Grad School Wisdom

By Dixie

I have been rolling this post around in my head trying to formulate what little bit of wisdom I could pass along to you as my first year at GCSW has now come to an end and I am already head deep into summer classes. I’m writing this while huddled over my laptop in a quiet corner on a break from a conference with my lunch perilously balanced on the arm of my chair, simultaneously writing an email, scouring Pinterest for centerpiece ideas for an upcoming event and mentally writing out no less than six assignments to be done between now and well, yesterday, I think to myself “what possible wisdom does this scene emanate?”

As I hesitantly glance over my “To Do” list for probably the 100th time this hour, I am struck by how energized I am by what I see on the list.  Of course there are the “laundry, groceries, find way to add extra four hours into 24 hour day” items but there are also “research hostels in Nairobi, email S about Self-Care day at The Beacon and meet with group to discuss new goal in leadership class”.  My point is not to share the mundane details of my slightly obsessive organization techniques but to express to you the very, very many opportunities GCSW provides to that offer you the opportunity to make an MSW “your own.”

During my Foundation semester I heard over and over again to remain open to different professional experiences. Do not box yourself in with rigid ideas about your professional life.  After a year in the program, I whole-heartedly urge you to be passionate, that is, after all, why many of us choose to be social workers but I ask that you remain open and take advantage of the many opportunities to enrich your professional life available to you while a student.

I’ve learned throughout the school year that although my ‘to do’ lists are sometimes staggering it is because I am taking advantage of opportunities available to me. It is through these opportunities that new, unexpected and exciting doors have opened for me.  A year from now, when I step out into the real world, I want to do so with conviction and passion for what I do. This will only happen for me by knowing all my options.

In short, I believe that the biggest lesson I learned during my first-year as a graduate student is to be curious. To explore. To gamble on yourself and chart your own course.

I will leave you with these ever poignant and ever relevant words…

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” –Walt Disney

Transitioning from full time employee to full time student

By Emmony

Going back to school after having a full-time job is a challenging change of pace that many of us experience at the GCSW.  Instead of going from full-time student to employee as most graduates, we are doing the reverse!–The contrast between what our lives were at work, and that of school now, is a very unique experience that highlights our strengths as adaptable students and future graduates of the GCSW–a skill essential to us as future social workers. Luckily, we at the GCSW have a strong bond. We have the support and motivation of our colleagues and professors to carry us through the transition. I would like to share the contrast I experienced coming back to school from the real world.  I went through Aha! moments, where I realized that things were not going to be as simple as I had planned!

Hours:

The Idea: Grad school is super easy compared to working 40 hours weeks! Full time is a 12 or 15 hour (3-4 classes, plus internship) class week! I’ve got this down, I’m a professional!

The Reality: Each class takes preparation, anywhere from 2 hours a week or more of study time per class. If you do the math using 3 classes +internship (12 hour full-time) as the framework, that’s about 6 hours a week of study time+ 9 hours a week class time+ 15-20 hours of internship hours=30-35 hours a week. (almost full time!)

Tips: You’ve handled 40 hour work weeks before, this can be done as well! However, preparation must be taken in organization and time management for each semester so that you aren’t overloaded or caught off guard.  The GCSW offers evening classes in addition to daytime classes.  We are also having more online courses becoming available.  Be aware of these course options, and use them to your advantage when planning your semester. There are also many workshop opportunities to learn more on how to stay on top, such as those at Learning and Support Services. The bottom line: It can be done!

Financials

The Idea: I have money to pay for school! yay! Loans plus grants and scholarship opportunities cover all of my expenses!

The Reality: Although loans, grants, and scholarships may cover tuition expenses, there are other expenses that are forgotten and need to be factored in: Clothing: If you worked in a setting with uniforms, this will be a pricey change to consider. At my old employment, uniforms saved me a ton! There are also some internships that may require professional attire. Supplies: Textbooks, professional posters. Parking and Health Insurance: Unlike the workplace, these are fees paid in addition to Tuition if you select them (much to my disappointment!) Also, there is no reserved parking spot for us like at work, we have to challenge the thousands of other students at the university for an optimal spot!

