It is a truth universally acknowledged that the anticipation is far worse than the experience in any situation in life.
And so it has begun! This week has marked the beginning of my 2019 psychosocial block; a semester of fieldwork focusing on improving my ability to treat those in mental health facilities. Going into Practical Prep I was filled with nervous excitability. There’s something about Psych that just puts me at ease, perhaps its because I’m unlikely to cause physical harm to a client (whereas our Physical Block last semester had me handling patients like China Dolls out of fear of causing further injury), or it could just be because I have a soft spot for those with mental illness- as I have several family members with similar diagnoses. What ever the reason, I’m naturally comfortable with Psych clients and there is a marked positive change in my attitude when I hear the word ‘prac’ this semester- I’m enthusiastic, brimming with ideas, and keen to soak up all the knowledge that I can.
Nervous-excitability engulfed me during Prac Prep, I love the venue I’ve been placed at, but of course I am very nervous about the sheer workload going into this semester. So whilst it was exciting to see my group and supervisor and begin to learn about how this block will work; thinking about writing a case study and doing a group project whilst still having to juggle a home life and other modules, had me wanting to run in the other direction. Prac Prep set a positive vibe for how this block will commence. There was a lot of smiles, music, laughs and nibbles that left me feeling comfortable (despite the bomb-like explosions that could be heard just outside the window). Our physical block did not have much of a prac prep, due to strike action, and therefore having this prac prep to familiarize ourselves with each other and the content of the block was much appreciated. I may walk into Prac Prep 2 in a few weeks’ time feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, but for now I’m in a positive headspace and feel like I can manage my workload. Touch wood.
After Prac Prep I began the tedious process of printing assessment forms and stocking up on craft materials. By Prac-Eve I had already packed my bag and written out my game plan, determined to hit the ground running on my first day. The facility I will be working at until October specialises in substance abuse rehabilitation, so I ensured that I reviewed my notes and did my research prior to stepping onto the bus that would whisk me away to the land of learning. I was curious to see my own response to working with those with substance abuse, it was either going to go very good or very bad. The reason behind this is because a few of my immediate family members are in recovery and as a result substance abuse is generally a topic I shy away from. Years of therapy has resulted in some personal closure on that aspect of my life, and that’s only through association- not even as a person in active addiction, therefore I can only imagine the long journey ahead for the clients who I will be working with. Interestingly, a study of Australian OT students by Brown et al (2010), found that students showed significantly less empathy when treating substance abuse clients in comparison to clients with physical disability. After debriefing with my peers, its clear that this does not extend to our group… we may have too much empathy.
My first day of prac was bliss. Not only was the weather great, the facility immaculate and the staff friendly, but I was able to spend an entire morning getting to know my client. Client E, as he shall from henceforth be known, has fast become my favourite client that I’ve worked with thus far. I’m intrigued by his life story and he appears to genuinely enjoy working with me. He’s the youngest client I’ve worked with, and this seems to get me out of my shell, I notice that I become far more confident working with younger clients. That’s food for thought for future personal growth. Perhaps it is because I am more confident that I can make a difference. Aside from building rapport with Client E, I was able to begin a few assessments and activities. I’ve focussed on using self-reflection as a tool this week. When introducing themselves I wanted my clients to look inward and evaluate how they present themselves to the world. In their article, Philippi and Konings (2014), describe how instrumental self-reflection is in any psychotherapy, furthermore, how important it is to identify self-deprecating thoughts at an early stage of intervention. I’m looking forward to using creative means of bringing about introspection with my clients, as well as tackling the ever-scary groupwork activities. Art therapy is something I’d like to try, as well as role-play, as both of my clients seem to bottle up emotions, whilst being creative souls- this may be the perfect outlet for them. Here’s 2 videos that provided great insight into how I could go about doing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CydxvX8NP7w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJuwqoLMkbo
Until next week,
Kaylee
References
Brown, T., Williams, B., Boyle, M., Molloy, A., McKenna, L., Molloy, L., & Lewis, B. (2010). Levels of empathy in undergraduate occupational therapy students. Occupational therapy international, 17(3), 135-141.
eHowArtsandCraft. (2010). Art Therapy Activities: Art Therapy for Mental Health Problems in Children [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CydxvX8NP7w
Langston D. (2012). Empty chair technique. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJuwqoLMkbo
Philippi, C. L., & Koenigs, M. (2014). The neuropsychology of self-reflection in psychiatric illness. Journal of psychiatric research, 54, 55-63.
