Mental Health Monday: Expressive Therapies

Today I want to talk about expressive therapies.

Some examples of expressive therapies are art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy, and sand tray. However, pretty much any expressive activity can be used  - by a trained professional - in a therapeutic manner.

Art therapy can take the form of drawing, painting, creating collages, and working with clay. A subset might be arts and crafts (beading, knitting, painting bird houses, coloring pages, etc). Now, I'm not going to look at someone's drawing and say, "Oh, you used red, which symbolizes ______, so you must be feeling ______." Instead, I'd ask about the colors a person used and what they mean to the person. The whole point is for the person to get something out in a way that doesn't necessarily involve a lot of words.

Music therapy can be a lot of fun. I've done groups where we listen to a song and then talk about how it made people feel and what it brought up for them. 

Pretty much the only limit is a therapist's imagination. See? Therapy isn't necessarily all talking!

Mental Health Monday: Boundaries, Relationships, and Loss

Today's topic is a Mental Health Monday topic.

Therapists are taught the importance of boundaries when we develop therapeutic relationships. A therapeutic relationships is not like any other. We share in the joys and sorrows of the individuals with whom we work, but it's fairly one-sided. Our role is to reflect empathy and provide an environment of validation and provide a framework within which the person is able to build on his or her own strengths. Typically, that means very little of our own experiences are shared with these individuals, unless it provides a therapeutic benefit.

Having said all of that, we become attached to these individuals. We are gifted with the opportunity to see them grow - through their own strength and choices - and we are fortunate enough to support them in these endeavors. So when one of these individuals passes, we mourn.

Last week, an individual with whom I was fortunate to work, over the course of multiple stays over many years, passed away. She had a sweet disposition, a quiet smile, and a strong love for animals. She was tormented by her illness, but had a good support network. Her primary treatment team had worked for a very long time to get her into a group home and, after a week there, she passed away from medical complications.

We grieve when one of these individuals, who has left their own indelible stamp on our lives and experiences, leaves this world. Whether by natural causes or by an individual's choice, the passing of a former client leaves a different kind of mark. There is a sadness that we won't see them again, hear how they've accomplished something else or tried something new. There's, in some cases, a sense of quiet acceptance or even relief that the individual is no longer in pain (whether physical, emotional, or mental, or some combination of the three). And there's a reflection on the gifts that the individual gave us through the therapeutic relationship, which we'll cherish always.

I hope you find peace. I hope there was little pain. I hope you know that your loved ones will be supported. I hope you know that you will be missed. Thank you for the opportunity to work with you. Bright Blessings.

Writing Wednesday

Well, today was a bust.

I've decided I do not like the schedule function. My posts either don't post at all or they post on the wrong day. Or they just outright disappear, as in, no posting or saving.

The latter is responsible for today's lack of post. I think I'm going to have to go back to saving as a draft and going into blogger myself to post it. Grr.

Today's topic was, of course, beautifully written and deep. After an adventure filled day at the full time job, I got nothing for you people. Nada.

Instead, I leave you with this thought:

dappled, dancing
filtering through
     leaves fluttering
               ruffling
warm and golden
without the edge of
     noontime;'s glare
fading, softening
     end of the day

almost time to go home

A to Z Challenge Reflection

First and foremost, allow me a moment of pure, unadultered glee.

HOLY SHIT I DID THIS. I ACTUALLY DID THIS. BOO YAH, JOHN.

Ahem. Thanks. :-)

I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as I did. Don't get me wrong, I struggled a lot of days (even having planned ahead for almost all of my topics). I was inspired by the themes that people created to keep A to Z interesting. I may... maybe... try a theme next year. If I am crazy enough to do this (shush). A poetry theme? A photo/poetry theme? Oh, a photo that inspires a poem? Meh. I'll ponder some more.

The biggest issue, however, was time constraints. April turned into a rather hectic month, with my sisterm oving, extra shifts at work, and just general chaos. There was some days I might have read one or two other blogs, and other days where I was not only reading that day's posts, but also the last day (or sometimes two days) of posts. The last five days? Forget it. Between work and helping my sister move (wait for that post in a few days!), I got to read NO ONE's posts and was barely able to get my own posts up. Time management is clearly going to be a priority if I do this again next year.

Yes... the big consideration that I'm still mulling over: repeating this wild adventure next year. Mostly, I think I'd like to do it. Maybe I'll be able to use the time to come up with better "x" and "z" posts. Then I think of the time crunch and waffle. If we're rating here, I'm about 65% sure I'll do it next year. Ask me again in a month, when there's a bit of haze over the experience and I've romanticized it because the chaos of A to Z is way easier than the chaos of my job.

Looking back over the posts last month, I don't know if I could pick a favorite. Maybe F? No, C. Well, S. No, F. Definitely F. Maybe. I am so indecisive about this!

N is for...

Hello, and welcome to day fourteen of the A to Z Challenge!

Today's topic is Night Shifts. Specifically, 12.5 hour overnight shifts.

I work three 12.5 hour shifts a week at my job; the remaining 2.5 are filled by a *thrilling* staff meeting. One of my shifts spans the night. It's interesting, for several reasons.

First, night shifts start off hectic and frenetic and scrambling to get everything done that needs to get done in a four hour span from 7p to 11p. Of course, it really ends up being from 7:30p to 11p, because we're in shift change for the first 30 minutes. So, what happens in this incredibly small window of time? Group, snack, medications, individual sessions, sometimes transport to an AA meeting, an intake… That can be a lot.

Once the residents go to bed for the night, the program takes on this quiet, somber note. We do bed checks hourly, we do assorted administrative tasks, we prep the breakfast stuff and make coffee for the morning (for the residents). If it's a good, Q-U-I-E-T (SHHHHH DON'T SAY IT… Geez. You could be jinxing a night shift somewhere!) kind of night, then we can watch movies, read a book. I've been known to edit or knit on a night shift. We (the staff on shift) can also get into these really deep and philosophical discussions about the meaning of life and other stuff. Deep, I know.

Then there are those, other kind of nights. Multiple calls from Emergency Services, intakes galore. Residents who can't sleep and are up, roaming the building. Those nights, by the time the morning shift change is over, make you feel like you work twice as long as you actually did.

If you're lucky, you got a decent amount of sleep prior to working. I seem to be in the rare minority that can actually sleep during the day before to ensure I am rested and energized for my shift. If you're really lucky, you don't have a rapid turnaround for going from night to day. I am currently not so lucky there.

Working a night throws off all kinds of rhythms, circadian and otherwise. There are all kinds of health-related problems that are attributed to this kind of schedule. I do my best to combat it by getting plenty of sleep, exercising, and eating healthily.

What about the rest of you with night shift experience? What are some of your favorite parts? What do you struggle with most?

Also, I apologize for the last two posts going up so late. I promise we'll be back on an early schedule starting tomorrow! See you then!