why social work.

I became a social worker because it's the most bad ass job. Nothing is the same, ever...I get to learn how to apply theories in business, psychology, anthropology, and sociology to serving people. I get to turn suffering into strength...empower, inspire, and transform...AND I get to work in downtown LA where although things seem hopeless, I see community, I see progress, and I cannot walk around without knowing that something needs to be done.

Too often the face of homelessness is lost because they're hiding under bridges, in motels, in someone's garage, or stuffed into a small apartment with three other families. In downtown I cannot become segregated from the fact that homelessness is inhumane.

I certainly did not know I would end here...I was ready to get my PhD in cognitive psychology...study memory and trauma for the rest of my life...but I did get a calling, and some advice from a friend who told me that I should be a social worker. I looked into it, not knowing social work was even about clinical work (I'm COPA all the way...live and breath for advocacy and social justice…but now I appreciate and use the clinical) and came to USC.

USC pushed me to self reflect...it made me struggle personally...and on the way I took some amazing electives. I look back now as I'm four months from graduating and I'm grateful.

I am grateful for the opportunity...for the privilege...of being a social worker. Mostly I’m grateful to belong to a group of individuals who value human rights, choice, and know that there IS meaning in life.

MY WAY TO USC!

Hi Everyone!
I am a first time blogger and I would just like to take time out of this busy Tuesday to introduce myself and tell you all why I chose USC's MSW program. My name is Phenice which means a palm tree and fitting considering I ended up in a state surrounded by them. As you can probably tell I am an out of towner who recently moved to CA from Boston, MA. Up until a year ago, I had no desire to leave my comfort zone or become a social worker. My plan was to become a child psychologist. For a long time I was working with adolescence transitioning out of the Department of Social Services. I worked with a lot of adolescence who aged out of the system. After three years, working with this population, I realized that many of my client ended up homeless or having to go back to the families that abused them. All I remember feeling is complete frustration with the system and how it dealt with children. The system tries it best under the circumstances but in the end, the department is not a very good parent. I wondered how I could change things? For a long time I battled with this question. After a few months I realized that it was time to go back to school. I was helping my clients by being with them and planting the seed but there was this desire to do more. I soon realized that I could not create change without the proper education and knowledge that would stimulate growth. This is how I decided to go back to school. I started looking at psychology programs and maintain a general interest. As I attained information surrounding the field I realized that I would be in a narrow profession. I wanted the opportunity to do different things in my profession and give myself some freedom. When I told my supervisor at the time, she simple stated that I should go to an MSW program. After some convincing, I looked into the different programs within MA and then on the east coast and finally on the west coast. ( So I realize that I have rambled on long enough) It's time for me to stop and do some homework but I will post again with the end of the story. Until then take care.

Phew! What a day!!!

Tuesdays are non-stop for me! I woke up at 6:30 to walk over to UPC to catch a tram to the downtown center. My first class, policy, was as usual, a rush. I have a professor who is living history of all things that have happened in the US! He truly has an amazing story and is such a wonderful advocate! Luckily for me, I did my homework, and got called upon to tell the class all about a policy we are trying to pass. I read the actual bill last night, and boy was it long! This bill, if it passes, will create more low and extremely low income housing and emergency shelters in LA. The Bill, SB2, will also make such facilities/housing available in all areas instead of leaving the homeless population to be concenrtated in one area. Los Angeles has the nation's highest rate of homelessness, and my class is making an effort to fix it! It's a very exciting time, but quite overwhelming. Additionally, I'm supposed to contact some state senators and state assembly members to convince them to advocate for the bill and vote for it! It seems like this project alone is a full time job, but I'm trying to prioritize and compartmentalize everything so I can have small victories and not freak out about how much stuff there is to get done! :o) Anyways, so after my unexpected presentation to the class about the bill, my professor dove into explaining what our midterm was! I can't believe I'm already thinking about midterms!! Crazy!!! After policy, I hopped on a shuttle back to the UPC campus and attended the Out of Towner's Support Group. This group has made such an impact on my experience here at USC, since I moved here just for school. All of us have become very close, and it's nice to check in and see how everyone's doing! (Our leaders, 2nd year students, also are setting a wonderful example for us, teaching us how to lead a group!) Then, I raced back to the down town campus to have a meeting with one of the Deans and the advisor of the downtown social work caucus. We're setting up a brownbag, and figuring out some last minute details! Then it was off to class, finsihing my day up with Behavior, which was enjoyable as always. The classroom dynamic is wonderful and I love hearing what everyone has to say during our discussions. Then! Finally, I got to go home! I'm exhausted, and took a break to watch a bit of a movie, but now it's back to homework. And sometime I have to figure out when I am going grocery shopping. I had cereal for dinner. Haha, the dinner of champions...or social work students. So much to get done and so little down time! I'll keep breaking it down into little pieces and celebrate by crossing it off my list!

