silly?

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Ah missed the bit about charity :) that makes it different.

And nothing wrong with silliness, or luxury. Sometimes though I look at where money could be better spent and cringe at excess like the 200 dollar hamburgers etc

Of course I don't really need a 1000 dollar greatcoat either :)

[cpip.livejournal.com]

Silver straws, gold cups, it's Mint Julep time!

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

*giggles* If I had the money, I'd so get one. Of course, if I had the money, I'd go to the Derby. :D

[dreadmouse.livejournal.com]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what does your practicum consist of? Teaching? Also, yippee for a reduced course load! Free time is a glorious thing.

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Hee, no. I could never be a teacher. I'm actually in school counseling. My practicum will be in an early elementary school (preK-2nd grade), but my preferred work is in the middle grades. So, during the practicum, I'll be working within a school with a supervising counselor. Basically learning the practice end of things rather than just the theory...how to run therapy with small children, the paperwork, the computer systems, the procedures, and all of that happy stuff.

And free time would be nice!

[dreadmouse.livejournal.com]

Wow. I could never be a therapist, especially for kids. I think I might be good at it, but I would quickly burn out with the sparks and the Flames and the SCREAMING into my COFFEE... /ahem/

/blushes/ ahem... did I say that out loud?

Anyway, I couldn't handle it. I bet it would be terribly interesting, though. And what a great chance to really make a positive difference in somebody's life. That would be wonderful.

I could say something meaningless like "I'm sure you'll be great!" when we haven't actually met in RL, but I won't. I will say that I would be very surprised if you weren't good at it, and I'm sure you'll discover very quickly whether you enjoy it or not. If you relate well to the kids then everything else will probably flow quite naturally. I've found getting along with kids to be pretty simple, but that's because I'm a guy and thus by definition a big kid with a receding hairline and a taste for good beer. :)

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Thanks!

The part that really worries me isn't so much the kids. I /like/ kids, and have a lot of patience with them. And the more developmental psychology and physiology I learn, the more I know about what to expect and what not to expect from kids. So they don't worry much.

...the parents, on the other hand.

I worry about dealing with the parents. Especially the first time I have to deal with a case of abuse. I am honestly not certain that I will be able to say anything to that parent without trying to strangle them. 'cause, you know, it'd be bad for my career, but I wouldn't actually feel bad about it.

[dreadmouse.livejournal.com]

God, yes. There's a terrible case here where a kid's grandparent's, of all people, got custody of him and his sister. They had been removed from their mother's care because she was a drug addict, I believe. The grandparents treated the poor little guy like an animal, literally caging him as well as beating him, burning him with cigarettes, and denying him all basic care. The kid ended up starving to death. I believe his sister survived, but I can't even imagine how damaged she must be now. His grandparents have been charged with murder and all the aid agencies are scrambling to make sure this never happens again, but it just illustrates how even the people you would consider the safest are sometimes the most screwed up and dangerous.

How could anybody do that? I don't understand abuse, and I /really/ don't understand child abuse. What can you possibly be proving to yourself by picking on somebody who can't defend themselves? I can just barely comprehend wanting to beat the crap out of somebody who could put up a fight, just to prove that you're tougher than they are. It's stupid, but I can at least understand the motivation. But to pick on a child? I just can't grasp it. I mean, sure, I used to pick on my little brother when I was 7 and he was 4, but I'd like to think I've grown up since then.

I think the paradox of therapy is that it takes caring, empathetic people to do the job well and yet that caring and empathy is almost a detriment to a long-term career. They somehow have to armour their hearts against that caring if they are to survive the job stress with their psyches intact. I, myself, couldn't walk that tightrope. I couldn't leave the job at the office. I don't know which way I'd fall, but fall I would. I probably would snap someday and strangle an abusive parent, giggling maniacally as I did the deed. Either that, or the strain of keeping my feelings under control would eat me away from the inside.

[pyrephox.livejournal.com]

Want to take two guesses on why the mother ended up as a drug addict?

Child abuse is a multi-sourced problem, and it's unfortunately very complicated to deal with and hard to treat (which is why I don't particularly support programs to 'keep the family together', since this usually means putting a kid right back into a bad situation, and these programs have very high rates of recidivism). The root of much child abuse is a lack of knowledge of child development, an authoritarian parenting style, and stress.

When you don't know what children really are capable of doing, the human tendency is to overestimate their capabilities, which leads to frustration and a belief that the child is deliberately provoking the parent or challenging their authority. In an authoritarian parenting style, any challenge to parental authority must be punished. But when the expectations are higher than the child can ever meet, the frustration builds, the punishments become more extreme. And stress is often a trigger/accellerant, because often parents save up life stress until they get home, and take it out on those who can't fight back. And, especially if the child is special needs, it becomes easy to /blame/ the child for familial stress. "Before YOU were born, I could go out and have fun!" "Before we had you, we didn't have to spend every damn afternoon running you around." "If you weren't here, we'd be happier."

The most successful interventions for child abuse seem to be mandatory parenting classes for the first year new parents (in order to educate them about what children can do at different ages, and what they can't do, and just chances to /talk/ with child experts about the things that are going weird with the kids), a strong support system for the parents (alternate opportunities to blow off steam, chances to interact with supportive adults, etc.), and there's some good outcomes with emergency child care available to at-risk parents. (Also called 'respite care'...a parent feels themselves starting to slip and blow their top, and they can call a number and someone will come over Right Away to help them deal with the problem, let them talk about it, or just let them go take a long walk. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than letting them whale on the kids.)

*laughs* Your final point is why a lot of therapists are also /in/ therapy, and it's recommended. Also, we have supervisors and peers to talk to about difficult cases, and if we really can't deal with it, we can refer the client to someone who can. Luckily, the move in the industry is to recognize that the healers need support, too, and to try and prevent burn out.