1) Discussed where various gangs have staked out their territories in downtown Cleveland with a client. Today, I learned that I moved between Bloods, Folks and Crips territories. Some of my kids are in these gangs.

 I'm beginning to feel like the human equivale… Read full post »

There are some things they don't prepare you for in grad school as you study to become a therapist:

1) How to prevent a man, who is strung out on drugs, from hurting his girlfriend or their baby or the girlfriend's kids

2)Knowing how to duck and cover, when a client flings a… Read full post »

So this is a therapeutic technique I (sort of ) stole from my dad. As a little girl, whenever I would have a problem, my dad would take one of my stuffed bears or stuffed dogs and have it talk to me. 

The stuffed dog/bear/whatever, my dad, and I would all take… Read full post »

(Ok--so this is a flashback to when I was a psych orderly during grad school. But trust and believe--these things did happen. This was life as a psych orderly. It was a wonderful, outrageous place to work--a place where the clients--THE CLIENTS--repeatedly told me I was too small to work there.… Read full post »

It's 6:45 am on a Saturday. The first shift staff on Ward 10 is staggering in, coffees in hand. The supervisor on the floor that morning gives me a smirk, and says--"Your little buddy, Devon is up and waiting for you. He is having a bit of a difficult morning. You might… Read full post »

It's not something I set out to do. Or be. It just sort of happened. I changed racial identities.

I was born caucasian, but over the past four years, I have become bi-racial--or as my clients (and their families) tell it-- "light skinned". 

Ok so this whole phenomena started a f… Read full post »

A recent texted conversation with my BFF, Steph, who in the interest of full disclosure, is an African American female. (I am not. Black that is-I'm a white Western European Heinz 57--but I digress...)

Steph: Mental Health Check?

Me: Not so great. On a mission to find chocola… Read full post »

Ok, so  I was eager to  see one of my clients today, a sweet faced 9year old girl who we'll call Tasha*. I wanted to check in with Tasha since her psychiatrist upped her antidpressant prescription.  I was hoping that the increase in dosage would decrease h… Read full post »

Ok, so there are some professional hazards working with mentally ill kids, naturally. But the biggest challenges I have been facing lately, have come from the client's peers and their extended family. Sigh.  Like today:

So I was walking down the hallway at the school I'm at. See two middle… Read full post »

(Ok, so I no longer work in residential treatment...but this used to be my day as a psych orderly...

7am Barely awake, drinking coffee, praying to god no client is up.

7:10am Small male client comes running full tilt boogie down boys hall and attempts to cannonball himself into the staff office.

7:11am… Read full post »