A Little Intern In The Large Social Service Machine

My field placement this year has been a challenging one. I have had to make the switch form a small private non-profit setting to a large County wide agency that serves over 200,000 clients every year, and has more than 3,000 employees. The challenges have been many. First, I am no longer seeing any clients so what is expected of me is very different in many respects. I take on projects and it takes months to complete them. I also had to learn to work within the confines of a system that is largely bureaucratic and driven by policies and procedures. This is not to say that bureaucracy is bad, and I actually think its necessary when an organization must make a concentrated and well coordinated effort to address social needs of large communities. However, the organizational culture in large organizations is very different. I had a difficult time understanding the politics involved and quickly learned the value of being politically astute and aware at all times. Are politics bad? Absolutely not, but learning that took a little while. Adjusting to being in an organization where everything requires the approval of a person higher up was very challenging, but I had to get to a point where I recognized how organizational protocol is critical in maintaining the stability of the entire organization. I felt like I was a little intern lost in a great big social service machine during my first few months at my field placement. The feeling grew and I knew I had to understand the setting before I was ever going to master navigating it. As a result, I decided to take an organizational behavior class offered through the Public Administration program and it has been great. Every time I read a chapter I understand more and more about my organizational environment every day.

I will say that my experiences at my present field placement have been so valuable. Since the day I walked in through the doors of the School of Social Work I knew I wanted to work at the macro-level. Really ask anyone who met me I was walking around telling everyone I was in the COPA concentration even though we hadn’t picked concentrations yet. I absolutely love and feel fortunate that I have been immersed in the world of macro-level social work. I am also happy to have done it as a student because I can still blame my “curiosity” when I ask people to share insider organizational information with me. Although my placement has been rich in lessons and challenges I wouldn’t trade it because I have learned a WHOLE lot about macro-social work, and most importantly about myself as a macro-social worker.

Social Work: A One of Kind Profession

Have you ever eaten ice cream from Cold Stone? I bet you have. What's it like? You are right...LIKE NO OTHER ICE CREAM! Well, I feel the same way about social work. In my opinion, social work is a profession that is unique and simply worth having. Pursuing a career in social work is worthy for more reasons than a few. Let me share my top three reasons why I chose social work:

Like Cold Stone's Ice Cream:

Reason #1: Just as you have the freedom to pick and choose your flavor of ice cream at Cold Stone, you can choose to work in a venue of any kind (schools, government, hospitals, county agencies, private sector, fortune 500 companies, and even in cinema-television).

Reason #2: Once you choose your flavor of ice cream, then you have the pleasure of selecting from a variety of toppings. As for social work, you can choose to sprinkle a little direct practice (e.g. psychotherapy); put a dab of macro-level work (e.g. program development); or just choose to be the change agent you are!

Reason #3: Here comes the BEST part of it all...Like Cold Stone Ice Cream, social workers are skilled to work in the MIX of all types of environments (considering the principles of person-in-environment), with people form various cultures and backgrounds using a strengths-based perspective, and are REWARDED with the sweet sensation of helping others help themselves.

