I've been in my second class for a little more than a week now. Its called Human Behavior and the Social Environment. We have been discovering theories and which ones we are more than likely to use in our own practice. People use theory in everything they do. When someone is homeless, we use our made up theory of how they got to be homeless. Maybe they were a drug addict or an alcoholic or maybe they had a horrible childhood. That is using theory; when we try to understand reasons behind events.
We have a 20 minute presentation on ecological theory this Thursday. My group partner and I have done all our research, now its just a matter of putting it all together into PowerPoint and creating a handout to give peers. I'll let you know how it goes. Wish us the best!
We've also been talking about social neuroscience. Ok, so I majored in psychology in undergrad because I wanted to learn more about the mind and how people think and operate based on those thoughts, but when we got into the "hard" science of psychology it freaked me out. This is a little different though. Social neuroscience is the new way social worker's will learn how trauma affects the brain and become better enabled to assess and counsel clients. Sounds like more money to me! I mean, we've been doing the work for years anyway without the recognition. Finally, clinical social workers are being considered as equal as psychologists and psychiatrists, as far as the work is concerned. Now, the issue of pay is another conversation!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
This will be a piece of cake--right?
Remember when I started this blog, it was because I didn't want to live my life for others approval anymore? That is still the case. Summer 2013, I signed my personal and professional life over to the IU School of Social Work. Yes, I have FINALLY decided to go for what interests me. Sitting in the classroom with 20+ adults searching for that thing that will make us feel significant and respected in our careers--a Master's degree in Social Work! I decided to go back to school, yes to make the world a better place through social work, but also because I want autonomy and a wee bit of power in my profession. Not power like "I want to rule the world" (in my scary villain voice); but the choice to go to lunch without having to check with other people or having a say in the decisions, practices and policies that affect my daily work. Two different extremes, I know!
The wonderful thing about social work is that it is so broad and encompasses many avenues of help for society. I have always loved school buildings and learning environments. As a child and throughout early adulthood, I wanted to be a second grade teacher. Once I started working with students, I decided I didn't want to teach academics, I wanted to connect with the students on a different level. I began my quest to find out what else I could do in the schools. It was easier and far more interesting for me to talk with students about things going on in their personal lives rather than academics. I found it was these issues that caused them to struggle in their schoolwork. It wasn't necessarily that they had learning difficulties (many of those kids were "labeled" unfairly). This is where I saw a need to address social issues and learning environments--hence the field of social work.
Ok, enough of the heavy stuff :) So I made it through my first class in Grad school--woohoo! There are two more assignments that need to be graded before I get my final grade. I'm optimistic. I'll go with the guess of a solid B. We had three reflection papers to write, a luminary poster presentation on a significant individual to the profession and a final exam. So, the reflection papers follow the DEAL model; which includes a describe section, an examine section and an articulate learning section. Easy enough right? Well, it would be if I knew what the heck was expected in each section. My professor didn't even know what she wanted. From my understanding, this model will be used throughout my time here at IU. Guess I better stop trying to wing it and go to the writing center and learn it.
This blog is redefined to share my grad school experience with my readers. Let me know what you think!
The wonderful thing about social work is that it is so broad and encompasses many avenues of help for society. I have always loved school buildings and learning environments. As a child and throughout early adulthood, I wanted to be a second grade teacher. Once I started working with students, I decided I didn't want to teach academics, I wanted to connect with the students on a different level. I began my quest to find out what else I could do in the schools. It was easier and far more interesting for me to talk with students about things going on in their personal lives rather than academics. I found it was these issues that caused them to struggle in their schoolwork. It wasn't necessarily that they had learning difficulties (many of those kids were "labeled" unfairly). This is where I saw a need to address social issues and learning environments--hence the field of social work.
Ok, enough of the heavy stuff :) So I made it through my first class in Grad school--woohoo! There are two more assignments that need to be graded before I get my final grade. I'm optimistic. I'll go with the guess of a solid B. We had three reflection papers to write, a luminary poster presentation on a significant individual to the profession and a final exam. So, the reflection papers follow the DEAL model; which includes a describe section, an examine section and an articulate learning section. Easy enough right? Well, it would be if I knew what the heck was expected in each section. My professor didn't even know what she wanted. From my understanding, this model will be used throughout my time here at IU. Guess I better stop trying to wing it and go to the writing center and learn it.
This blog is redefined to share my grad school experience with my readers. Let me know what you think!
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