ASLI Spanish Language Institute

     I spent last week studying at ASLI Spanish Language Institute learning Spanish and making contact with people in Cuernavaca for the social work trip I am planning in June.  I met with some awesome people, Naurine Lennox of St Olaf's in Minnesota, and Dorothy Wicks, former librarian at NYU in New York.  I had an excellent stay with Paco Ramos and Maru Cortes and got to spend time with my friend and travel buddy Barb Atlstaedter. This is the view form the balcony at pack and Maru's house in the morning.

Cuernavaca

     I am spending the week in Cuernavaca connecting with people to finalize the itinerary for the trip in June.  The picture above is my favorite restaurant in Tepotlán, a town near Cuernavaca.  I will be studying Spanish at ASLI Spanish Language Institute.

Trip to Cuernavaca

  I will be taking a pilot social work trip to Cuernavaca Mexico in June.  The trip is open to Social Workers who are interested in developing cultural competence. Participants will receive 30 CEUs for maintaining LSW and LCSW licenses, including 3 units of ethics.  The program is being hosted by ASLI Spanish Language Institute.  More info to come!

Coursera

    Coursera offers many incredibleMassive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) online for free.  Their market is global and any given course is likely to enroll thousands of students from 30 or more countries.  Just participating is kind of a thrill.  There are forums where you can converse with others around thaeglobe, and many courses are offered by foreign universities, either in English or with translation.

   It is interesting to take classes yourself, but it is also a great thing for clients, especially those who are contemplating college. Remember, it's free.  Plus there are no entrance requirements so someone who wants to try something, or just lurk in forums and watch the lectures can do so.  It is a great way for people to become inspired.  Pre-algebra can be a tough sell for someone experiencing a rough patch in life, but with Coursera, you can jump right into the good stuff.  The courses tend to be well done, have a lot of graphics and short videos, and be on trending topics.

   I don't think Coursera will be free forever.  Everyone who takes these classes contributes to the development of new online teaching and grading systems. Universities with big names, and big budgets, are just eating the cost of doing these classes for the sake of getting their name out, and for the potential future earnings. So enjoy for now.

Dominicans and Puerto Ricans

   I first became aware of the animosity between Dominicans and Puerto Ricans while doing an intake interview with two half brothers, one having a Dominican father, and the other having a Puerto Rican father.  They argued between themselves constantly and tossed in with "you're stupid' and "shut up" were "that's because you're Puerto Rican" or "#@$ Dominican".  The kids were under 10 years of age, so where did they learn this?

   Both populations are growing rapidly in our area but the Dominicans have arrived more recently.  Almost all of them have lived in New York city before moving to Pennsylvania.  I have heard from adult Dominican clients that there is conflict in New York also. I mostly hear of Dominicans who were picked on by Puerto Ricans (but that's just a small sample of people who volunteer this information).  Apparently fights also break out at the High Schools and clubs here in Pennsylvania.

   I finally asked one of the secretaries at my agency to shed some light on what is going on.  She is from the Dominican Republic and was born and raised in Brooklyn.  She explained to me how fights would break out just by saying "Puerto Rican" to someone, and how bad things were at the school she attended. I approached her a second time, a week or so later, asking "why?".  She said that Puerto Ricans are given everything by just being born on American soil, and just have it easy in general. Getting immigration papers and jumping through all of the hoops to become US citizens is difficult for Dominicans and many have family members who are without documents.  The Puerto Ricans have advantages from birth that they don't have to work for.

    On the other side, it seems that the Puerto Ricans, who have been citizens since 1898 and have migrated to the US and back for over a century, were here first.  In New York, the Dominicans are newer arrivals and less acculturated.  In the Leigh Valley they are also "new arrivals" and subject to the same bias that works against all newcomers.

The Advantages of Paying for Clinical Supervision

  Some social workers are able to get clinical supervision at their jobs  no charge.  Many people act as through this should be free and if it is not available at their place of employment go without and delay getting their clinical license.  There are some advantages to paying someone outside the agency however.

  One of the advantages is that you actually get the time with your supervisor. I've had excellent supervisors who say things like "I am available whenever", but whenever never comes, or you have to ask for it.  Another pitfall of supervision with your employer, is that the content of supervision is not discussing cases.  It is more about all how you could do better with your paperwork, or agency policy changes, or software updates... The clinical supervision can be eclipsed by job supervision.

   Another advantage is that if your are paying someone who is outside your agency, you can speak more freely about topics which could be touchy.  Some of these things include: office politics or difficult relationships with coworkers, ethical issues where an agency supervisor could get defensive, and agency policies which may not be in the best interests of clients.  Trying to effect change in your agency can be touchy, and bouncing your ideas around with a person who is not involved can helpful.

   It is also nice to choose who you want for clinical supervision.  Location and scheduling will limit your choices, but you spend a lot of time at this and having someone who is competent, and who you respect, is preferable.

An Old Soul

  I did intakes intake intake interiews for two 18 year old males which were one day apart, and I was having trouble keeping them straight in my mind.  They had both had inpatient hospitalizations in the past year, had drug and alcohol issues, and histories which included tragically bad parents.  In one case the client was hospitalized on an adolescent unit ( for which he was too old), and on an adult unit (which he was too young for).  The other had just had the adolescent hospitalization, and also complained of being housed with "kids".  They both had diagnoses for major depression and were on similar medications, but one client felt the medication helped, the other thought it was not helpful.  Both of these guys were likeable, interested in getting better, and amenable to therapy (not always the case for age 18).  One had age appropriate hopes and dreams.  He wanted to go cross country to California or Colorado, maybe even Finland (because of proximity to the Arctic Circle). he had a job involving fast food and was living with grandparents.

   The other guy was different.  I even wrote in my intake notes "seems older than identified age".  This guy said he had several bad relationships with girls, but was now in a relationship that is more equal and likely to succeed. He was attending 8-9 AA meetings a week, had a sponsor, and a 6 month chip. He was able to identify triggers for relapse and had good strategies for avoiding or handling them. he was able to describe a how he resolved a difficult situation with his mother where he was respecting boundaries and taking ownership for his part of the interchange. He also had a business plan which was logical and seemed like it could succeed. There was a lot of maturity that I don't typically see in clients, but it was his eyes which convinced me that he was an "old soul". They were a milky blue and had not only seen a lot of life, but had a transcendent quality. he had seen a lot of life in his 18 years, but he seemed older than that.