I will have to say that social work is a CALLING…A VOCATION! My passion for social work comes from deep within. Given my personal and professional experiences, I did not have the audacity to sit and be content with the way our nation is…to accept things as they are. Instead, I followed my calling, my purpose in life, my DREAM which is to aid the challenged, breed hope from despondency, and advance the well-being of all people!

Inspired

As I read some of the comments of my fellow posters...I am INSPIRED!

It is so difficult to stay idealistic in a world that kills your entrepreneurial spirit....but it is my DUTY to stay inspired. Inspiration is a source of hope that keeps me going. It reminds me of my dreams and my ideals, it reminds me that change is necessary...change is possible. Men and women have come before me, rooted in their values and their inspirations, believing that a better world is to come and that we are in so many ways a part of that progress.

What kind of social worker would I be if I allowed myself to be squashed by the power of bureaucracy instead of fight it?

How do I stay inspired?

Addicted

I am addicted to coffee. I love my coffee and I hate my coffee.

My substance abuse professor, whom I absolutely still love and grieve the loss of her class...describes the dual nature (love/hate) of the relationship with the addictive substance. I understand more now, as I self reflect on my growingly complicated relationship with caffeine.

I am tired in the morning and I don't feel like I function well without my coffee...I can't think, I can't focus, I feel lethargic...so I drink coffee...I NEED my coffee. I need to be productive, I need to feel awake. I LOVE my coffee. I love to feel like I can finish everything, I love that I have a quick fix to psychomotor retardation :)...I love the taste, I love the smell (the smell wakes me up!).

But the coffee is EVIL...and while I feel awake and I feel focused and all of a sudden I'm actually doing my work...I also feel anxious...OHHH so anxious. I feel tense, I feel like I can rip my skin off, I worry about life and the future, my muscles tighten. I realize that my coffee...as wonderful as it is…does bad things to me. (Scary...sometimes I love the anxiety; because secretly I thrive on urgency...it motivates me.)

Unfortunately, the more I become aware of the negative consequences of my coffee, the more I HATE my coffee. I don't hate it enough to stop...I don't think I can stop. I get headaches and feel ten times more lethargic when I stop...WITHDRAWL...I just hate it enough that as I purchase coffee or bring the fabulous concoction to my lips, I scream in my head to STOP...and I still drink my coffee....and I hate that I can't stop, I hate that I rely on it, I hate that I want it.

All that I am left with is this internal struggle...the love and need...the hated and self loathing.

I cannot imagine that this comes close to any struggle any addicted person...especially meth, cocaine, and heroin must feel. My clients in skid row struggle with this relationship...it feels real, like the addiction calls to you...and tells you that you don't exist without it...you can't exist without it. But they don't have a place to sleep at night, and they don't have a family or friends to support them, and the addiction is easy...it loves you back, and it's THERE...all the time it's there...so easy.

I understand...even if in a little way...I UNDERSTAND.

Hello!!

