Once upon a time, I was an Art major. I was actually an elementary Art teacher for 2 years. When I had my student teaching experience in my senior year, it dawned on me that this was not really what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. However, I had one semester to go, so I finished. I taught for one year in a small school in Pine River, MN. And then I taught one year in St. Louis, Missouri. Vastly different experiences. But neither experience endeared me to teaching as a career. I learned I was pregnant at the end of the year in St. Louis and discussed the possibility of full time motherhood with my husband. We agreed that we would make it work. I finished my teaching career by teaching a 6 week session of summer school and had an absolute blast. I worked with a great principal who was very validating of everything I did. I worked with two small groups of children for 2 hours each per day. This enabled me to do some really fun projects. I felt like I ended my teaching career on a high note. I left that career behind and decided that art would now be for me.
God is funny. I also think that He is the ultimate recycler. Nothing is wasted. I sat with a client today and we discussed her most recent watercolor endeavor. She asked me to tell her what was wrong with her painting. I paused for a moment before I said anything because I worried about whether this was really therapeutic. But she and I have developed a relationship over the last 9 months or so and she really wanted to know. So, I did tell her a few things I saw and then I gave her a few ideas about how she could fix it. We had a good discussion about drawing and painting and she showed me the next drawing she wants to do.
This is a woman who has been severely battered and now has a severe TBI. She decided that she was going to learn to draw because she loves horses and she needs to prove to herself that she can learn something new again. She is pleased with herself and her progress with drawing. I admire her commitment and dedication to her craft. She has put hours of drawing in every day. And she keeps trying. Because of this desire to draw and get good, she has gotten herself out of the house and out to the library for drawing books. Her TBI affects her ability to process information so driving and new places are very overwhelming. She also decided that she needed drawing supplies so she took on a challenge of getting herself to Michael's. The first time she went, she wound up in Minneapolis but even that did not defeat her because she tried again and now she is not scared anymore.
This is therapy. And I hope that by working with me, she is finding support and encouragement for trying something new and out of her comfort zone. And I believe that God is taking a skill set that I have and showing me a new way to use it.
After that appointment, I had to drive out to a foster care provider. My co-workers have told me stories about this place...how there are lots of animals and "killer turkeys" wandering about and driveway that is treacherous on a good day, and practically impassable on bad days. I saw the turkeys but they stayed clear of me. What surprised me were the peacocks. I did not know people could keep peacocks as pets. They were beautiful.
Inside the house, I was greeted by 5 dogs. A couple were those little mini-greyhounds or Whippets and then a grey-hound and some other stocky dog. The greyhound wanted to be my buddy and escort me around the house. The stocky dog wanted to run me out of town. Apparently, there are also ferrets in the house but I did not see those.
I never know what the day is going to hold.
One question I hear repeatedly is "Aren't you scared to go and meet mentally ill people in the community?" The answer is "No". I have never been scared of a client. I have been in tense situations with client's who were very sick and needed to taken to the hospital. But I was never afraid. The people that I have been scared of were not clients.
I like this unknown factor about my job. I set my own schedule and make my own appointments but there is always the chance that things will change and something will come up. There are components in my work week that are predictable. Tuesday is Meeting Day. I always have a team meeting every Tuesday afternoon from 2:30 to 4:00pm. But there is also a monthly Unit meeting on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. A therapy consult meeting every other Tuesday at noon. And then a Prepetition/Committment meeting on the last Tuesday of the month. It gets really crazy when 3 of those fall on the same Tuesday. It's a lot of chair time and I have been known to doodle in order to keep myself alert and paying attention.
Some days, I am out on appointments most of the day. Some days, I am at my desk doing paperwork and researching things for presentations or co-worker's questions or to satisfy my own curiosity. And then some days, I just spin in my chair, counting down the hours til quitting time. I work too fast. I think that is my problem. It does not take me long to write my treatment plans or case notes. I am too efficient.
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