Group Pilot, err I mean Facilitator

            My field instructor smiled at me, “You’re going to be running this afternoon’s group.” I immediately looked behind me to make sure there wasn’t someone more qualified, or someone else he had meant to address. There wasn’t.

            “Great, can’t wait,” I lied through clenched teeth. Already I could feel the sweat building from my armpits. How could this be I thought? Why in God’s name would they want me to run group? Who called off? Are they trying to redefine the word ‘desperate’?

            And then it dawned on me…I am training to be a social worker, one who will eventually be going on to work with those that have had mental health issues, experienced trauma or been trying to live a substance-free life. While this realization did give me some comfort, I still felt my heart begin thumping as if it were about to break through the outer wall of my chest.

            After doing my best not to float away in my own nervous perspiration, I quickly worked up the nerve to ask my field instructor what exactly that meant.

            “Relax, I’ll sit in with you and see how you do for a bit, and I’ve already put together the lesson plan.”

            My mind still protested. I can’t! I’m not ready! You’ve got the wrong guy! My mouth said, “Sure, I’m ready, I was wondering when I would get the opportunity.” Stupid! Why’d you say that? Now you have no other choice but to run away. That’s right, leave at lunch, don’t come back. Ever. That will do the trick!

            Luckily, I had a full two hours to review the material beforehand. Today we would be looking at commonly held irrational beliefs and typical thinking errors. Oh no, and I was already catastrophizing the event and it hadn’t even taken place yet! I beat back the thoughts as self-destructive and set to work making scribbled notes and highlights all over my worksheets for the full 120 minutes that followed.

            Before I knew it, there I sat, face-to-face with a room full of twenty men, not much different than myself- all of them staring at the front of the room waiting to get started.  

            “Well…” my field instructor hinted as he sat next to me, arms folded.

            “Oh me? I start?”

            He nodded.

            “Alright gentlemen…” I proceeded to lay down the ground rules that I planned to use in order keep the meeting on track. It was exhilarating! That was the catalyst that sent me into a deep state of focus. I put on my reading glasses just to make sure I was centered, and the fear and anxiety that had gripped me for the last two hours left me completely.

            My field instructor turned to leave the room after only a few minutes. Oh my! You’re on your own! I felt like I was flying a plane for the first time all by myself. Keep it steady, do not screw this up!

            I set the tone; they shared, elaborated on concepts and were respectful of one another. It was a magnificent experience for me.

            Of course, in this setting it’s not about me at all.

            Following the meeting I asked the guys to provide feedback to my instructors. They did. It was honest. It was constructive. I was also not surprised that some of these gents were not shy when it came to telling me personally how I did.

            To be honest, it wasn’t all great- but nor did I expect it to be. It was my first time facilitating a group such as this. Although, they did give mostly favorable feedback. My field instructor echoed their statements telling me that I had indeed done a great job.

            It was a rewarding feeling. To celebrate the first thing I did was to come home and continue to study up so I could do better next time.

What's the deal with HB 2406?

1/26/2018

UPDATE 1/30/2018:Per the NASW's website has been updated to state that this issue will likely not move forward in the legislature! 

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO VOICED THEIR OPINIONS ON THIS MATTER!

For those of you of you that haven’t heard the Arizona House introduced HB 2406. This bill serves to deregulate many professions that fall under the oversight of the Board of Behavioral Health examiners. This bill would eliminate the need for professional licensure for the following practitioners: Social Workers, Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Substance Abuse Technicians, Licensed Associate Substance Counselors and Independent Substance Abuse Counselors (National Association of Social Workers, 2018).

Simply put, the proposal is ridiculous.

This bill potentially threatens the legitimacy of those in the above listed helping professions. Moreover, if passed, it would negatively impact client’s ability to receive behavioral health services and have them billed through their insurance companies (Arizona Counselors Association , 2018).

This bill’s nefarious purpose will only impact the mental health and well being of many of Arizona’s diverse populations. This proposal would ensure that veterans, those suffering from addiction, families and married people in need (and many others) would be on their own for mental health services previously supported by their insurance.

The fact that this bill was even conceived by legislators, let alone introduced, is a slap in the face to Arizona citizens from ALL backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life.

Odds are that 87% of us will visit a behavioral health professional, in the guise of a counselor, social worker or therapist at some point in our lives. Statistically speaking that means you are likely to have been helped, or receive the help of at least one of these professionals who deserve fully recognized credentials for their technical training. If this bill continues to move forward I urge anyone and everyone reading this to rally on the side of your friends, and loved ones.

