need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

how do you emotionally handle sending a client to the hospital?

this is client #2 that is dying infront of me and client #1 that i had to call 911 on.

im reconsidering workign with older adults with an addiction problem.

yeah teens and younger adults can end up in teh SAME situation, however i dont think i want to soley (sp) focus on addiction...

*sigh*

its been a long week.

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

I'm not a social worker but I just wanted to send some

Sorry you are going through a hard time

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

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Posted by cherish83

I'm not a social worker but I just wanted to send some

Sorry you are going through a hard time

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aww thank u hun...

yeah i kno this is only the begining of the rest of my life, however this is what i WANT to do... sigh... feelings... BOOO they stink

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

I use to work with women who had pregnancies with major problems, sometimes they would have a miscarriage or have to make a decision about ending the pregnancy. It would be so hard some days, but I would always remember how much better it was for them to not have to go through it alone and if you weren't there they would be by themselves. Take care of yourself and I always allowed myself to cry in my car if I needed to so that I wouldn't bring the stress home with me.

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

deb i didn't know you were a social worker!!! good luck to you i give you alot of credit.

before i went into my masters i was thinking either furthering my degree in psych to get a PhD or Social Work and I didn't think I could deal with what I would hvae to in Social Work. I didn't want to see children/teenagers abusing themselves, being abused, having to take them to hospitals, out of their homes etc.

So I give you a lot of credit. Sorry I don't have any advice for you!!

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

I have my msw too. It's a tough field to go into because there are so many disappointments and sad situations that pop up. I think whether u work with older adults/ addicts/ teens/ whatever----there are always going to be some cases that really get to you. I still remember names of certain clients from 7 years ago. Hang in there...

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

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Posted by xXxNovember08xXx

how do you emotionally handle sending a client to the hospital?

this is client #2 that is dying infront of me and client #1 that i had to call 911 on.

im reconsidering workign with older adults with an addiction problem.

yeah teens and younger adults can end up in teh SAME situation, however i dont think i want to soley (sp) focus on addiction...

*sigh*

its been a long week.

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Hang in there....something that I am learning is not to personalize situation.s...as hard as it is sometimes but understand and know that fortunately this is not your life and you are doing the work because you have a heart for it...not many people can....

Also take care of yourself....mani/pedi, massage...whatever does it for you. Make sure you have a good support group that you could talk to and unload on.... these type of things could be traumatic but take it one day at a time. FM whenever you need to chat...

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

thank you everyone....

today it was jsut a joke.. its sad but i had to laugh... now 4 of my 8 clients are in the hospital....

its the nature of the business and i am just realizing it now...

i try my best not to take things home with me or personalize, but thats part of the job also...

thank you for your kind words... i think tomorrow i will get a pedi after work =)

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

It seems like a really hard job that you do. But all I can think of is as hard as it was for you today, you never know how much you can make a difference in someones life and it can be at any point you make that difference. I commend you and everyone that does your job.

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

I'm not a social worker, but stay strong! There may be hard times, but think of the others you will help!

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

I'm a teacher, so sometimes I feel like a social worker. It's so hard not to internalize all the problems of the people you serve. It must be soooo much worse for you. I'm so sorry. And thank you for the job you do.

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

Hey I am a social worker. Been in the field a long time. I have pretty much worked with every population out there. It can be rough I know that but the most important thing to do is to loeave work behind you when you walk out the doors. You can't stress about it at home. Burnout is huge in our field. Please FM me if you need to talk about anything, need advice or need suggestions about a career path.


ETA: I worked with the MICA population for most of my career and changed almost 2 years after many many years. It is a very stressful population but in my opinion can be extremely rewarding at times. I have sent many people to the hospital and it does suck but you have to try really hard not to take it personal.

