i think i have seasonal affective disorder. in fact, i know i do...
i diagnosed myself professionally last year.
can't argue with my own professional conclusions.
the long and short of it (but mostly long of it cause the rain hasn't stopped and probably never will) is that it's raining.
what could possibly make the sky so sad that it must weep every day?
i broke down today and bought an umbrella.
i bought one for two reasons:
1. now that i have one it will stop raining and will never rain again. in fact, chicago will probably begin a 5 year drought tomorrow.
2. if it does keep raining for the rest of the summer i will stay (relatively) dry.
i really hope it's reason 1 (the drought would suck...but there is give and take in life)
my umbrella is blue...a deep and dark sky blue.
the kind of blue that makes one feel dizzy when one looks up at the sky.
the kind of blue we all pray for as we go to the beach and feel overwhelmed with when we arrive and it's there.
that kind of blue.
and in my blue bubble i carry around a patch of sunshine with me.
now armed with my trusty blue i trek back and forth from internship to home. home to internship. and repeat.
and this brings me to internship.
my official title is "Social Work Intern"?
its says so on my official email.
since it has been a while since i have blogged i'll cover some highlights and if you have any questions let me know and i'll let you know.
since the beginning of my internship i have been trained to enroll women in a program Lawndale Christian Health Center calls Maternal Child Health.
This program offers a lot of classes and benefits that would be helpful to women expecting a baby and do not have a huge network or support system of family and friends. my favorite program offered by Maternal Child Health is called Centering. the Centering program is a class that expecting mothers (and if they want their husband or boyfriend to attend with them they may) attend together. all mothers in attendance have a similar due date and thus walk through changes they are experiencing together. it is a safe place where an expectant mother can ask questions about changes her body is going through, where she can get some resources she needs, and what are things she can be doing to take of her body so that her baby is born healthy.
the classes meet once a month. the classes are also her doctors appt. a nurse is present in the class to check vitals and the progress of each woman's pregnancy. after each woman gets her check up they sit through a class (taught by a social worker from LCHC) where various topics are addressed and the women are free to ask questions. also, healthy snacks and beverages are served.
it's ideal.
i love it.
i have not actually been able to attend a class and observe but i have been able to see part of one of the classes a couple weeks ago because the social worker i was shadowing that day needed to meet with one of her clients.
back to what i have been training for. in order for a client to start receiving the services and benefits of the Maternal Child Health program she has to enroll and fill out an extensive form. i now know how to fill out the form with the client and give her a succinct presentation of the services she is able to receive once she enrolls. this sounds easy, but the form is long and a lot must be explained. one of my supervisors said that the process, ideally, should not take longer than 7-10 min (10 min MAX).
my first time took me 15 min.
it was slightly embarrassing.
but i am faster now.
i am also updating the resource list social workers use to help clients find a variety of services (such as housing, clothing, food pantries, legal services, child care and after school programs, etc. you name it, it's in the resource list).
the list has not been updated in two years. by a different intern.
and i know why.
the work is tedious at best and discouraging at worst.
but one day i saw a social worker actually using the list. and it was imperative that the list be useful because it was dealing with an actual individual's life. and if the information on the list was accurate then that means the client being helped by the social worker would receive services she desperately needed. and could not wait for.
all in all internship is going well.
if you think of it here are some things you can pray for.
the social workers at LCHC's Maternal Child Health department. They work with a lot of hurting women and families. and some of them do not get a chance to take a break. pray for them.
pray for me me as i find spaces to process what i see and hear. a lot of the things i hear and see i am not able to share with others because of client/worker privacy. pray that i have peace as i process experiences at LCHC.
now armed with my trusty blue i trek back and forth from internship to home. home to internship. and repeat.
and this brings me to internship.
my official title is "Social Work Intern"?
its says so on my official email.
since it has been a while since i have blogged i'll cover some highlights and if you have any questions let me know and i'll let you know.
since the beginning of my internship i have been trained to enroll women in a program Lawndale Christian Health Center calls Maternal Child Health.
This program offers a lot of classes and benefits that would be helpful to women expecting a baby and do not have a huge network or support system of family and friends. my favorite program offered by Maternal Child Health is called Centering. the Centering program is a class that expecting mothers (and if they want their husband or boyfriend to attend with them they may) attend together. all mothers in attendance have a similar due date and thus walk through changes they are experiencing together. it is a safe place where an expectant mother can ask questions about changes her body is going through, where she can get some resources she needs, and what are things she can be doing to take of her body so that her baby is born healthy.
the classes meet once a month. the classes are also her doctors appt. a nurse is present in the class to check vitals and the progress of each woman's pregnancy. after each woman gets her check up they sit through a class (taught by a social worker from LCHC) where various topics are addressed and the women are free to ask questions. also, healthy snacks and beverages are served.
it's ideal.
i love it.
i have not actually been able to attend a class and observe but i have been able to see part of one of the classes a couple weeks ago because the social worker i was shadowing that day needed to meet with one of her clients.
back to what i have been training for. in order for a client to start receiving the services and benefits of the Maternal Child Health program she has to enroll and fill out an extensive form. i now know how to fill out the form with the client and give her a succinct presentation of the services she is able to receive once she enrolls. this sounds easy, but the form is long and a lot must be explained. one of my supervisors said that the process, ideally, should not take longer than 7-10 min (10 min MAX).
my first time took me 15 min.
it was slightly embarrassing.
but i am faster now.
i am also updating the resource list social workers use to help clients find a variety of services (such as housing, clothing, food pantries, legal services, child care and after school programs, etc. you name it, it's in the resource list).
the list has not been updated in two years. by a different intern.
and i know why.
the work is tedious at best and discouraging at worst.
but one day i saw a social worker actually using the list. and it was imperative that the list be useful because it was dealing with an actual individual's life. and if the information on the list was accurate then that means the client being helped by the social worker would receive services she desperately needed. and could not wait for.
all in all internship is going well.
if you think of it here are some things you can pray for.
the social workers at LCHC's Maternal Child Health department. They work with a lot of hurting women and families. and some of them do not get a chance to take a break. pray for them.
pray for me me as i find spaces to process what i see and hear. a lot of the things i hear and see i am not able to share with others because of client/worker privacy. pray that i have peace as i process experiences at LCHC.