Tips: Keep these costs in mind when saving and accepting loan amounts

Food

The Idea:  Now that I’m not working, I’ll have time to cook! and if not, I’m sure the campus has cheap options in those rare cases!

The Reality: It’s easy to forget to take care of simple needs such as nourishment, even when not working full-time.  Even though there isn’t a strict 9-5 schedule every day, it is still hard to stop and make a meal for the next day.  The campus has various food options, but they are mostly fast food (and pricey!)

Tips: Plan ahead and buy larger packages of snacks to take on the run, or make extra food for dinner so that you can take your leftovers for lunch the next day.

 

These were some of the transitional elements I experienced as I came in to the GCSW as a new student and former full time employee.  I’m not new to the block this second semester, and going through these learning moments have made me ready to take on what’s left until I graduate!

 

Everything happens for a reason

By Jackie

I feel very strongly that I’m in the right place in my life.  And it feels good.  It’s nice to not have pangs of uncertainty.  You know, those pesky thoughts that pop into your head and those quivering feelings that take shelter in your gut without any summoning required just to ruffle your confidence.  Believe me, I’ve had those.  The constant questioning about what career to choose and what job to take.  No, thanks.  The last two years have felt really positive.  A major part of that is I am doing something I really enjoy.  Another part of that is life seems to keep reinforcing that I am on the right path.

I always knew I would be researching something.  That was settled when I got a summer job at neuropsychology clinic that turned into a 6-year stint learning all about TBI research.  And I knew I would be working with kids when I was constantly amazed and intrigued by them, but also startled by maltreatment issues.  And I eventually found social work when I was in college and helped start a non-profit organization.  And at some time during these years I became very aware of the complexities of child abuse.  That took a cluster of events.  There were the friends who shared their abusive histories.  There were the kids at the organization where I volunteered who had experiences neglect and were doing amazingly well in their efforts to persevere.  There were the family members whose childhood sexual experiences had created difficulties in their interpersonal relationships and whose pain was exceptional. All of these things formed an indelible mark on my desire to help children.

Over the last week, I have been asked three times about what led to my interest in child abuse prevention and intervention.  And I took time to think about it, REALLY think about it.  I never experienced any form of child abuse or neglect.  But I did see the devastation it caused for those people I cared about deeply.  The interesting thing is that it didn’t stop there.  When I was practicing as an LMSW I heard over and over again from clients about the struggles they faced with sexual abuse.  While providing counseling to youth as an LCSW I have often uncovered sexual trauma histories.  There have also been close friends and family members who have recently shared their sexual abuse histories and struggles along their journeys toward healing.  It is a cycle that continues in motion – I am more educated and have more skills to deal with these issues and I meet individuals who share their stories; this motivates me to learn more and do more.  These exchanges have greatly reinforced my trajectory toward both a clinical focus and research efforts targeting child abuse prevention and intervention.

I invite you to think about those issues that are important to you.  What motivates you? Sure there may be uncertainty.  I definitely don’t know where I will be working when I graduate.  But I do know that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.  And that feels refreshing.

Animal-Assisted Therapy

My dog, Lady, and I have been a registered Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) team since last summer.  As a therapy team, Lady and I have volunteered in the waiting room of Child Advocates of Fort Bend.  Children are always in the room waiting for a forensic interview to disclose child abuse or a therapy appointment or sometimes just a sibling.  Having a dog in the room is a great distraction that draws the children’s attention away from their problems and calms and soothes them.  For her part, Lady is a gentle and sensitive soul, lying down and leaning into the children.  She sits calmly while the children brush out her rabbit-soft fur or even paint her toenails!

