Social Work Career Development

Thanks for sharing your favorites, Mozart. It'...

2012-05-15T00:33:42.957-04:00

Thanks for sharing your favorites, Mozart.

It's funny, I had felt a bit ambivalent about including the USC love story in this bunch because it didn't really offer any learnings, so to speak... but it was such a sweet social work story that I thought that you and the rest of the Social Work Career Development readers may not mind :)

Mozart, You are most welcome :) Thank you so mu...

2012-05-15T00:25:36.797-04:00

Mozart,

You are most welcome :)

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and share your favorite posts. It's fun hearing what you enjoyed most...

Have a great week,
Dorlee

Dorlee, thanks for sharing my blog post and tons o...

2012-05-14T22:51:07.393-04:00

Dorlee, thanks for sharing my blog post and tons of other great content! My favorites out of this batch are:
1. Ten Ways To Get Rid of Anxiety!
2. ‘Case’ and ‘Cause’ in Social Work Education
3.Life a Life of True Priorities!

The 3rd article was the most significant! I think we need to live and work from a place of deep seated values so we can better serve our clients and care for ourselves.

Thanks for the great content!

Hey Dorlee, my top 3 articles out of this round up...

2012-05-14T22:35:14.683-04:00

Hey Dorlee, my top 3 articles out of this round up were:
1. How I passed my licensing exam
2. The difference between self esteem and self confidence!
3. USC Love story!

Thanks for sharing this high quality content every week! :)

Hi Mozart, Thanks so much for sharing some of you...

2012-05-10T20:52:10.492-04:00

Hi Mozart,

Thanks so much for sharing some of your own experiences with art therapy.

It sounds like you have truly reaped some of the benefits of engaging in art therapy. You have not only seen how one may safely discover and explore deep unconscious feelings and experiences but also felt the freedom of the medium itself...

I hadn't thought about art therapy as a potential self-care tool before but I agree with you - I think that it could serve a wonderful means of release for social workers (and other mental health professionals)!

Thanks for sharing this, Dorleem. In my own experi...

2012-05-10T16:44:14.731-04:00

Thanks for sharing this, Dorleem. In my own experience with art therapy I've seen how the arts allow folks to explore and share deep unconscious feelings and experiences in a safe way. I think this is also a great tool for social work profession development because we are so immersed therapy at times that its hard not to "be" a social worker, but art therapy helps us in letting go of control. At least for me.

Hope this helps!

Hi Marianna, How wonderful! I love the tweaks you...

2012-05-09T23:31:00.347-04:00

Hi Marianna,

How wonderful! I love the tweaks you made to Jackie's idea.

You've essentially added another wonderful idea to the list - a letter of accomplishments that would help you recognize what you has accomplished to date. This, in turn, would serve as a self-esteem booster and provide you with the motivation and enthusiasm to continue pursuing your dreams and aspirations!

Thanks so much for sharing :)

Hi Dorlee, I love Jackie's idea. I've sin...

2012-05-09T21:18:06.905-04:00

Hi Dorlee,

I love Jackie's idea. I've since started something similar for myself. I've written a letter dated May 31st, outlining how I have grown, what I have learned and what I have accomplished. A build it and it will occur idea! :)

Hi Andrea, Thanks so much for sharing some of you...

2012-05-09T00:20:58.121-04:00

Hi Andrea,

Thanks so much for sharing some of your expertise and knowledge regarding both DBT and treatment of patients with clients with either insecure attachments in early life and/or trauma-induced dysregulation of the nervous system.

I hear what you are saying...that the DBT package would not be a perfect fit for just any disorder involving emotional dysregulation and would require additional techniques and/or modalities.

In all fairness to Dr Linehan, she made the comment about DBT's application as an interesting observation on her part, not one that she was supporting with research like all the ideas mentioned under the "where we are going now" section.

To avoid any misinterpretation, I will wordsmith that sentence to make sure that I'm relaying that comment as merely an observation on her part.

Thanks again,
Best wishes,
Dorlee

Hi Dorlee, I facilitated DBT skill training group...

