My final papers and exams are finally behind me. While my internship is continuing through the break, I am feeling relief at not having to juggle school work along with my placement.
By now, I have eleven weeks of internship under my belt, so to speak, and I almost feel "at home." However, as the expression does, "the only constant is change." My immediate supervisor will be leaving for another position soon and it is not yet clear whether I will be allowed to remain at my current location or whether I will be transferred to a different clinic.
In a few weeks, I hope to start co-facilitating a weekly support group for pregnant mothers. It will be my first group counseling experience and I'm really looking forward to this challenging role.
Co-facilitating the group would give me an opportunity to help disadvantaged or low-income mothers have healthier pregnancies. This, in turn, could help them have healthier babies and ultimately healthier children.
The plan is for me to use the curriculum developed to go along with the "Baby Basics" book which is based on the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book. This would include information on a healthy pregnancy lifestyle, breastfeeding, healthcare, getting ready for labor and delivery, and getting ready for baby.
I will be taking a class this spring on how to run a group; however, in reality I will end up having to co-facilitate at least a few of the group meetings prior to having learned anything from class. Therefore, if you have any advice or guidance to offer me on how to run groups or engage a group of participants, please share your thoughts below...
Wishing you a Happy Holiday and Healthy New Year!
Photo credit: Mckay Savage