With my license I hope to incorporate Lady even more into my clinical social work practice.  Research consistently shows therapeutic benefits gained from human-animal interactions.  My GCSW foundation research poster expounded on some of the benefits: therapy animals can engage a reluctant client in a non-threatening topic of discussion; the act of petting can reduce human anxiety; the presence of the animal can reduce no-shows; the animals can act as a surrogate for therapeutic touch; contact can lower physiological signs of stress, and animals (especially dogs) naturally exemplify unconditional positive regard and mindfulness.

In addition to the therapeutic benefits of any animal, Lady has a personal story of salvation that may resonate with many clients.  Lady was found in the fall of 2006, in Lubbock, Texas, where I was going to school at the time.  She wandered into our yard barefoot, pregnant, starved, and sick with infection.  The neighbors had noticed her scrounging in dumpsters for food and that no one would claim her.  My roommates and I allowed her up on the couch where she did nothing but eat and sleep for weeks.

In the middle of the night, during finals week, Lady gave one terrified yelp.  It was the only time we have heard her cry out in pain.  Over the next six hours she gave birth to 10 healthy, adorable puppies.  With the Fall semester ended, we attempted to take Lady and her litter to a local shelter, which kindly explained to us that the puppies would be euthanized immediately and Lady three days later unless someone adopted her.  Without any other resources, we turned to my parents.  We loaded Lady and the 10 puppies in the back of my car and drove 10 hours to Houston.  My father turned the garage into a shelter with a padded crate full of soft blankets and a wall of space heaters.

Lady proved to be an amazing parent to all of her children.  Although the diverse phonotypical range of her puppies led us to believe she had been ‘friendly’ with more than one gentleman, she relentlessly showed amazing love and devotion to her puppies.  She refused to leave them even for a nice walk in the sunshine.  After about eight weeks, when the puppies were all eating solid food, my parents went to the local elementary school and gave away the puppies to loving adoptive homes in the neighborhood.  They found a home for Lady herself, but in the end, could not give her away and took her in as one of their own.

After I graduated and moved back to Houston, Lady became enamored with my other dog Howard (another rescue story from Lubbock).  She merged with our pack and has been with me ever since.  Her gentle demeanor, friendly attitude, and warm disposition put even the least animal-friendly people at ease.  Telling her story to the children, helps them to believe that good things can happy, that Lady Cinderella stories are true.  The proof is right there nuzzling and licking them.

Self Care

By Monica

As graduate students, we are faced with different challenges as we progress throughout our graduate careers. These challenges can be anything from troubles adapting to an ever demanding class and field schedule, to finding the time to spend with family and friends. These were the challenges I faced as a new grad student in the fall of 2011 which is why I’d like to share the things that helped me get through the process.

Foundation semester I was introduced to the term self-care. Self-care is essentially how we balance life and the different roles and stressors we face as students, spouses, significant others, siblings, and so on. It is important to find an outlet for ourselves to have some “you time” or just do the things that bring us joy. This is sometimes easier said than done, but it is possible. For me personally, it took a little while to get it right. I really struggled finding my balance between a full time job, school, a fiancé, a puppy, family and friends. It was tough.

What really helped me to start thinking about different ways to face these struggles was the self-care class offered at the GCSW by professor, Sandra Lopez. The class challenged me to put a plan together that addressed my goals, the challenges I might encounter and how I could hold myself accountable in meeting my goals. One of my biggest goals was to make more time to take care of myself mind, body & soul. I found myself always busy and overwhelmed by growing responsibilities which created less and less time for me.

What I decided to do was run once a week (Sunday, my only free day) at 7am. I started with a small goal that was realistic for my schedule and commitment. This really served several purposes for me. The run kept me motivated because I did not want to let my class group down. It also helped me distress from the busy week. Finally, running in the morning help me to be time efficient I still had the entire day to run errands and catch up on other things afterward.

Challenges still arise, but one of the biggest perks of being a student at The University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work is that I am surrounded by an amazing group of colleagues and professors that offer motivation daily. Making connections and joining organizations have truly helped me to know I am not alone in these struggles. You might even find that your colleagues share similar struggles and have good ideas on how to push through them.

