Debriefing is Necessary

Yesterday was the first day of my elementary school social work internship in an urban atmosphere. Although the anticipation of the first day caused me some anxiety, once I got there, the day went fairly smoothly. I got assigned three clients which i will initially observe and then meet with individually to counsel. I also was involved in two groups yesterday: one that dealt with working with kids on basic social skills like taking turns and not interrupting others and another group that worked with kids who have an autism spectrum DSM diagnosis. Eventually I will be doing my own groups, including facilitating a group that will be a photography/scrapbooking therapeutic group which is very exciting considering I doing both! My supervisor is awesome as well, very sweet and understanding and very willing to get me involved with kids and learning social work tools and experience that is a key to my learning process. She wants me to create a grief therapy guide for counseling children individually who have gone through the loss of a loved one that will cover 8-10 sessions. This is relevant to me because of my own personal losses and because I feel there is a greater need for social workers to be trained and aware of interventions to help children who are dealing with the issue of loss in their lives.

I feel things in my life have picked up speed drastically in the past week. I realize if I don't write things down in my planner, I forget them. I am already struggling with keeping up with readings from courses again so hopefully I find a way to fit them all in and simply not forget about them because I am too tired. I am sure I will get a better handle of things in a few weeks once I get more used to being at my present internship. It just takes time.

I am also very thankful to have my boyfriend. As I go through this program, I realize the importance of having someone you can debrief with at the end of the day (My supervisor says she plans to discuss how things went after each day I am at my placement so we can reflect on the day which is also great). I can talk to him about my apprehensions, my high and low points of my day, and just get the feedback that I am doing something great and receive the awareness that I am being supported through my social work education journey. I am happy to not that I am not alone and have someone in my life who will advocate for me to pursue the job I want once I am given the opportunity, even if it may mean leaving the Rochester area.

I truly see God's hand in this journey everyday and I am thankful at the end of the day for each opportunity to help others, including when a little girl who was in a group yesterday said she was happy because I was a new friend who wanted to help her be happy. :)

Looking Forward/Remembering to Remember

I got the internship for a school social worker position! I will be working with a bilingual social worker who was very nice and helpful. Most importantly, she seems very skilled and competent in what she does so I have a feeling I am going to be very busy and will learn a lot this year.

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Of course, like millions of others out there, I can't help but remember that today is 9/11. For me, 2001 was one of the most challenging, life-changing years of my life. Though my personal losses happened well before 9/11/2001 came, I too could relate to the pain of losing a loved. Life can never be the same after you have lost someone whom you have loved and who has loved you. Eight years after I lost my father and my brother, I still am healing, as I believe that those who lost their loved ones on 9/11 are still healing. So today I pray for peace for those going dealing with the memories of loss all over again because grief is something that one is constantly working.

A Promising Evening

So after sitting in tonight's Mental Health Theories class and watching Obama's Healthcare reform speech and hearing the hopeful news of better healthcare for the millions of people in this country who need it (including myself!), I returned home to find positive news regarding my personal/professional life. After trying unsuccessfully to complete the application requirements and trying to contact the agency that seemingly had been forced upon me for my final internship placement for this year, I got fed up and no longer wanted to try to compromise for an agency I have heard just bad news about. So I email the field placement director of my school and told him that I would like to hear of other options if they were available because I had no luck with my current efforts to start my internship. I know I am a week or two behind as we speak from my peers and told him I realized I needed a placement immediately. He first emailed me back to say that he would speak to the lady I was trying to contact. However, he then emailed me back saying that there was an elementary school social work internship position so I emailed back him saying that I would be all over that position and he replied with the social workers contact information. I am extremely excited and will be contacting who will hopefully be my future supervisor tomorrow. I understand I still probably need to do a formal interview and what not but I am praying truly that this is the position meant for me and that all my apprehensions about my former internship possibility were there for a reason. I have been seriously considering looking into school social work lately just because I think it will provide me with more opportunity to do faith based counseling on the side with summers, weekends, and evenings free. I am still young and don't have a family yet so this makes it more possible to perhaps pursue this dream. However, I will not get my hopes up---we'll see what tomorrow holds. I hope all who are reading are having a blessed week! Take care!

a life of purpose and meaning

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." (Tuesdays With Morrie, p.43)


This is just one of the many reasons I am pursuing my higher education in Social Work at Roberts. If I can do my part to help others discover or renew their purpose and meaning, I will find joy in my labors. If I can help people find hope to go on in life, I will be thankful for the opportunity to bring light to an individuals situation. I think it is sad that we live in a world where many people take life for granted, where people walk by each other lonely, and where people fill their life with things to take away the pain instead of finding true love in the goodness of something or someone. I pray that I don't lose my vision for purpose and meaning in this life. Ever.

First Day of My Last Year Of Grad School

Unless I decide to get my PhD in like twenty years, haha, this will be my last first day of school. I can't say I will miss the first day feeling. I am very nervous, even though the last time I was in a classroom was a month and a half ago since I took two summer classes throughout May, June, and July. I hate the whole introduction thing that most professors do...I know it's to break the ice but most of the time I really have to think to say something about myself. I know I still really need to work on participation in classes-I should not get all worked up about it but it still happens. I have always been shy but as I got older, I realized it formed more into anxiety---making me feel sick to my stomach at times. So I am fighting to get over this once and for all. I want to be the best social worker I can and social workers are supposed to be people persons anyways so I better get there :). I think this year is going to stretch me a lot further than last year but in the end I know it will teach me even more to take charge of things in my professional life to gain the tools I need for my future.

