The 32 Month-er

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with a prospective 32 Month Program student. She reads the blog and figured that talking about the program might help her decide if it was something she wanted to pursue. I think the conversation was helpful for her, so I wanted to use this post to share some personal insights I have about the program and provide a forum for questions readers might have. There are pros and cons to this program and as a seasoned 32-Monther, I hope to provide some info that might be difficult to glean from the description of NYU Social Work website. That said, if I don't cover an aspect of the program you would like to know more about, please don't hesitate to post a comment and I'll get right on it. So here are some of the aforesaid insights, I hope they are helpful.

1) The 32 Month Program is Not for Everyone

Not to sound salty here but this is a challenging endeavor and that needs to be emphasized; there's just no two ways about it. I just shaped up my schedule for next semester and in addition to my full-time job (my MAIN priority since it pays my salary and provides me with wonderful health insurance), I'm taking 2 classes per week (weeknights after work) and completing 13 hours per week of my internship (all day Saturday and after work on weeknights). This crazy schedule is nothing new of course and that's what people need to realize: as soon as you begin the field placement component of this program (in May of your first year), your free-time basically disappears. Sunday is the only day I have to myself. All other days (and most of the hours they contain) are spoken for. So, if you have friends and family that you are used to seeing on a regular basis, if you are in a relationship, if you have children or pets, if you volunteer or have hobbies, you have to know that you will not have much time or energy for any of these things in the final 2 years of your program. Yes, there are breaks for holidays but they are few and far between and most are brief. People do their best with all this but the reality is that it's tough and the time commitment should be seriously considered before applying to this program.

2) Self-Care is Very Important

Going to the gym, eating healthfully, sleeping enough, etc. are all the things that we want our clients to do. We really need to practice what we preach. I have realized that all of these are essential to bolstering my well-being against the stress of this program and to be honest, I don't always have time/energy to stick to these things. In addition to the balancing act of work, school, and placement, we are dealing with clients who have real issues. Working with these clients can be really draining at times, especially since we are already drained by our schedules, which is why self-care should be a paramount concern.

Another important aspect of this is connections with fellow students. The other people in my cohort are an invaluable support for me - since they are facing the same challenges - and it's great to be able to talk with them. Therefor, I think it's really vital that you get to know you're cohort in the first semester of this program. Sometimes I wish that we did more "ice-breaking" type exercises in our first semester to get to know people faster. It's so great and important to have a solid connection with the rest of your cohort.

3) Try Your Best...And Then Try Some More

Easier said than done, I know. The hours are really grueling and they will get to you. You will often wish there were more hours in a day to get everything done, I guarantee it. You will falter sometimes and not meet all of your obligations and that's alright. The thing I always keep in mind is to try my best to do what I need to do and when I get tired or discouraged, try a little more. I have found this semester to be more challenging than any previous semesters for a variety of reasons but I just keep telling myself to keep doing my best. So, it's important to realize that not every week is going to be fantastic (or even decent) but if you try your best and do what you can, you're overall experience in class and field will be a positive one.

That's it for now. Please feel free to post any comments or questions and I will be happy to elaborate further on any and all aspects of the program.

Bender!, originally uploaded by rebecahreilly.

Halloween turned out to be wonderful - if a little soggy - this year. It started pouring as soon as the parade was in full swing, which was a little dispiriting. Everyone kept on though and thankfully the rain let up around 9 that night.

In addition to this shot of an ingenious Bender costume (such a creative way to use a trash can!), I posted a few photos of cool costumes I saw which can be viewed on Flickr.

jack-o-lanterns, originally uploaded by rebecahreilly.

I've always loved Halloween, mostly for the candy that's involved but the costumes are great too! Celebrating Halloween here in New York is one of the coolest things ever, thanks in large part to the annual Halloween Parade that runs up Sixth Avenue. I'm really looking forward to going this year! I can't wait to see all of the creative costumes and floats. My costume is still in the works (I'm missing an essential piece and I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to pick it up, eek!) which is a source of considerable anxiety...but I hope to be able to pull it all together by Saturday.