Challenge yourself to put yourself first from time to time. It’s ok to do that. Here is a link about mindful living: http://www.livingmindfully.org, and the benefits of embracing challenges. I hope that this post helps, please feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments. Thank you for reading!

The Internet and Graduate School

Digital v Paper

By Carol

I imagined I’d be a paperless student. I thought I would lug my laptop to each class, take notes on it and, unless I was actually handed a piece of paper by an instructor, I didn’t think I’d need any. I was partially right, but mostly wrong, about this.

I tried to digitally annotate digital files. After a lot of frustration I learned that this only works with pdfs that were created digitally then converted to pdfs. If the information had started in book-form and then scanned and saved as a pdf, there’s not a whole lot that you can do to the digital file. I think rasters and vectors are involved in the explanation but I don’t really remember. Anyway, it seemed to me that someone MUST have figured out how to covert this second kind of pdf into a digitally annotatable document.

Indeed, I found a website that, for what seems a reasonable fee, would make this conversion. I used it for a few weeks. It worked fairly well although sometimes the conversion process would leave out chunks of text that I’d then have to hunt down in the original scanned document and re-type. But, I also missed having the original document. I found that I preferred to be able to see and hold the document. I remembered more information when I could physically underline passages, quickly scribble notes in the margin, and flip through a document quickly. I’m glad I tried it out; it didn’t work for me but it might work for someone else.

On the other hand, I found a free program to contain and organize digital files. This software has really helped me organize digital documents and stay on top of deadlines. It doesn’t eliminate paper but it does help stay on top of the myriad deadlines in Foundation because it very easily creates to-do-lists, which I like.

Blackboard (BB), the software the university uses for the on-line component of classes, is something you’d best learn to love. It was often difficult to find information, whether it was the detailed rubric, or a specific reading or PowerPoint because BB offers so many different places to store similar files and allows different ways to organize information and files. You might be asking, why don’t you just look at the syllabus? The best answer I can give is that it seemed that foundation course work was integrated, classes were referred to as modules, so each “class” didn’t have the same independence that they usually do. Second semester, as an advanced curriculum student, things are different. Classes are traditionally stand-alone and the earlier challenges with content organization are not an issue.

The upside of articles posted on BB is that you never have to go to the library for, what we used to call “reserved room reading.” These were articles that instructors assigned that would be xeroxed and held at the library. You’d need to schlep to the library and check them out for a limited amount of time. BB allows instructors to post all these readings on line and you can access them for your computer at any time.

The real genius of BB is the ability to have online “discussions.” Each student is required to post responses to class activities and then other students can comment or ask questions related to individual posts. If you have gmail, it will seem familiar. Responses to a single post get grouped together in a chain so that you can read and/or add to a discussion. There are some quirky things about the text layout in this discussion area so I find writing and editing in word processing software and cutting and pasting into the BB discussion is the way to go. One of my classes this semester, Advance Social Policy with Professor Patrick, uses the discussion to create a salon. This enables us to discuss currents events regularly, even though we only meet one day per week.

Faculty and students embrace the digital world to different degrees. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to be based on age. I was surprised to see a lot of the younger students, those who’d gone to undergrad in the past five years, printing everything out and bringing the documents to class. At the same time, many older faculty are perfectly comfortable managing entire courses on-line.

Finding the right mix for me took about a month. When it’s time to order books I still struggle over kindle versions versus hard copies, price and the extent to which I’ll need to search the text help me decide. At the end of the day, I’m probably saving a few trees but surely not as many as I thought I would.

Social Work and the Aging Population

By Sara

America, the time has come! Baby Boomers are getting older and preparing for retirement. It is hard to imagine an enormous group of babies born in the late 40’s to the early 60’s growing up and getting old. Now that it is here, the need for gerontology workers is huge. Gerontology social workers help by improving the quality of life for older adults. Jobs in this field have no prospect of slowing down any time soon. With that said, it is surprising to find that this is not a branch of social work that people easily jump to. Yes, working with the older population is not glamorous, but before you declare you have no interest in working with the elderly, there are a few things that should be considered first.

