Re: "Arlo"
There were a couple of enquiries about last nights post so I'll backtrack and expand a little.
I was approached a couple of months ago, by a couple (K & R) I'd come to know, to do some work for them. He'd seen me at work here and thought I had the 'package'; education, personal knowledge & experience of addiction, ability to relate, ability to do individual, group and family counselling. He(K) and his wife(R) run a social services liaison agency which connects various agencies with qualified service providers on a contract basis.
So, 'Arlo' is my first client and that's the pseudonym I dubbed him with so as to not disclose his real identity. He's 14, a ward of Childrens Aid, been in care since age 2, has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and likes to abuse alcohol and marijuana. We always associate any sort of treatment discussion/information with a leisure activity so primarily we've been going to driving ranges, bowling alleys and mini-putt venues and splitting the time between the activity and talk.
He's interested in art so tomorrow (later today actually) we're going to an art gallery.
I haven't run into typical sorts of teenager behaviors with him - no lying, denial or evasion. He's very open and honest about his use. As he is FAS I have to tailor what and how I present information to him as he doesn't process and recall like regular people. Until yesterday I had doubts about how much of an impact all this was having but we hit a landmark and we're definitely making progress. We've established a good rapport, the trust is there and we like each other and the time spent together. He's a good young guy.
K came by my work last night for a few hours to talk about Arlo, our work together and also about expanding my involvement to include more clients. If I were to do that I would have to start a business so he was advising me about the mechanics of setting that up. The more experience I get dealing with a variety of client needs, the more I'm able to charge for my time. He was explaining that I could wind up with a very mixed case load that could include focused support group sessions; corporate presentations; individual, family or group counselling; dealing with all sorts of issues and persons with a variety of mental health and addiction problems. There are some specialized areas (e.g. - grief, sexual abuse, severe mental illness) that would be hands off for me but otherwise an open field.
I hope that clarifies the situation somewhat. I think I've said in the past that I love where it is that I work now; I just can't afford to stay here. It's all economics.
I was approached a couple of months ago, by a couple (K & R) I'd come to know, to do some work for them. He'd seen me at work here and thought I had the 'package'; education, personal knowledge & experience of addiction, ability to relate, ability to do individual, group and family counselling. He(K) and his wife(R) run a social services liaison agency which connects various agencies with qualified service providers on a contract basis.
So, 'Arlo' is my first client and that's the pseudonym I dubbed him with so as to not disclose his real identity. He's 14, a ward of Childrens Aid, been in care since age 2, has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and likes to abuse alcohol and marijuana. We always associate any sort of treatment discussion/information with a leisure activity so primarily we've been going to driving ranges, bowling alleys and mini-putt venues and splitting the time between the activity and talk.
He's interested in art so tomorrow (later today actually) we're going to an art gallery.
I haven't run into typical sorts of teenager behaviors with him - no lying, denial or evasion. He's very open and honest about his use. As he is FAS I have to tailor what and how I present information to him as he doesn't process and recall like regular people. Until yesterday I had doubts about how much of an impact all this was having but we hit a landmark and we're definitely making progress. We've established a good rapport, the trust is there and we like each other and the time spent together. He's a good young guy.
K came by my work last night for a few hours to talk about Arlo, our work together and also about expanding my involvement to include more clients. If I were to do that I would have to start a business so he was advising me about the mechanics of setting that up. The more experience I get dealing with a variety of client needs, the more I'm able to charge for my time. He was explaining that I could wind up with a very mixed case load that could include focused support group sessions; corporate presentations; individual, family or group counselling; dealing with all sorts of issues and persons with a variety of mental health and addiction problems. There are some specialized areas (e.g. - grief, sexual abuse, severe mental illness) that would be hands off for me but otherwise an open field.
I hope that clarifies the situation somewhat. I think I've said in the past that I love where it is that I work now; I just can't afford to stay here. It's all economics.
posted by Norm at 5/31/2007 02:34:00 AM
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