Stress Management

            This past week I did a lot of the same activities as last week.  I have continued observing on the crisis line as well as getting my own crisis line shift, I have observed some more intakes, and co-facilitated children’s group.  I was given more independence and I feel like I took advantage of it and handled my tasks fairly well.

            One challenge that sticks out to me was an issue I encountered on the crisis line.  A woman called and described a situation where her abuser had attacked her with a weapon which is why she had missed a meeting last week.  She briefly described what happened and how she had to go to the hospital, and apologized for missing her meeting.  I tried to explain that all that matters is that she was safe and doing better, which caused her to jump right into getting connected with a legal advocate so she could get an Order of Protection.  After finishing the call and connecting her with the right people, I worried that I didn’t really do what I was supposed to do.  It sounded like the purpose of her call was to find the legal resources she needed, but I’m worried I didn’t meet her immediate safety needs.  This one case has been stuck in my mind all week and there isn’t anything I can do now.  I talked with a supervisor after, and she explained that clients normally call about scheduling, resources and validation, and they generally don’t share the specifics of an attack.  She told me not to sweat it and that I did the best I could, but it still doesn’t sit right with me.

             This week was rewarding because I was given a bigger leadership role in the children’s group I’m co-facilitating.  I asked the other intern who leads the group if I could help plan activities.  Because of how frustrating last week was, we decided that we would focus on rules and group behavior and have the kids work together to hold each other accountable.  It worked out well, and now we have poster boards with all the group rules and expectations that we will incorporate into the beginning of each lesson.

Stress Management

            Self-care is important for all staff members at Sarah’s Inn.  I have two supervision meetings each week; one is with my direct supervisor, the other one is a group supervision meeting with the intervention team.  In both of these meetings, I am able to share different struggles and concerns I had faced during the week, get advice for how to handle these situations, as well as hear other interns and staff members struggles and how they handled them.  I have found the group supervision to be very helpful.

            The other Training and Education intern and I have been working on creating a “self-care board” that we are going to place in the kitchen on the third floor.  We have already started it, and included different quotes, a calendar with a single act of self-care each day, and a checklist on how to focus and take care of ourselves.  Working in this field is stressful, and we all do small things each day to make sure we are at our best.

            Some staff members really encourage self-care, and push us to reach out and have a therapist.  They swear by the ones they talk to, and believe it is good for our own growth to talk with someone who is unbiased and can challenge us in a way that is different than talking with friends or family members.  Other staff members encourage us to stay well-rounded and take classes, exercise, and read.  Many staff members have pets that they walk and take care of, some do yoga, others take pottery and other art classes, and others are focusing on eating better and exercising regularly.