There is a strong negative stigma attached to the aged that is a result of our fear of getting older (which involves wrinkles, loss of strength, diseases, gray hairs, and “losing our minds”). Older adults are laughed at, chastised, and oftentimes ignored. This is, unfortunately, common behavior and widely accepted. I cannot tell you how many times I have witnessed an adult child brush off everything their elderly mother or father says with “They don’t know what they are talking about.” I think most people would be surprised to find that older individuals are, in fact, very normal. They act, talk, think, and feel just like you and I. If there were more social workers in gerontology, we could work together to dispel the negative stereotypes and hopefully see some improvement in how they are treated by family members and communities.

Aging is a different process for everyone, and no one knows what it is like until it happens. This is why working with aging individuals is important, because everyone needs a little guidance when they reach this stage of life. This is also why gerontology will never get old or boring: no situation is identical to another. The GCSW makes it interesting as well. The college offers classes like Spirituality and Ageing, Clinical Social Work with Elders, Crisis Intervention, and Grief and Bereavement. With a specialization in Gerontology, the college provides access to gerontology experts and prepares students to help elders effectively.

Working with the older adult population is extremely rewarding. There is something about helping people live independently, happily, and actively that puts a smile on my face. Usually, this is what older adults are seeking: someone that is smiling, listening, and helping. If you can do these things, then maybe gerontology is the right path for you, too. If you are still undecided, or want to try it out before you make a commitment, GCSW can help you find a field placement directly working with the elderly community. Also, the GCSW offers an AGIFT Fellowship, which is financial assistance offered to students who specialize and work in specific field agencies geared toward the gerontology perspective. The AGIFT Fellowship is a great opportunity for students with an interest in geriatrics and seeking a geriatric field placement.

For more information check out:

http://www.uh.edu/socialwork/currentstudents/scholarships/index.php#fellowship

http://www.jhartfound.org/

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/070708p38.shtml

http://www.cswe.org/CentersInitiatives/GeroEdCenter/TeachingTools/Competencies/GuidelinesScales.aspx

Financing your degree

By Dixie

Before each semester I log on to my UH student account and oh so hesitantly click “student finances”. I squeeze my eyes shut as I start sweating, quickly trying to do the math in my head.
“15 hours…hmmm…times $ per hour…uhh, carry the one…wait, start over…”
At this point I realize my attempt at performing math is futile so I begin to slowly open one eye and then the other and there, in all its stress-inducing glory, is my tuition bill.

All drama aside, I understand that personal finance may not be as big a stressor for all of you as it is for me but it is important to understand that getting a graduate degree is a big financial decision. While I am not an expert on finance I will tell you that there are many resources available to you through the Graduate College of Social Work and the University of Houston that will help you navigate the sometimes very confusing path of paying for a graduate degree.

It has been my experience that the GCSW makes a huge effort to provide financial aid to students through a variety of avenues including scholarships, grants and fellowships. The school offers a weekend college program for those who wish to remain fully employed while earning a degree. The university also works to ease the financial burden of paying tuition all at once by giving students the option of several different payment plans, which have been incredibly beneficial to me thus far.

It is through several of those avenues that I am paying for my degree, and although it is still a stressor in my life, it is made significantly less by the efforts of UH and the GCSW in particular. However, it took some effort on my part as well. One of the biggest lessons I learned in my first semester here is to be an advocate for myself. Do not be afraid to ask questions! Make sure you look at and understand all of your options and make changes as more opportunities arise.

My time at the GCSW thus far has been life changing and well worth the financial burden. However, in a time when tuition is only getting more expensive making informed financial decisions concerning, graduate school is imperative.