2012-05-07T18:59:51.419-04:00

Hi Dorlee,

I facilitated DBT skill training groups for 10 years in hospital-based mental health clinics. I agree with the premise that emotional dysregulation is a core component of many disorders. I believe this is often due to insecure attachments in early life that prevent the development of affect tolerance and regulation skills, and/or trauma-induced dysregulation of the nervous system.

I believe this kind of skill-training is essential for clients with these deficits and impairments. However, I believe it is only one component of comprehensive treatment for clients with a history of trauma and impaired attachment. Somatic, affective and relational components are also necessary for the clients to be able to apply the skills when triggered. I have had many clients get frustrated when they know the skills but forget to use them. It takes a lot more work to put it all into practice.

Best wishes,
Andrea

Reading books and using the internet can indeed be...

2012-05-03T16:42:12.184-04:00

Reading books and using the internet can indeed be most helpful in terms of getting information; however, I would always use caution. Not all sources/authors are equal in terms of quality...

I do find reading books compelling. The thing is I...

2012-04-30T11:31:26.792-04:00

I do find reading books compelling. The thing is I could not afford to buy all the books I want to read that is why I rely on the internet in getting all the information I need to know about bipolar disorder. Sometimes I get confused because of too much information that I get but they are useful.

Hi Samantha, Thanks for stopping by :) It's l...

2012-04-28T13:24:09.393-04:00

Hi Samantha,

Thanks for stopping by :) It's lovely that you are going for a degree in Human services.

I think that going through individual therapy could be very helpful for anyone going into the field of mental health or human services. Everyone tends to be at least a little neurotic... We are not always as rational as we might believe or act.

Getting therapy helps us spot our main complexes and work through our past so we won't act out own issues at the expense of our clients.

I would also recommend starting a practice of mindful meditation (even if it's just for 10 minutes a day on a regular basis). This offers so many benefits...including anti-stress and increasing your ability to be fully present and aware of your feelings (all critical components of your future work).

Wishing you lots of luck on your journey!

Hello, My name is Samantha and I was just checking...

2012-04-28T11:48:08.356-04:00

Hello,
My name is Samantha and I was just checking out your posts. I am in my third year in college going for Human services. I just wanted to know if you had any advice in general for me going into this feild.

Hi Vicki, Thank you for taking the time to share ...

2012-04-27T15:02:49.069-04:00

Hi Vicki,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and study tips.

You demonstrate much courage, honesty, persistence and generosity in being able to be open about your learning disability, advocate on your behalf and ultimately pass your LMSW exam because you were determined to do so.

Your story is not only inspiring; it may also serve as a guidepost to others who may have ADD or other learning disabilities - they should speak up to ensure that they may receive extra time etc if they are entitled.

We also need to work on eliminating the stigma around learning disabilities. There should be no shame...a person with a learning disability is just someone who has a different way of thinking and/or processing information. Hence, they often require additional time on standard testing etc.

I love your study plan...It's not surprising that you passed :)

Thanks again and Congrats!

Hello Dorlee, Thanks for having these tips availa...

2012-04-27T00:55:05.576-04:00

Hello Dorlee,

Thanks for having these tips available! I agree with all of them.

Even though I am a EPIC social worker now, it took me three times to finally pass my LMSW. It was very frustrating. I'm not trying to scare any readers, I'm just being honest about what happened to me.

I failed the first time by 4 points and the second time by 1 point. Do you know how frustrating that was for me? So, I finally broke down and contacted ASWB. Even though I know that stigmas exist and felt ashamed, I explained that I have ADD/ADHD. By advocating for myself, the board allowed me to take the exam waiving the 90 day period and gave me extra time to take the test. Bottom line: if you have a learning disability, you can call ASWB special accomodations. I should have done this before I even scheduled my first test. It would have saved me time and money! LOL.

What helped me pass the 3rd time is that I created my own study guide. I copied and pasted the required KSA's from the ASWB website. Under each section, I typed in the information required using social work textbooks, Social Work dictionary, and websites. In addition, I made visual tables, such as the similarities and differences of therapeutic interventions and a detailed vocabulary list.

