My day started with picking up my session 2 papers that my prof sent back. I enjoy reading her comments very much, and she always tells me that she enjoys reading my reflections. While I was on my way to town, I got an email from her asking if she can share the "growth" email with the other profs. I thought that was really cool, that she wanted to share my life with others. I told her I was honored. Here's what I sent her:

 

"When I was a teenager, I was a confident, easy-going, fun person who had a lot of friends. I was a leader and I believed that I could do anything. At the age of 19, I entered an 11 year abusive relationship where my self-esteem was beat down every day, and everything that made me 'me' was stripped away or beaten out of me. A year after leaving that marriage, I entered this SSW program. Throughout this course, and more specifically my placement, I am returning to the person I was in my teens - that confident girl who believes she can do anything. Because of this program, and the support of my professors and peers, I have found the real me... and that is something I am eternally grateful for."

 

I arrived at the school around 10:15am. P and I had only 10 minutes to talk and prep for our first group of the day. I didn't know when this group was going to start - I probably would have been earlier had I known. The first group consisted of 6 girls. I had the craft prepared, which was making bracelets. Ten minutes later, the group came in to the Library. We all sat down and I began talking about the bracelets. P was asking the girls questions about what types of things they would like to discuss in the group. I felt a little at a loss because I didn't know anything more about the type of group this was going to be except that I needed to have a craft ready and it was going to be just girls. The girls got really giddy and they spent a lot of time laughing, which was fine with me. I think it was a little more difficult for P because she knew what she wanted the group to be like. She was the one with the vision for it. I think the group went well.

 

The next stop was to see M. P came with me to make sure the meeting happened and to avoid another major delay like last time. When we went there, her main worker was standing outside the door of M's empty room. She told us that M had just smacked her friend in the nose while walking down the hallway so she was now in the room alone to calm down. We chatted a few minutes to try and figure out if it was going to be a good time to see M or not. P had already promised M that we would see her at this time. P said that there was no way to connect what M did in the hallway to her friend to us coming to see her, so it wouldn't be fair to break the promise she made to see her. So, we went it. Since M was agitated, P stayed there with me. I had my plan of activities to do, so P did most of the talking. She did the 'counselling part' of our time with her. I talked and asked her some things, but I was mostly interested in listening to P and the types of questions she asked, the reflections she gave, and what she did with the information M gave her. I was more observing how P handled this type of situation. I didn't feel put out by P being there. It was really good actually because I don't get to be in very many counselling meetings with P.

 

The next stop was going to get T. I am thankful that T is okay with me being in there with them. We had a really good talk, and P even stepped out a couple of times and left me to carry the session for that time. I thought it was pretty cool. T was telling us how CFS told them they couldn't have friends over anymore and they were not allowed to go to anyone's house. They are only allowed to meet their friends in a public place. P is going to talk to the Mom about that because it wasn't making much sense to us. I enjoyed talking to T, and it was the first time that I considered the possibility of child counselling in my future.

 

We left that session and immediately went to meet our 12:40pm lunch group. The fries were in the oven and we got the girls to make the salad and juice. I stopped at Subway on my way out of town this morning, so I picked up a dozen cookies for our dessert. Lunch was good. We didn't talk a whole lot, just more making connections on my part. P has been seeing the one girl for a while and she picks different friends to bring to each lunch. It's actually a really cool idea. It was easy to tell that the girls don't have much food at home, because they ate a lot. So, we know that for each lunch group day they at least get one good meal. P and I cleaned up from there, and we then had only 15 minutes until our next group was to start.

 

The 2pm group consisted of 5 boys of whom P or I have never met or worked with. This group is about the importance of listening and following directions and self-regulation. They were a busy group, but I think it went well. I didn't even know this group was going to happen when I got to school this morning, so considering that, it was all good. It's another group that I have to plan for, but that's okay because I only have 4 more weeks!!

 

P had a session with another student while I worked on my weekly summary paperwork. I feel like I actually accomplish something when I am at the schools, unlike when I am at VCARS. I had to wait around for her after school because she was meeting with a teacher, and I then only saw her long enough for her to sign my papers. We didn't really have much chance to talk today. It's amazing how talking to her helps me piece the day together, and when I don't get that chance I feel emotionally and mentally scattered like I did today.

 

I LOVE learning from P. I listen to the way she talks to students and the way she reasons about certain things. I watch her when I know her mind is going a hundred miles a minutes and I wonder how she is processing things. Then she comes out with a statement or answer of some kind and I make the connections in my own mind as to how she arrived at that conclusion. She did say that she is going to miss me when I'm gone, and she figured that I would just get on a roll and everything working and it would be time for me to leave. I like what I am doing at the schools - a lot. I'm pretty lucky to have landed a placement with P.