For more information on your financial aid options through UH and GCSW see:

http://www.sw.uh.edu/current-students/scholarships/index.php

http://www.uh.edu/financial/

To Thine Own Self Be True

By Ashton

Student Ambassador Ashton Paetzold: Learning the importance of self-reflection through field experiences

As a young graduate student, I have struggled with trying to balance professionalism while not letting go of my personality and my true self.  Through my studies, I have found that relationships are essential to the success of any therapeutic session.  R.A. Mackey emphasized the importance of the therapeutic relationship stating, ‘‘For clinical social workers, the professional relationship is not just the vehicle of intervention to change behavior(s) but an empathic resource for acceptance, support, validation and understanding of clients, which may be among the most important factors in making therapy therapeutic.’’  The ability to build rapport and practice interrelationship skills as a graduate student is crucial to one’s future career in social work. Fortunately for me, my supervisors in both of my field settings have encouraged me as I explored the use of self within these settings.  We as social workers are our best tools when it comes to therapy.  We are creative, we are unique, we have our own life situations to build upon, and we are human.  All of these characteristics that we bring into therapy allow the client to connect to us in a therapeutic way.

Relationships, no matter if they are therapeutic, professional, or personal, all have a basis of trust.  It is easier to build trust with someone if they are genuine.  In order to be genuine, what I have learned is that therapists must practice what they preach.  Before we can expect our clients to engage in building community, letting go of past regrets, embracing change, and rolling with the punches, we must first do our own work in these same areas.  It has been through my field experiences that I have come to realize the importance of this in bringing about sustainable change in the lives of those we serve.  I must do my own work to be effective with others.

To quote William Shakespeare, “This above all, to thine own self be true.”

Oh, BABY!

By Holly

While my time at GCSW has kept me plenty busy with courses, student groups, committees, and my research assistantship, I try my best to maintain a balance between what’s going on at GCSW with what’s happening in my life outside of GCSW. Over the past few years, my friends and colleagues at UH have seen my husband and I get engaged, married, and go through some major transitions together.

Well, now, we’re about to embark on our next big adventure outside of GCSW… WE’RE HAVING A BABY!!! My wonderful husband and I are so excited for our baby girl to arrive, and couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible support we’ve received from friends and family, as well as from those here at the GCSW.

As a mom-to-be, I couldn’t be happier about finally taking this jump into motherhood! As a student, I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the amazing timing! Not only was the first trimester during a school break (a massive relief for those weeks of morning sickness, mid-day naps, and easy access to whatever I could stomach in that moment…), but I finished all of my PhD coursework and have some time to write before having our little one. It’s pretty amazing how things work out so perfectly sometimes J

The experience I’ve had with the GCSW has been wonderful, which is such a contrast to a recent post by The Chronicle of Higher Education (“The Future of the PhD”). In this article, there’s a section written on the increase of women in academia and the need for increased attention to the work/family life balance. It also talks about the common struggles doctoral students face when surrounded by faculty with a negative outlook on the topic. What I’m most grateful for, and what I’ve found has had the greatest influence on my experience, is that one of my mentors also had her child while she was getting her PhD, as did some of her colleagues. Her genuine understanding and amazing advice has truly made this experience a positive one for me and has really allowed me to balance my work and class assignments with my symptoms and check-up appointments.

While I’m aware that our new addition will require my attention in a way I can’t even imagine, the passion and motivation I have for my topic is so strong that my committee members have made it clear that they trust me to stay on track. That trust, along with their positive, encouraging support, has helped me to realize how important it will be to pass on the kindness and support that’s been shown to me one day when I’ll be mentoring students.

Overall, the gratitude I have towards this college for the incredible support I’ve received has been overwhelming. Students, faculty, and staff have all been cheerfully sharing in my excitement through this whole process. For any student considering or in a PhD program and planning on having children while in the program, I would definitely say the PhD student years have seemed to be perfect, especially before moving into a tenure-track position. Above all else though, I think the most important factors that have made this adventure such a positive one are 1) having supportive mentors who value family, 2) having an environment where other faculty, staff, and students are positive towards the process, and 3) having one absolutely amazing spouse by my side!

Holly has now delievered her baby. She and her child are doing well.