Hello all!
My name is Alicia Wojcik and I am a first year, full time student working on my MSW at USC! I am originally from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois and moved out here in August to begin the program. I graduated in May '06 from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in sociology and gender women's studies and knew that I had to go on to get a masters! After identifying that I wanted to work with children in the school setting, I realized that I wanted to help them get the most of their education. Having worked as a camp counselor for junior high kids, I realized that my "kids" had other stressors in their lives that affected them in many ways. How can kids learn about math if they are worrying about problems they may be experiencing at home??? That's when I determined that my calling was to help those kids so that they may have a greater chance at succeding in school, which of course, will help them succed in life! Plus, kids are hilarious and they don't even know it. That and I may just be a kid at heart (and probably for the rest of my life!) and can easily identify with the population! In any case, from the moment I entered the program, I knew exactly what I wanted to accomplish. This of course, is not true for lots of people. In fact, most of my social work friends are having difficulty picking a concentration in the field of social work because there is so much you can do! After getting accepted in a couple of different programs, I decided on USC for a couple of reasons. The first is, what better place to learn about social work than in Los Angeles?? There are so many opportunities here, not to mention the richness of diversity which is present in the city and the classroom! I also looked into the different placements that USC offered and was excited to receive a challenging placement that would prepare me for life after school! While it was difficult to pick up and move out here and start fresh, the experience has been amazing. I never knew I could learn so much about myself when moving 2,000 miles away from all my family and friends! I came out here knowing no one in the Los Angeles area. The closest people I knew were 600 miles away, living in the Bay area, and I didn't have a clue for who to put down for a contact in the "In case of emergency" area! (That was a moment where I wondered, "What exactly made you think you could do this Alicia?!?") Yet, despite my reservations, coming to USC has been an excellent decision. I'll have more opportunities to explain later all about the process of moving out here, but for now, I must go back to reading! (the favorite past time of all grad students everywhere!)

What A Nice Surprise

Its official my microeconomics class is the most challenging class that I have taken thus far in my life. I won’t lie the very first day that I walked into class I was intimidated. Primarily because when I walked in the professor was already writing economic functions on the board. As I feverishly wrote down everything he said I couldn’t help but feel lost…and scared especially when more than half of our class is composed of economics majors. I recognized that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Particularly because the last time I took an economics class I was 17 and wasn’t really paying much attention. So I went through and read the book, I read a couple of chapters twice because for some reason the concept of marginal rate of substitution, and well many other concepts for that matter where just not sticking in my brain. However, I was so surprised today when I was actually able to answer the questions the professor made, and to top it off I was right. Oh yes it was a little icing on the cake that the economics majors didn’t know the answer. I wasn’t excited because I wanted to compete with my classmates, but I was excited to see that I actually learned. Well I did after all take like three hours just to get through one chapter. Anywho, the point is that I surprised myself and actually being able to participate in class discussion gave the boost of confidence that I need to get me through chapters that take me like 2 to 3 hours to read in order for me to understand the material.

My new favorite word...TIRED

So in the past couple of weeks it seems like my new favorite word is tired. I was amazed today at how many times I verbalized that I was tired and yet I never stop and rest. So, after going to multiple clinics to do some program evaluation for internship I went to school and rolled up my car windows and just slept. I got a nice two hour nap in the school parking lot before my economics class, and I felt really refreshed. As a result of my spontaneous nap I have decided to carry a blanket and pillow in my car and I will take any opportunity that I have to take a little siesta.

busy busy busy

Tuesdays are such long days...I start at 8am and I don't finish until 8pm...by the time I'm done, I'm tired and I want to go home and sleep. It doesn't help that the next day is a full day at internship...8-6 and again I want to come home and sleep...the result is that I'm almost always behind on my reading, feeling worn out, and yet inside...there's this sense of urgency and fear...I know I always have these assignments looming over my head. My tolerance for caffeine is increasing at a faster rate this semester...by the end I will probably be on three large cups of coffee and two caffeine pills...

Children of men

I saw Children of Men today. The portrayal of the limits of human evil during times of desperation was unfortunately all too familiar. I couldn't help but wonder whether human kind is worth the fight. How very un-social worker of me.

An embarassing moment...

Try not to get caught NOT DOING THE ASSIGNED READINGS!
(Double negative, i.e. GET CAUGHT DOING THE READINGS)

My professor called on me to answer a question pertaining to an assigned reading for which I did not have the answer to. Given the immense amount of reading assignments, I was not able to get to the ONE reading that my professor inquired about. What did I do??? I simply told the truth. I felt extremely embarrassed about not being prepared for class. I was overwhelmed with feelings of guilt.

LESSON LEARNED- Even if I do not have the opportunity to read the material in its entirety, at least I will attempt to peruse the readings.

