I had to write a little "About Me" introduction to my course professor and my fellow classmates in my online MS course, which includes two residencies, which I dread. I think most of it is the "having to spend time with people" part that I dread, especially since for the past two plus years, I have been reading their online posts, rolling my eyes and making the jerking off motion with my hand. I think that is frowned upon when interacting with them in person, especially as my MS degree is in mental health counseling. I think I will keep my hair blue though, despite the fact that last time I attended residency, I was "talked to" about it not being professional. I will also be wearing my Chucks instead of the traditional high heels or whatever the current fashion trend is for women. I will also be wearing pants. Real peoples' pants. I think my distaste for traditional rules and regulations can be gleaned from the below introduction I wrote. I wonder what my classmates will think...
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I
will be attending the residency experience next month in Dallas. My boyfriend
and I recently (a few months ago) moved FROM Texas to New Mexico and I was
hoping that I wouldn't have to return to that state, especially not this soon.
I kid. Sort of. So, a little about myself, I guess. I am originally from the
San Francisco Bay Area, and due to my 12 years of active duty military service,
I have lived up and down both coasts. I admit, I do miss being by the ocean.
One day we'll get there again. I earned my BS degree from Oregon State
University (beautiful campus by the way) in 2011 and worked for a bit in a few
group homes, working with a variety of clients. In one house, I worked with
adolescent individuals who had developmental delays and were registered sex
offenders, and in a different house (with a different company), I worked with
clients who had developmental delays with comorbid mental illnesses. I worked
my way up to the House Manager, when I had to leave due to a client making
threats to kill me (to his counselor... can we say YAY for the Tarasoff law?)
and then attempted to carry out his threat when my boss insisted on me working
with this client on a 1:1 basis.
Due
to that incident, I found my current job, which is a freelance writer. I have
achieved the honor of being published, with most of my work being nursing or
mental health research related. I enjoy my job, but I know that in order to
fulfill the requirements for my MS degree, I will have to work outside of the
house in order to obtain my necessary experience hours. Unlike many of the
classmates who I have encountered in my numerous courses at Capella University,
my goal is not to become a counselor, but rather use it as a stepping stone
towards my PhD in psychology, as my heart belongs to research .
I
guess one of my apprehensions as I begin this course is that I will be driving
to Texas. That wouldn't usually be an issue, but about three weeks ago, I was
involved in a serious accident that ended up totaling the vehicle I was
driving. I've driven around a little since the accident, but not the 16 hours
it will take to get to Dallas. I look at is as exposure therapy. The other
challenge I foresee is having to wear "real people" clothes. Since I
work from home and live in New Mexico, pants don't happen often. In regards to
course-related challenges, I identify with the CBT model of counseling and may
need to work on my person-centered skills to excel during the residency
portion.
See
you guys next month (I'll be wearing pants, I swear)!