Voice your opinion to your local Arizona state representative!*

Feel free to circulate this post or the included links in order to spread the word.

*There is a link within the NASW resource below that can help you to locate your AZ State representative, if you are unsure who that person is, or how to reach them.

*taken from azleg.gov

Resources and related links

Arizona Counselors Association . (2018, January 22). HB 2406 - Elimination of Licensing of AZ Counselors. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from AZCA: http://www.azca.org/aws/AZCA/pt/sd/news_article/150859/_PARENT/layout_details/false

National Association of Social Workers. (2018). Legislative Alert. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from NASW: http://cqrcengage.com/socialworkers-az/home?0

AZ Legislature Page for HB 2406 - https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/70208?SessionId=119

Trauma vs. Resiliency (Resiliency > Trauma, Pt 2 of 2)

Part II - Resiliency > Trauma

In my previous rant, I mean blog, I put forth my views on the focus on microaggressions as sources of trauma. The below entry can be read as a stand alone piece, though If you missed it you can read the previous topic here.

“Innate resiliency trumps the day-to-day microaggressions that we encounter.”

It has been well-documented that those with higher resiliency score (as per the generally accepted Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale) are better equipped to handle the stresses of life (http://www.connordavidson-resiliencescale.com/about.php ). As more research is done, empirical data shows that the more resilient a person; the stronger their interpersonal relationships. The more likely they are to have a solid sense of self, and they are also more apt to understand when to seek the help of others. Resiliency has even been purported to impact an individual’s sense of humor (http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/prin/ed/2017/00000138/00000001/art00003 ).

The potential exists that if within the helping professions, we over-emphasize the detrimental effects of trauma, as being greater human resiliency we are creating a negative feedback loop of sorts. Meaning, by exerting our expertise as professionals and insisting we highlight only the harming effects of trauma we are short changing the healing attributes of resiliency and the very innate strengths of our clients.

By focusing on the negative aspects of trauma we begin to erode the positive skills that we are supposed to be fostering in our patients. Not only that, we add to the victimhood culture that has recently begun to permeate modern society (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/the-rise-of-victimhood-culture/404794/  ).

The more as professionals that we feed into the thought of trauma, the more we undermine the resilience of those we serve. Further, this process of focusing on microaggressions as the source of toxic trauma becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As such, rather than being a “Social Justice Warrior”, one who rides the bandwagon and focuses on the negative, I will instead choose to promote the strengths of those that I come into contact with.

Trauma vs. Resiliency (Macro vs. Microaggressions, Pt 1 of 2)

Part I - Macro vs. Microaggressions

“I am a Social Worker. I am not a Social Justice Warrior.”

That statement may make some social workers squirm, and that is intended. The lot of us have become to distracted by lines of language to see the full environment. We can’t see the forest for the trees. Or in other words, we can’t pinpoint the aggression for the microaggression.

I believe that we have become too focused within our profession on the idea that microaggressions are overly responsible for the erosion of an individual’s self-esteem or sense of self-worth ( http://www.socialwork.career/2011/07/what-are-microaggressions.html ).

When this term was first introduced, it was used to describe interactions between people that purposefully (or otherwise) demeaned a “minority”, typically verbal exchanges. More recently, the term has taken on a more generic meaning and has been applied to everyday insults and superficial comments made from anyone in a majority group to outside of that group, about anything disparaging (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/microaggressions-in-everyday-life/201011/microaggressions-more-just-race ).

These “everyday slights,” as they are often referred, are then stated to be the chisel that gradually chips away at our mental health, causing depression, anxiety and other issues.

As someone with a life-long disability I have endured many of these microaggressions. While my opinion of these is admittedly anecdotal, rather than empirical, my opinion still stands: they are overblown, overemphasized by psychologists, psychiatrists, and other medical professionals, and gobbled up by social workers as the bullets that penetrate the self-worth and determination of our disenfranchised populations. This medicalization and “clinicalization” of trauma tends to focus more on the potential damage done to a person, rather than their ability to overcome the trauma. Specifically, this approach to “science” is socially constructed based on societal values (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15622970500483110?journalCode=iwbp20 ).

At any rate, personally, these glib comments have barely held me back a moment, let alone a lifetime. Truth be told, they’ve done nothing but strengthen me. They’ve been the fire that’s burned within me to prove people wrong, to rise above.

Meanwhile, there are millions of people in this world that deal with legitimate toxic trauma every day. Sexual assault, physical assault, drug abuse and addiction, any and all manner of victimization and many others...these are the areas where time and energy and healing need to be focused.