Leaving Optometry for Social Work?...

I was in mere shock when speaking to a prospective student at the USC School of Social Work Open House who wants to enter the field of social work after being an optometrist for some years. As a student host at the event, I engaged with many prospective students and inquired about their interest in social work. To my surprise, one student looked at me with an expression of uncertainty and doubt, and stated in a timid tone of voice, "I'm afraid that I won't be a good candidate since I have no experience doing social work, or psychology, or sociology...I am an optometrist. After picking my jaw up from the ground, with true sincerity, I inquired about what motivated her to change professions. In just a few words, I sensed passion in her response. She exclaimed her desire to work with challenged youth. In particular, she stated that she is serious about working in schools so that she can be active in reducing barriers that exist in school environments, communites, and homes.

There was no need for me to stress that she would be taking a HUGE cut in salary. Instead, I spent my time best by encouraging her not to settle for feelings of doubt, but to live through her passion instead. I enlightened her on the importance of doing so when writing her personal statement.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for this applicant!

The Greatest Social Worker of All Time: Dr. Martin L. King Jr.

Attending the 22nd Annual Kingdom Day Parade with members of the USC Black Social Work Caucus fueled my burning thoughts and perceptions about the state of our nation. As I witnessed politicians, students, and vast organizations proceed through the parade, I contemplated how much work is needed in order to fulfill the dream of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King once wrote: Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' in Why We Can't Wait 1963. While I give praise to those who have persevered to challenge laws and policies that hinder equality and who have thus created change, I SCREAM out to the men and women of today, social workers of all kind, to stand forth and raise controversy so that we (and those that follow us) can reap the benefit of desegregation, true justice, and equality.

In the midst of speaking to a news reporter, I was smothered with anger having to point out the realities of our country: failing education systems, segregation in communities and employment, and the various disparities between the have and have nots. I went on to comment about the work of social workers and graciously demystified the stereotype of our role as "taking children from homes" and "disseminating welfare checks." I was proud to proclaim that social workers serve humankind in all capacities.

As advocates for "social progress", I say we ring the alarm and began to reform the state of America so that, in light of Dr. King's vision, we can hold our country accountable for living out the true meaning of its creed!

Helpers Need Help Too

My first two weeks of school have been a mixed bag. My classes are EXTREMELY interesting, but they require a WHOLE LOT OF READING. I am really, REALLY interested in most of the readings…except for my economics class, but I have realized that I have to read a couple of hours a day, everyday to stay on top of my course work. I am excited to get back to caucus matters, my focus group, and my research assistant work. However, things were slightly rough the first week or so of school. I was having some financial aid issues, primarily because my financial aid package is a lot more complicated than most due to my second master’s degree. So, I suggest that any of you who are interested in a dual degree program seek out information early as to how it will affect your financial aid package. I will be honest I was quite worried about the financial aid issues that I was dealing with, but I looked for help IMMEDIATELY. Always remember that social workers need help also. I was able to get the assistance and guidance that I needed from administration in the school of social work and they helped me every step of the way.

Going to therapy

I know I have problems...so I go to therapy...I figure it will also help my therapeutic skills.

Therapeutic experience #1: Therapy is scary...Maybe I'm not ready...I have problems.

I have problems...problems got worse...they affect my work...and my ability to feel normal....don't say "define normal."

Therapeutic experience #2: driven by lack of normality...I see therapist #2.
Intake: not so bad..so far I haven't run out the door. But she's not pushing my buttons...whether or not this is a good thing, is questionable..I like her...