In the spirit of celebrating the holiday, some friends and I carved these pumpkins (something I haven't done in a veeeerrrrry long time)! It was great to work with my hands on something creative again and also to see how unique everyone's pumpkin turned out (how cool is that Michael Jackson pumpkin?! The new and improved Jack-o-lantern!) I think I'm hooked on this carving thing, especially after enjoying the delicious pumpkin bread that my friend made with the byproducts of our efforts :) I plan to take some pics of the parade and general spookiness here in NYC and will be sure to post those next week. I hope everyone enjoys this awesome holiday wherever you are celebrating!

As I've mentioned, I'm taking Cognitive Behavioral Therapy this semester. I really wanted to take this class because it seems as though more and more therapists are incorporating CBT techniques into their work. The reason for this lies in a greater interest in Evidence-based Practice (aka therapeutic modalities that research has shown to be affective in reducing symtoms of depression and other mental health conditions). CBT is also the primary modality used at my field placement - so I really wanted to make sure I had solid understanding of these techniques.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an overarching movement in psychotherapy which emphasizes the exploration of a patient's cognitive schemas to effect changes in their cognition and subsequently, their behavior. So, basically the clinician helps the person identify their dysfunctional beliefs or assumptions and together they gradually work to replace them with a more balanced/healthy schema. So, one example of an individual's maladaptive belief might be "if I do well in school my parents will love me". It may be hard to believe that someone might think this but the point is that they may be totally unaware that they are operating on this notion. Which is where the clinician comes in. Working with someone in therapy can help a person get in touch with these core beliefs that very often were forged in one's childhood.

Several techniques are rooted in CBT principals including Cognitive Therapy (CT), Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) and Multi-Modal Therapy. It may help to think of CBT as the big umbrella and CT, RET, and Multi-Modal as under that umbrella. So far in class, we've talked about how these modalities can be useful in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I will cover these subjects more in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Last night I was walking in the East Village when I came upon a curious scene: a shirtless man salsa dancing on the sidewalk. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. This fabulous man claimed a little patch of space, set his backpack down (presumably containing his shirt), put his headphones on, and descended into the world of Salsa. Gliding effortlessly around his tiny public stage, it was evident that he was a very good dancer. It was also evident that not only was he doing something that he loved, but he was totally immersed in it - totally aware and mindful of the experience. His eyes were closed and he was one with the music. The imagery was so bizarre and wonderful, it made me laugh out loud with glee. I watched him until the light changed but I could have stayed there all night. It's stuff like that that makes me love New York. It got me thinking about two things: what a wonderful place this is and how important it is to do the stuff you love. Since there are so many reasons people love (and yes, hate) New York, I will focus this entry on the latter.

I've noticed a recurring theme in my work with clients: either getting away from the things that make them happy or having trouble being present when they're taking part in a an activity which they would normally enjoy. Stress and anxiety can cause us to loose sight of the things that balance us out and nurture our spirits. Living in a hyper-kinetic city like New York can be especially taxing. In an effort to achieve our daily goals, we may consciously or unconsciously, slowly but surely trade-off our well-being. Making time for oneself is so important for a balanced life, however and this is where Mindfulness can be very helpful. The concept of Mindfulness has been gaining more and more traction in mental health practices in recent years and I think it's a great practice for patients and clinicians alike. The idea of Mindfulness is rooted in cultivating an awareness of the present moment to help an individual enhance their connection to their surroundings and regard them in an objective manner. In this way then, we can counter-act the flurry of thoughts in our active and complex brains and thereby reduce our stress. There are many great pieces to be found on Mindfulness and here are two of them for those who are interested:

A Quiet Revolution: Therapists are Learning a New Way to Be With Their Clients

Being mindful: Mindfulness is tough practice but can transform your life.

Seeing the sidewalk dancer last night was definitely one of the highlights of my week. He reminded me how great it is to not only make time for the things we love but to make a concerted effort to be mindful while we're engaged in those activities. That way, we can truly recharge our batteries. So, bearing that in mind (pun!), I plan to spend some quality time with friends this weekend and take a horseback riding lesson...and be mindfully present in both activities.

