The 32 Month-er

This semester is turning out to busier than all previous if that is even possible...I'm really happy that I decided to take an elective over the summer (Grief and Bereavement, really looking forward to learning about that as I think it's a fascinating subject) rather than try to squeeze it in prior to graduation. That actually brings up a nice point for those interested in the program - you can still graduate on time up to 6 credits short, as long as (here's the catch) you complete the credits over the summer. Right now I'm taking two classes which are both pretty interesting. One is Integrative Practice Seminar. This class has rather ambitious goal acting as a review of everything we've learned over the MSW program as well as a forum to talk about the licensing exam. We've been starting each class by taking a mini test made up of sample licensing questions which we then briefly go over. That has been really helpful because like many other tests, the more you learn how to take it, the better you will do.

My other class is Advanced Social Policy with a focus on Health care. In our last session we watched Sicko which I had never seen before. After viewing the film, I can say that I think everyone should watch it! (I should make the disclaimer that Michael Moore obviously freely employs the use of hyperbole throughout the film but even with that it's still very educational) It's amazing how terrible the conditions are - even for those with health insurance! Since my schedule is so crazy, I feel like I know only the basics of what's going on with health-care right now, so I'm really excited about this class.

Besides those two classes, I am still at my internship for 13 hours per week and that is going really well. I've been co-leading a DBT group since the fall and that has been really interesting and rewarding. As I learn more about DBT, I realize that it's such a useful tool and can be applied to lots of issues.

Does a whale know how to say thank you? This is one of the many questions brought up by a fascinating story I recently heard on WNYC's Radiolab. After getting caught in nets designed to trap crabs, a humpback whale (which one of the guys describes as "the size of a school bus" was on the verge of death when some fisherman got in the water to cut the nets. What happened next is what makes the story so amazing...I don't want to ruin it, so if you have a spare few minutes, give it a listen.

p.s. The segment begins (and ends) with a bit about the annual pet blessing ceremony at St. John the Divine Cathedral here in Manhattan so don't let that throw you off...and in case you're wondering what the heck that is all about, here are some wonderful pics for your perusal.

p.p.s. Yes, this is still a social work blog but I just thought this was too cool not to share :)

For those NYU Students who don't have plans this weekend, you should come to the Silver Ball! It's a great event for networking with fellow students, alumni, and professors! Plus it's an open bar for four hours, which at $12 is a steel!

Buy your tickets using this link:
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/7701325

$12 for students, faculty and staff
$15 for guests

ONLINE TICKETS: Tickets are available to purchase online until Friday, January 22 at 5:00 PM. If you have already purchased a ticket online, we will have your tickets for you at the door. Please remember to bring your confirmation email to claim your tickets.

IN-PERSON TICKETS: You may purchase tickets in person at NYU Ticket Central. The box office is located on the east side of the Kimmel Center at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South. Tickets purchased at the Box Office on Saturday will cost $20 each. You will not be able to purchase tickets at the door.

Ticket Central Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday
12:00 – 6:00 PM

I have to apologize for my dearth of entries but I am back and ready to do some serious blogging. So, to update my reader base (if such a thing truly does exist?) I spent the break doing a little travelling and a lot of resting. I was fortunate enough to ring in the new year on a beach and I got to spend some time doing reading outside of the field as well as within the field (because I can't get enough), and see a fascinating PBS special on emotions. Here is the link: http://video.pbs.org/program/1142148877/ I believe they are showing it online for only a few days - after that you have to buy it. The special was the brainchild of a psychologist at Harvard who weaves together individual stories and scientific research to delve into some of our most troubling emotions: lonliness, depression, anger, as well as the more pleasant ones like happiness. Check it out if you can - I found it so insightful!

So, yesterday school officially began again which kind of got me thinking, jeez I'm going to graduate soon, that is truly incredible! That might sound kind of ridiculous but in a way it's so amazing to me that my master's program is almost over. I'm so used to plugging along and rushing from work to class or from work to my internship and that will all change soon. I will not be a student any longer (unless I decide to take that ceramics class that I've been dying to take for ever...or the jewlery making class...hmmmm). So while it's nice to know that my hard work will soon be officially recognized with a degree, I'm also a little ambivilant about the change, which I suppose is only natural!

I recently watched this TED talk by Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor. It's a fascinating and emotional look into the function of our brains and really makes you think about how easy it is to take our health for granted. Enjoy.

finals, originally uploaded by rebecahreilly.

My friend Cecilia sent me this shot a while back and I have kept it ever since. It really evokes the essence of Attachment Theory...as well as how I feel about finals sometimes! :)

The semester has officially flown by - I cannot believe we're already into December. Things have been especially busy since Thanksgiving, so my apologies for the dearth of posts. I'm working on a final for my Cognitive Behavioral Therapy class (which is very interesting - I highly recommend it) in which we are to describe a client we've worked with in the past in detail (developmental history, personal schema, external schema, automatic thoughts, maladaptive assumptions, conditional beliefs, and coping strategies), identify the goals of treatment, choose 4-5 CBT intervention techniques and talk about how they might be applied. I'm still in the process of wading through the reading for this class but so far it's all been really fascinating. I'm handing in said final on Tuesday and will have way more time to think about non-final things after that point (ie blogging). Until then, here are two pieces I found on the interwebs about depression and building resiliency that I thought were both great and could be helpful to share with clients.

When Everything Seems To Be Going Wrong

Bolstering Our Resilience

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.