Session 1: It becomes apparent that I'm EXTREMELY anxious...and I love my anxiety...I love being stressed...it drives me...I get things done...but it's a problem. I'm flighter not a fighter. Avoiding is what I do best...and being busy and stressing and anxiety keeps me busy so that I can avoid some more. (I told her that if she puts me on the surgical table to work on this issue, I'm sure I'll die in the process...she says to think of it as an illness that won't kill me...I still think I'll die.)
Sooooo, my therapist tells me that I have to work on my anxiety. I want to know WHY I'm the way I am...she refuses to give in and tells me that I will either trust her and work on my anxiety or I will continue to be consumed with my worry of knowing the future and intellectualizing everything. Damn she's good. She's a hard ass too...I LOVE that and I hate that...she's starting to scare me...or maybe the process is starting to scare me.
So now I know I have to work on my anxiety...and it's FREAKING me out. She tells me to try a "5 things" technique: say 5 things I see, 5 things I hear, 5 things I feel...4 things I see, 4 things I hear, 4 things I feel....all the way to 1. Just thinking about doing this task, and when I did it with her...made me anxious. I wanted to laugh so bad...that was the only thing that brought my anxiety down.
She also told me that I should reconstruct my thoughts. The problem is I can't tell the difference between my bad thoughts and my good thoughts...I've lived with my bad thoughts for so long I don't even realize they're bad.

Bad thought number 1: I need to know.
Bad thought number 2: Committment is bad...or I want to be free...or I don't really know how to define this thought.
Bad thought number 3: I have to fix everything.
Bad thought number 4: I have to do everything.
Bad thought number 5: I need to know.
Bad thought number 6: I can't do anything until I know.

5 things...5 things...5 things. I hope this works...and I'm so going to die.

Bad thought number 7: I'm going to die.

Welcome Everyone

This past Wednesday was a very special day for myself and for the school as well. We opened our doors and invited prospective students in to come and check out what our school has to offer. I was present to assist in providing the perspective of dual degree students with a second master’s in Public Administration and I was also there with my fellow E-board members from the Latino Social Work Caucus. I felt so very fortunate to have been able to share the experiences that I have had in graduate school with prospective students as it provided them with information that will assist them in deciding where to attend graduate school. Additionally, I love meeting new people from all walks of life and it was really exciting to meet so many new people from so many different places. Overall, the event was great and I had an awesome time being a part of it.

Field placement

I am very excited to be back at my field placement. Last semester I was working with children, adolescents and adults. This semester my field supervisor will be challenging all of the interns at my placement by increasing our responsibilities. We will participate in groups, train personnel at other agencies, attend social work conferences and present case presentations on our clients. I enjoy these new challenges because any experience that I can receive now will be of great value to me in the future. I am graduating in a few months and I want to be prepared to face the challenges that await me.

Adding/dropping classes

Out of my 4 semesters at this school I have never had so many problems registering for my classes. I registered for all of my classes before I left on vacation and when I returned to school the courses that I had registered for had been cancelled. I was upset, but mostly confused because I did not know what course to take to replace the class that had been cancelled. I found a course that had been recently added to the class schedule in the Orange County Campus. I was glad that I found a course, but my second challenge was registering for the course. I am in my second week of classes and I still have not been able to add my class. I have not been to process my request because the registrar system has been malfunctioning for the past couple of weeks. It is quit upsetting that I have to go through so much grief to add/drop a course. I have spoken to personnel in the registration department and emailed all the people that I had to get in contact with, but I have not received any assistance. I just hope that I can settle this matter real soon because if it does not work out I need to find another course that will have space available.

Back to school

It's only been a week since we've been back and I'm already stressed. How does this happen? I am just immensely grateful that I love all but one of my classes...and the one I don't like I'm not even sure I really don't like quite yet...(fingers crossed!)

So...I kept asking my field instructor for a project...and he gave me a project: to create and build a website for our facility. When they say you should be careful what you ask for, they really meant it. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing and I'm not quite sure "Building a website for Dummies" is necessarily going to help me. Plus I have to do this before I graduate. Although he's offered me a job...I'm not so sure after I completely fail this task...no he won't do that, there's too much to do in Skid Row.