And so it has begun! This week has marked the beginning of my 2019 psychosocial block; a semester of fieldwork focusing on improving my ability to treat those in mental health facilities. Going into Practical Prep I was filled with nervous excitability. There’s something about Psych that just puts me at ease, perhaps its because I’m unlikely to cause physical harm to a client (whereas our Physical Block last semester had me handling patients like China Dolls out of fear of causing further injury), or it could just be because I have a soft spot for those with mental illness- as I have several family members with similar diagnoses. What ever the reason, I’m naturally comfortable with Psych clients and there is a marked positive change in my attitude when I hear the word ‘prac’ this semester- I’m enthusiastic, brimming with ideas, and keen to soak up all the knowledge that I can.
Nervous-excitability engulfed me during Prac Prep, I love the venue I’ve been placed at, but of course I am very nervous about the sheer workload going into this semester. So whilst it was exciting to see my group and supervisor and begin to learn about how this block will work; thinking about writing a case study and doing a group project whilst still having to juggle a home life and other modules, had me wanting to run in the other direction. Prac Prep set a positive vibe for how this block will commence. There was a lot of smiles, music, laughs and nibbles that left me feeling comfortable (despite the bomb-like explosions that could be heard just outside the window). Our physical block did not have much of a prac prep, due to strike action, and therefore having this prac prep to familiarize ourselves with each other and the content of the block was much appreciated. I may walk into Prac Prep 2 in a few weeks’ time feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, but for now I’m in a positive headspace and feel like I can manage my workload. Touch wood.
After Prac Prep I began the tedious process of printing assessment forms and stocking up on craft materials. By Prac-Eve I had already packed my bag and written out my game plan, determined to hit the ground running on my first day. The facility I will be working at until October specialises in substance abuse rehabilitation, so I ensured that I reviewed my notes and did my research prior to stepping onto the bus that would whisk me away to the land of learning. I was curious to see my own response to working with those with substance abuse, it was either going to go very good or very bad. The reason behind this is because a few of my immediate family members are in recovery and as a result substance abuse is generally a topic I shy away from. Years of therapy has resulted in some personal closure on that aspect of my life, and that’s only through association- not even as a person in active addiction, therefore I can only imagine the long journey ahead for the clients who I will be working with. Interestingly, a study of Australian OT students by Brown et al (2010), found that students showed significantly less empathy when treating substance abuse clients in comparison to clients with physical disability. After debriefing with my peers, its clear that this does not extend to our group… we may have too much empathy.
My first day of prac was bliss. Not only was the weather great, the facility immaculate and the staff friendly, but I was able to spend an entire morning getting to know my client. Client E, as he shall from henceforth be known, has fast become my favourite client that I’ve worked with thus far. I’m intrigued by his life story and he appears to genuinely enjoy working with me. He’s the youngest client I’ve worked with, and this seems to get me out of my shell, I notice that I become far more confident working with younger clients. That’s food for thought for future personal growth. Perhaps it is because I am more confident that I can make a difference. Aside from building rapport with Client E, I was able to begin a few assessments and activities. I’ve focussed on using self-reflection as a tool this week. When introducing themselves I wanted my clients to look inward and evaluate how they present themselves to the world. In their article, Philippi and Konings (2014), describe how instrumental self-reflection is in any psychotherapy, furthermore, how important it is to identify self-deprecating thoughts at an early stage of intervention. I’m looking forward to using creative means of bringing about introspection with my clients, as well as tackling the ever-scary groupwork activities. Art therapy is something I’d like to try, as well as role-play, as both of my clients seem to bottle up emotions, whilst being creative souls- this may be the perfect outlet for them. Here’s 2 videos that provided great insight into how I could go about doing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CydxvX8NP7w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJuwqoLMkbo
Until next week,
Kaylee
References
Brown, T., Williams, B., Boyle, M., Molloy, A., McKenna, L., Molloy, L., & Lewis, B. (2010). Levels of empathy in undergraduate occupational therapy students. Occupational therapy international, 17(3), 135-141.
eHowArtsandCraft. (2010). Art Therapy Activities: Art Therapy for Mental Health Problems in Children [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CydxvX8NP7w
Langston D. (2012). Empty chair technique. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJuwqoLMkbo
Philippi, C. L., & Koenigs, M. (2014). The neuropsychology of self-reflection in psychiatric illness. Journal of psychiatric research, 54, 55-63.
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