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

It's definitely hard not to personalize and to leave everything work related at work, but if you don't, it'll burn you out real quick. The way I look at it, my role as a social worker is to help empower, educate, and empathize. you can't make someone change...it's up to the client...and some just need a big wake up call (maybe a hospitalization) to realize they're not doing something right. At the hospital, we get etoh/drug abusers, but the bottom line is, if they absolutely refuse to go to rehab or counseling, and they're not a danger to others or themselves....we can't force them. it's hard seeing people you've worked so hard with, not get better.....but that 1 person that does makes the job sooo worth it.

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

hey hon! I tried to respond to this yesterday from my palm pilot while I was in the field but it wouldn't let me I guess its bad enough i'm obsessed enough to look on LIW on my Palm haha.

Its ironic that you posted this during one of the more stressful days that I've had in awhile. Its hard to tell you not to bring the work home b/c its for the fact that we care that we do this work so telling ourselves to turn that off is difficult. It is what must happen though. Whatever it is that you do to recharge...do it. Our field we make alot of calls and decisions that impact peoples lives so its understandable if that responsibility wears on us from time to time.

You're a tough broad, you'll push through. FM if you wanna cry together later...haha

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

Hey, I work as a substance abuse counselor working with teenagers. It's soooo hard, so I totally understand what your'e going through. Defintely make sure that you are doing things to take care of yourself every day, no matter how small.

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

I'm CASAC and been in the field 8 years. It never gets any easier.
However, you do the best you can, and you pat yourself on the back, and you say to yourself:

'Self-I am doing the best that I can. My client has problems before I came into their life, and maybe, even if I don't reach this one, somewhere along the line my words will reach them. They are on their own path. I'm just here to trot along beside them a bit. It's not my job to make them c hange. I can encourage, coach, and support, but in the end, it is their journey, and not my responsiblity where they go or how.
I've been there, and lots of warm pats on the back to you. You are working with a population that alot of counselors and therapists run screaming from.

PM me if you need more support-I have been there!

A nice cup of tea and cupcake with no calories is what you need just now!

All the best,
Deb

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

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Posted by BadkittenNY

I'm CASAC and been in the field 8 years. It never gets any easier.
However, you do the best you can, and you pat yourself on the back, and you say to yourself:

'Self-I am doing the best that I can. My client has problems before I came into their life, and maybe, even if I don't reach this one, somewhere along the line my words will reach them. They are on their own path. I'm just here to trot along beside them a bit. It's not my job to make them c hange. I can encourage, coach, and support, but in the end, it is their journey, and not my responsiblity where they go or how.
I've been there, and lots of warm pats on the back to you. You are working with a population that alot of counselors and therapists run screaming from.

PM me if you need more support-I have been there!

A nice cup of tea and cupcake with no calories is what you need just now!

All the best,
Deb

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thank you everyone... and thats def similar to what i do say every night on the train home....

really that coffee in the morning to relax.. and the drink on teh way home def do help.. the train in sthe best time.. some debbie time...

it is tough and i knew that going in i knew that workign with kids for the past 15 years... and it wont get easier... its the price we 'pay' for caring so much....

eventually it will get easier, and it has since i started in the addiction field 5 months ago...

thank you again everyone, and i kno you have all been there and i kno i will get through it....

just one day at a time

Re: need words of encouragement.... all social workers....?

Here's some for you!! Being a caregiver has some similar emotional times, like how and when, will I know it's time for Mom to go to a nursing home? No adult child looks forward to doing that. Last night, after I took Mom home, from having her neck injections,my Husband said, ' Mom kinda looks feeble'. And we began discussing nursing home. Since Mom doesn't live with us, I'm afraid I'll miss symptoms that might suggest it's time. I worry about Mom having memory issues, and a fire starting. And, I don't want to cause my Mom depression, by making a decision she's not ready for. Older folks, including me some day, will deny they have to go to a home, because one wants to be independent!!!!! I think I'll call Office of the aging, and get some advice. Hope things get better for you!!!!!! Mary MOB