A website would be nice...it would really change the way different organizations in the Downtown area work with our agency and increase communication, which is so needed, it's scary that it hasn't been done considering how long we've all been there.

I do have to say that I'm frightened about the Downtown situation. The political and economic situation is going south for the homeless mentally ill. The worse part is they are so concerned about finding shelter they don't even know that in a few years they'll all be screwed...or they'll have shelter because they'll be in jail.

Doing social work will never be boring...that is something you can count on in a profession where you can't count on much.

We're BACK!

So this week we started school again and like always something new comes up everyday. At agency I am in the process of writing policy. The policy does only influence social work applicants and social work employees, but I'm excited about being part of the policy making process. Classes are really good. This semester promises to be a real challenge. My organizational behavior class seems extremely interesting, and as for my economics class...well at this point I'm a tad intimidated, so I expect to work extra hard to do well in that course (especially since most of the people in there are getting their master's degree in economics). I'm getting back into the swing of things and I realize that this will be a VERY interesting semester. : )

A Change Agent at Heart!

Prior to starting the MSW program, I had dreams of being a teacher. In fact, I had initiated the application process for the school of education before learning about the career opportunities made available in the field of social work during an information meeting offered by the USC School of Social Work. I had assumed that social workers solely worked in the area of family welfare. Yes, I too was under the impression that social workers only worked to remove children from homes and serve children in foster care. I had no inkling that social workers are change agents in the area of social policy, law, education, corporations, health care systems, and much more!

After being educated on the many options, I began to consider ways to integrate my love for education with my passion for social work. Subsequently, I have acknowledged that the field of social work serves as a prominent venue for me to assist individuals in the classroom while producing change in the education system at large. Not to mention, I am able to help families access resources, provide teacher and administrative support, as well as design and implement programming that meet the many needs of students and their families.

For instance, I am now working to design a program for students to participate in while they are off-track (in schools with a non-traditional school schedule). I also have practiced psychotherapy with individual students who have been diagnosed with varying disorders (depressive disorder, PTSD, substance abuse, and ADHD). Moreover, my learning experience has been enhanced by co-facilitating a parent group (Back In Control). Interning as a school social worker, I do classroom visits, provide psychoeducation for teachers and administrators, and LEARN much about the school system. I say I have the best of all worlds!

At times change seems slow, however, I always remind myself that some change is better than none.

-A Change Agent at Heart

Field Trip!

Okay, if you have been following my blog you know that I am a COPA intern, and as a result I see absolutely no clients in my placement because my agency is so LARGE and my role doesn’t require me to see any clients. Therefore, my typical day involves lots of cubicle work, lots of meetings where many decisions must be made, and presentations of my work that influence those decisions. However, today was a special day because it was a field trip day at my internship. I was able to sit in on a commission meeting for a major county department, and it was fascinating to see the dynamics of decision making in the room. It was awesome to see how much influence social workers had in the group, and it was really nice to see the interdisciplinary work that was being done. I was also excited about riding the metro to the meeting place, which is something I haven’t yet done in L.A. even though I was born and raised in L.A.

The field trip was a total surprise and it made the first day back in field very exciting. I will miss my leisurely winter break days where I would indulge in sleep, reading books for fun, painting, and just socializing, but to be honest it’s good to be back. : )

Get set, Ready, Go!

Now that I've celebrated a joyous Christmas and New Years with family and friends, it's time to re-pack my backpack, settle tuition fees, print out my new class schedule and return for my FINAL semester of graduate school. Although I relaxed for the majority of my vacation, I'm not sure if I'm ready to return to class, write papers, and so forth. I feel as though I need one more week to prepare for the many course assignments ahead. However, I am eager to get back to my internship so that I can reunite with my clients and continue with our treatment plan.

I suppose I will spend these last few vacation days getting organized! I'll do some goal setting, and perhaps read a few of my course syllabi.

After all, I am excited about graduating! Oh, let me not forget to plan to schedule for job interviews...