Great stuff to know about...

http://www.good.is/post/the-good-100-open-courseware/

Aristotle talked about virtue as a quality that is cultivated over time. The first step is to develop a moral compass, something that usually occurs over the course of one's upbringing. The next and arguably more important step is to practice virtue in one's daily life. In order for one to be truly virtuous then, a person needs to practice virtue for no other reason then the desire to, as Spike Lee might say, do the right thing. This concept of is known as practical wisdom. What got me thinking about this stuff was a great lecture on TED by Barry Schwartz, a psychologist and professor at Swarthmore College. After listening to his talk, I got to thinking about the significance of practical wisdom as a highly desirable (if not vital) component for all people to strive towards, particularly those in the helping professions.

The lecture really resonated with me because like all of us, I have had my share of experiences in which rigid rules or boundaries have served to obfuscate rather than improve a situation. I look back on some of those experiences and remember how frustrated and disheartened I felt. I think these feelings and experiences are really good to keep in mind when we deal with our clients. For instance, I had a client recently who did not realize that she needed to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to her appointment in order to fill out paperwork (paperwork for the first session takes 15-20 minutes to complete). When she came into the room she was clearly beside herself. Not only did she have an issue that she was upset about but after some discussion, she related that her state of mind was further comprised by the guilt she felt for arriving late and subsequently cutting into the session. I could totally relate to her state of mind given the circumstances since I've had several similar experiences. Thankfully, I did not have any clients after her and assured her that we could go a little over time in order to address her concerns as best we could. I also apologized for the time-consuming paperwork, explaining that though annoyingly lengthy, it's a necessary component to the way the agency functions.

Maybe that's not the greatest example of what Schwartz is trying to convey (since mostly everyone I know would probably do the same thing) but I hope you get the idea. If you watch the video (the link is at the end of this post), you'll see that Dr. Schwartz uses an example of hospital janitors. Though their job descriptions make no mention of interpersonal relations with any other sentient beings, because they work in a hospital surrounded by people, they have many opportunities to use creativity and flexibility to enhance people's experiences in the hospital. I think the video is great food for thought because it asks us to reconsider our daily operations in a more sophisticated light - calling on our unique ability to use reason to re-evaluate the complexities of our interactions with others.

Despite the fact that we are trained to work with people, it seems to me that the structures in place in our offices may sometimes serve to hinder rather than help our efforts. I think it's good to keep in mind that we can really improve our effectiveness as clinicians by paying attention to the needs of our clients. While worthwhile to talk about, this concept can also be tricky. Rules and boundaries are essential to efficiency and progress in our society. What Schwartz seems to be arguing though is that despite the necessity of structure in our society, it's not enough for us to blindly adhere to the way things are supposed to be. More emphasis can be placed on cultivating creativity and flexibility to deal with individual circumstances which lay outside of the typical. Here's the video if you have a spare twenty minutes:

http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

Ok, this has virtually nothing to do with social work but I thought some people might be interested anyway, so here it goes. This post is dedicated to chickens. Yes, chickens.

I have always loved animals and farms. As I've mentioned a couple of posts ago, I spent some time on various farms this summer and it was wonderful. I think part of the allure for me has to do with sheer contrast. The city, great as it is, can also be fast-paced, cramped, and loud. Being on farms (and reading about them), the fresh air, space, and serenity, always makes me feel so centered and calm. Sometimes I think I was born at the wrong time in the wrong place. At least I can visit farms in my spare time *sigh*.

Let's get back to those chickens though...

Over the past few weeks, I somehow managed to stumble upon two separate articles on people who have decided to raise chickens at home. Please note: I was not actively seeking out articles on chickens! In fact I found the articles in two unlikely sources, The New York Times and the New Yorker. After reading these, it seems to me that this is a growing and wonderful trend. I think a lot of people want to increase their awareness of their food and become more of a "locavore", a term one article uses to describe eating locally. That stuff has always appealed to me and after reading these pieces, I have to say, I would love to try raising chickens - after all, it doesn't get much more local than your own backyard. I know that may sound kind of ridiculous but I think it would be fun and super practical - it's pretty cheap, you get fresh eggs on a regular basis, and you have cute little feathered friends running around. Unfortunately it's highly improbable that this would work well in the city, but maybe someday I'll get my chance :)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these articles. The second one is from the New Yorker, so you can't read the entire piece unless you have a subscription unfortunately...the first piece is there in it's entirety though.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/business/04chickens.html

