Busy Buddy

I work at an addictions treatment facility. My facility focuses on drugs, not gambling, sex, or other types of addictions. I am what you might call a...chemical dependency technician (bet that'll look good on a résumé, right?). Basically, I babysit the clients while I'm there, usually second shift which is from about 2:30p.m. until 10:30p.m., which is when all the clients go to bed.

There's a client that is here now we'll call 'Ken'. I really like Ken. He's funny, not unintelligent, and a relatively happy person. (Un)Fortunately he doesn't quite have what it takes to sit still. He's usually up and moving, whether it's following me around, out in the courtyard playing ping pong, or sitting at a table and making people laugh, he is definitely not my definition of 'mellow'. But that's alright, for the most part, since I'm only with him four days out of the week.

My issue is whether or not he and I are spending too much time together. Are we getting too "buddy-buddy"? Do the other clients feel put off by the fact that I spend the majority of my time talking through his problems with him? How do the other staff members feel about the way I treat him? Have they even noticed? Do they care at all?

I'm not exactly frantic over this, but it was a thought that had run through my head a couple of times during the past few days. I don't think I'll worry about it too much. Especially since he'll be leaving before the week is up. He's got a job and a half-way house room set up and waiting for him. I'm proud of the progress he's made, but I still think he has a long way to go. He allows himself to get upset over the most trivial things entirely too easily. He talks back to staff a lot when they attempt to correct or reprimand his behavior.

But he, and all the other clients, never treat me this way. When I ask them to do something, it gets done. The difference may lie in the fact that I try to be as respectful towards the clients as I can. I've noticed that a lot of the other staff members never think the clients are innocently enjoying themselves no matter what they may (not) be doing, and they speak to the clients as if they are rude pets or disobedient children. I told my supervisor before she actually hired me that I thought that I might be a bit too trusting for the job, but she didn't seem to think that it was a big problem.

Well, I've got a three month review coming up in a few weeks. Hopefully I won't be let go. I've been told that I would have to be attempting termination in order to actually be fired, but (unbeknownst to other staff) that's a task I'm overqualified for.

Nympho-maybe

Client 'Mary' is a young, reasonably attractive female. For whatever reason, she in constitutionally incapable of refusing a sexual advance (or so it seems). We have worked on her situation to the point that she has sloughed off the people that only hung around her in order to have sex with her, or at least have her at the ready when they wanted to have sex. She was recently diagnosed with chlamydia, which she recieved from one of her partners who was/is in a 'committed' relationship. She has stopped engaging in sexual activity for a couple of weeks now, or at least that is what she tells me. She's finished her medication for chlamydia, and is once again in good health.

I had her outline some of the goals that she wanted to accomplish in her life. Her first is to stop "being a slut" as she put it. The second was to find a 'better' job than the factory position she holds now. And the third was to go back to school. She's already gotten one of those 'career certificates' from some overpriced, private institution, but she says she wants a "real" degree like I have.

I'm afraid for her because she's never really examined her life in this way before. She's never set any realistic goals and tried to acheive them. Up until these past few weeks, she was the type of person that just sort of 'let' things happen to her. She wasn't an active participant in her own existence. I find this rather peculiar, but I'm certain there are plenty of other people that do the same thing.

I'll be keeping a careful eye on her, of course. I don't want her to go back to her old lifestyle if that doesn't make her happy. From a personal standpoint, I think this is the way to go. I would love for her to find a decent guy that's really interested in the less physical contributions she can make to his life and the relationship as a whole. But, it'll be just my luck that after seeing her into this new mode of living, she'll be hit with another huge obstacle like domestic violence. *Sigh* Why me?

Welcome! (I guess...)

For those of you who think you might want to be social workers, for those of you who laugh at the thought that anyone would ever want to be a social worker, and everyone in between. I'm going to take you along with me through my two years of graduate school and the remainder of the time that I will have to 'gain experience' in the field of social work. It's so frustrating-rewarding that it's enough to make you pull your hair out. I'll keep you posted on all the happenings.

NOTE: This blog won't just focus on the professional aspects of my life. If there's something from my personal life that I can tie in, I will.

Thanks for thinking.

WW