Today I start classes. I still need to figure out a few things before I can start my internship which is bugging me but it will be straightened out soon. My classes go as follows: Group Work on Mondays starting at three and then Applied Research six-thirty to eight or Field Instruction every other Monday. Wednesday I have Mental Health Multidimentional Assessment and Mental Health Theory from three to nine. Saturdays for the next five weeks I will be taking Death and Bereavement which I am both interested in and apprehensive about since I have had so much traumatic life experiences throughout my childhood and adolescence. I will be writing in depth about those experiences which will be both easy because I have so much first-hand experience and hard because I will have to relive some of the memories as I process everything. But I know that this self-awareness will just provide further healing and growth in end so I will get through it okay. I also will have to facilitate some sort of group through my internship so that will be another area which will stretch me this fall.

All this is not in vain though, I am following my dreams to help others and make a difference in life. I am ready as I can be for what is to come.

Stolen Quote of the Day

Therapy is heart surgery without anesthesia - Dr. Jill Corrigan

some thoughts

Sometimes I wish...
I had a million bucks.

Sometimes I miss...
the dish network i had in my first apt.


I never miss...
living in a dorm by myself.

I never wish...
evil upon anyone.

I don't understand...
how people can be so selfish & hateful.

I'd like to understand...
my "family" better.

I will never understand...
why some people walk away from friendships so easily.

I have always understood...
that life is short.

My best feature is...
physically, I'd say my hair. Personality-wise, I'd say my ability to listen and be supportive.

My worst feature is...
physically, I choose not to go there because it's not worth getting fixated on the outside these days. Personality-wise, my reluctance in opening up to others (especially when in groups).

When I look at myself, I think...
about the fact that I have went a lot farther in life than I ever could've realized 10 years ago.

Other people see me as...
it depends on the person, but I hope it's a positive response.

If I could look like someone else, I would look like...
no one. I am content with who God made me.

My personality, in three words, is...
a hidden extrovert.

If I were a color, I'd be...
bright colors-pink, turquoise, lime green, yellow, orange. I like to have fun and these colors reflect that I believe.

If I were a character in a book, I'd be...
Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

If I were a character in a film, I'd be...
Peyton from One Tree Hill.

I can relate to...
other Christians who've been through storms and made it out stronger and closer to God.

My friends are...
few but valuable to me.

My family is... 
to me my grandparents, aunt and uncle...the other part is something I have yet to figure out :/.

I smile when...
I am with those I love.

I cry when...
I'm frustrated.

I laugh when...
something gives me reason to find joy and humor and I am happy.

I get angry when...
things build up and I am stressed.

My biggest pet peeve is...
selfishness.

The best emotional feeling in the world is...
knowing that you are loved unconditionally.

The best physical feeling in the world is...
falling asleep next to the one you love.

Happiness comes in the form of...
1st) Jesus 2)being with those you love and who love you back

Solace comes in the form of...
Jesus, music, worship, prayer, writing, being outside.

My priorities in life are...
Jesus, family, grad school, friends, mis. responsibilities.

When I'm older, I would like...
to own a house, write a book, and travel for missions.

Before I die, I would like...
to help many live better lives & know Jesus more.

I'm afraid of...
not being able to pursue my passions & losing touch with those I love.

I try hard to...
love like Jesus did.

I can't ever seem to...
stop worrying about the little things these days.

I have a talent for...
scrapbooking.

My dream is to...
be in full-time missions work as an international social worker.

My childhood was...
too-little, too-fast. You grow up fast & not always best without a mother.

My future looks...
bright & I feel blessed.

When I am sad I...
cry, think, write, pray.

When I am afraid I...
pray.

When I am angry I...
crank music and need a few minutes to recover.

When I am complimented I...
say thank you and the thought may stick with me for awhile :).

When I am nervous I...
most likely am in the position where I have to speak in front of a group in my grad classes.

When I am lonely I...
go for a drive or watch a good movie to get my mind off of it.

I have never...
been to Florida.

I would never...
do drugs.

I'd rather die than...
denounce my relationship with Christ.

I would like very much to...
get married when I graduate with my MSW.

My closest friend is...
my boyfriend, he's cared for me more lately than anyone else in my life.

My hero is...
Jesus.

Growing up, I...
learned about loss and love early in life.

My relationships have been...
not always positive, but have shaped me into the stronger, wiser person I am today.

The most important wardrobe staple is...
a good pair of jeans. :D

Everyone should know that...
i would do whatever i could to help a friend who is in need

The best piece of advice I could give is...
treasure your time with those you love, you never know when they can be taken away.

I think the world would be a better place if...
everybody loved just a little more.

If I had one wish, I would wish for...
humbleness for all people.

When it comes to politics I...
used to not care but now want to fight for social justice for the oppressed and hurting.

When I am bored, I like to...
browse xanga, cook, scrapbook, watch a movie.

When I need to relax, I like to...
take a shower, talk to my boyfriend, listen to good worship music.

I can't stand it when people...
put their values in material objects/superficial people.

I love it when people...
are real.

I think the most important thing in life is...
taking responsibility for your actions.

At night, I often dream about...
the past-good and bad.

My bad habits are...
those things which I would like to have hoped I have gotten past.

In all honesty, I really think...
few people know who I really am these days.

I always avoid...
conflict. Well not always, but I tend to.

I get excited when...
a semester is over.

My hometown is...
where I happen to be residing currently. I've moved so much, it's simpler that way.

My weaknesses are ...
those things which take me away from Christ.

My strengths are...
those things I do and the trait I hold that glorify Christ.

My name is...
Sarah Florida.

I am...
a social worker in training.

I leave saying...
make the most of what you have.