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/28/090928fa_fact_orlean

Someone just brought me chocolate. I could have kissed them. It's amazing how happy chocolate can make me sometimes. I was sitting here thinking about whether I should write an entry or take a nap and all of the sudden, an angel bearing sweets appeared. To make it even more wonderful, the chocolate came with a sonnet by Shakespeare in the wrapper (yes, it's a fancy chocolate bar), which I somehow convinced my friend, Amy, to read aloud, which was very entertaining. So, here I am, full of renewed humor and energy. Thank you Amy. Thank you Chocolate.

What I wanted to write about in this entry is sometimes illusive to people in the helping professions: self-care. Self care and self awareness is a concept that many clinicians talk about but don't necessarily always have the time or energy to practice. Being in this program, I've blogged quite about about my own personal challenges with time management and stress. Writing about my experiences has helped me process it and improve my perspective on things. Sometimes just blogging is not enough to diffuse the stress though. Lately I've felt particularly overwhelmed by some stuff that's going on at home which, added to my (usually manageable) daily stresses, threw me for a bit of a loop.

After some serious stressing and thinking, I realized that these occasions in which we're stretched to the limit and then some are tough but they are also opportunities. These instances provide the impetus to re-evaluate the way we're operating and check in on our frame of mind. I think I've been slowly but surely bending to different stresses in my life and feeling guilty about my inability to meet every little goal I set for myself. I began to doubt my self, my abilities, and my purpose. Additionally, it totally crept up on me over time, so I didn't recognize it until this week that I've basically been ignoring my increasingly pessimistic state of mind. This was a troubling realization for me because I think of myself as an optimist and for the most part I feel that my life is great. So, I've come to the conclusion that I want to be more vigilant about checking in with myself and understanding how I feel and what I need. I know this won't always be easy, particularly when I'm feeling stressed but I want to try.

So, that's the goal and I will let you know how it goes. Hopefully this was not too vague but if readers would like more insight into what I'm saying (or trying to say), this article from the World of Psychology may be worth reading. Here's the link:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2009/09/26/bounce-6-steps-to-become-more-resilient/

Here's to improving our outlooks and to the restorative effects of chocolate!

September has begun and with it Fall classes, internship hours, and work is in full gear. For any new readers out there, I am a part-time 32 Month MSW student here. I attend my classes and internship after work and on the weekends. I am in the home stretch of my program, which is really amazing and hard for me to believe because in some respects it feels as though I just began. I will be graduating in May though and am really happy to be blogging about my experiences in the program again this year! I imagine that in addition to stuff about my program and placement, I will be talking more about vocational opportunities, so look out for that.

This past three months constituted the busiest summer I've ever had. It seemed that everything on my plate - working full-time, taking two classes, weddings, trying to catch up with friends and family - was really important in different ways. Needless to say, I did a lot of multi-tasking (an area in which I now consider myself quite the expert) and got a lot done. I enjoyed both of my classes a lot, which is surprising since one of them was Research II, a class I had been slightly...afraid of. It turned out to be a very positive experience though and I gained a lot of confidence in my understanding of research. My professor, Dr. Holden, runs a great website (which is actually the home page of the computers in the student's lounge, I believe) that is filled with "news and new scholarship from around the world" on social work. Check it out.

I did get the opportunity to get away a few times over the summer which made my schedule that much more manageable. I got to spend a good amount of time in Vermont eating lots of amazing cheese and hanging out on farms (which always makes me super-happy) and had a great time visiting friends in Chicago. I'm taking another trip next weekend to South Carolina for a wedding (so many weddings all of the sudden!) I've never been down there, so I'm looking forward to spending the weekend to explore a bit...and drink sweat tea for the first time(!)

One of my goals for this semester is to get my schedule a bit more streamlined, so as not to feel as much like a trotting chicken, sans noggin. I hope to achieve that goal and be able to devote a little more time to this blog as well as trying to focus more on the big picture, so to speak.

So, happy Fall to all and thanks for taking the time to hang out on my blog for a bit. Please check back soon for more on the life of this 32-Month MSW student! :)