Two other tips: study every night and use positive affirmations. Tell yourself you have to believe it, to achieve it. Like Adler states, you have to "act as if" and that is what I started doing. Since thoughts lead to emotions to actions, I made sure I kept an optimistic attitude.

So, two days ago, I received an unofficial report stating that I passed! If I can do it, I know others can too. I do wish everyone luck on their tests and I know you can do it on the first try!

Hi Fitz, I'm so glad that you found the tips ...

2012-04-26T17:04:19.240-04:00

Hi Fitz,

I'm so glad that you found the tips here helpful :)

Good luck on your exam!

Hi Noel, Thanks so much for your kind feedback an...

2012-04-26T17:01:23.417-04:00

Hi Noel,

Thanks so much for your kind feedback and and for sharing additional valuable information about drama therapy :)

Phil Jone's work sounds most interesting. I would love to learn more about it - about his structure for why drama therapy might work and his framework for testing it...

Warmly,
Dorlee

i am taking my exam in like another month, or so. ...

2012-04-26T16:35:58.199-04:00

i am taking my exam in like another month, or so. the tips here given, were very informative.

Lovely to see the video's I do like the way Ro...

2012-04-26T02:55:06.853-04:00

Lovely to see the video's I do like the way Robert communicates :)

I liked this post Dorlee and I think it is very good at showing a number of key techniques used in dramatherapy or drama therapy as it is spelt in the US :)

Dramatherapy is though more than a collection of techniques, although one could say that a strand in it's development was the use of drama and theatre techniques in talking therapy approaches.

Some dramatherapists get a bit touchy about this as they like to see themselves as having grown up now. I don't rate growing up so highly and enjoy being a child and playing whenever I get the chance...

A key development in the growth of dramatherapy was Phil Jone's work at looking at some key processes within the work. He identified 8 core processes i) dramatic projection ii) playing iii) role playing and personification iv) drama-therapeutic empathy and distancing v) active witnessing vi) embodiment: the dramatic body vii) life drama connection viii) transformation

He thereby gave a coherent theoretical structure to why dramatherapy might work and a framework for testing it.

Great post Dorlee, good to see the modality getting some coverage.

warm regards

Noel

Hi Sam, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this pos...

2012-04-19T00:59:43.258-04:00

Hi Sam,

I'm so glad that you enjoyed this post :)

I too loved the emotion-regulation exercise. It was such a powerful way of seeing this information being relayed and absorbed...

Yes, what you are saying makes a lot of sense...the fun activity enables more freedom in experimentation, expression and putting aside one's defenses. Now that I am being exposed to these additional forms of therapy, I'm almost wondering why they aren't part of the traditional clinical track.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and kind feedback,
Warmly,
Dorlee

Another fascinating post on alternative forms of t...

2012-04-18T16:18:28.892-04:00

Another fascinating post on alternative forms of therapy! I love the emotion-regulation exercise. It says so much more than if you just explained the process of emotion-regulation to a client.

I always find that when dealing with difficult issues and emotions, if you can involve an activity that typically is viewed as being fun at the same time (like art, music, a game) it somehow takes the elephant off their chests and enables them to breathe that little bit more so that they can begin to express and then better understand themselves.

Thanks for sharing!

Hi Mozart, Thanks so much for sharing your though...

2012-04-18T11:25:42.879-04:00

Hi Mozart,

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and kind feedback.

I agree with you and the more I learn about one modality or another, the more I see how much I don't know and how much more I want to learn :)

Warmly,
Dorlee

Insightful post, Dorlee! I think the arts help us ...

2012-04-18T09:05:29.813-04:00

Insightful post, Dorlee! I think the arts help us heal in ways that are still mysterious. This article was fascinating!

Hi Jacqui, Thanks so much for your kind and thou...

2012-04-16T20:55:36.086-04:00

Hi Jacqui,

Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful feedback.

How intuitively brain-wise you have been that you have been engaging for some time in all 7 "mental nutrients" of the Health Mind Platter without even having known of its existence... and that you find them all truly necessary for maintaining your "daily balance."

Your example is most inspiring! I myself need to do a bit of tweaking so as to ensure my "absorption" of all 7 "mental nutrients" every day :)

Warmly,
Dorlee