Formatting code for PamelaDunn
Psy498PracticumLog
%%
=====Practicum Information/Log=====
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday April 6, 2005 - 3:15pm - 8pm
Today the Resource Center was crowded with residents, outpatient clients, and the group of youth from the Belmont Shelter. The youth were allowed to do a variety of activities. Upon arrival at the house I assisted by answering the phones and doing a Blue Sheet.
Friday April 8, 2005 - 3pm - 11pm
The house was full of residents today 14 total. There was an issue during the last couple of days with how the males interact and talk to the females and vice versa, as well as an incident that occurred at the Resource Center yesterday during daytime group.
I was informed that I had to run a group for about 1 hour while the staff was occupied with other things and discuss the issues. The informal group session lasted for two hours and by the end the residents were not at each others throats.
After group I assisted in delegating chores, fixing snack, and sitting with the residents while they decided to watch a movie for the nightly activity.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 30, 2005 - 3pm - 11pm
I accompanied the residents to the Resource Center today for group. Instead of having a normal group the residents just watched a movie. Today there were a lot of clients from the Belmont Shelter there as well as past residents who now work with CH on an outpatient basis.
Upon returning to the house, I helped with an inspection of a new resident and fixed the evening snack. I also had to feel out a Hot Sheet because two of the resident were involved in an altercation with each other. There was also a problem with two new residents who came to the house with each other about their association with a gang and writing the symbols and things of that nature.
One resident was asked to leave yesterday because of threats she made to the staff and other residents. Before she left she broke some things in the kitchen along with things that her case manager were helping her to acquire for when she moved into her new apartment that CH helped her to get. Because of this, I was told not to let her in if she came and that the police would be making routine courtesy check-ins.
Friday – April 1, 2005 - 4pm - 11pm
Today the house was full of residents – there are a total of 14. I was asked if I would go with the staff and residents to the Art Gallery to assist with supervision. Before leaving many of the residents complained and said that they did not want to go, however upon leaving the gallery all of the residents were having a good time and glad that they went.
There are two brothers at the house and they are causing problems – one is 15 and the other is 12. Neither brother believes that they have to do chores and have a problem with their language and addressing adults. The younger brother has a problem with hoarding as well as trying to fight the older male residents. During dinner both brothers did not eat because they did not want to do any chores, however upon return from the gallery both brothers were very hungry and ate what the staff had put away for them.
During the visit to the gallery one brother pulled me over to the side to talk and he began to cry. He felt as if his mother did not love him because she put them there and that his family does not care about them because no one has come to visit them and no one seems to be answering and returning their phone calls. I felt sorry for him but had to remind him that there is a restraining order against their mother and some members of their family and that may be the reason for some things. After our discussion he seemed to feel a lot better and did not cause any more trouble for the rest of the night.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 23, 2005 - 3:10pm - 7:20pm
Instead of attending group with the residents today, I was allowed to sit in on an intake of a new resident.
The process is very simple in content however it is very long. It took three hours to complete from start to finish. Questions included why the person was there, the resident setting up an individualized action plan for themselves, the issue of drug use and sexual activity, as well as a history of where they have lived and with whom – I was told this allows for the case managers to see if there is a pattern of instability in the youths life.
Friday – March 25, 2005 - 3:05pm - 11:15pm
Today the house had 10 residents. Many of the residents were not there until dinner, which allowed for the house to be quiet for a while.
I assisted in making dinner, answering the phones, delegating chores, and choosing and making the evening snack. I was taught how to do the shift log and a Hot Sheet to report any problems noticed during the shift.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 16, 2005 - 3pm - 7:15pm
Group today for the residents was cancelled. Because of this I just hung out with the kids and fixed dinner. I also had to delegate the chores.
Friday – March 18, 2005 - 3pm - 9:45pm
There were only two residents in the house today. It was pretty laid back. I assisted with fixing dinner and playing cards with the residents. Tomorrow I have been asked to attend a play with the kids to help with supervision.
Saturday – March 19, 2005 - 1pm - 6pm
Only two residents attended the play today with one staff person and myself. There were no problems from the residents except trying to keep them awake during the play.
Upon arrival back to the house there was and issue of one of the female residents promising things to one of the male residents. The main problem came because the male resident was mentally retarded and the female resident left the house before saying goodbye and giving the item to the male resident. He then proceeded to try to hurt himself and act out to the point where the male staff had to restrain him.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Friday – March 11, 2005 - 3:10pm - 11:10pm
Today I helped to make dinner and kept an eye on the residents because both of the staff was busy doing intakes and I was the only intern/volunteer in the house. The house was very crowded tonight but the residents did not get out of hand.
There is an issue however about one resident and her breaking curfew along with two other residents starting what seems to be a relationship with each other.
Many of the residents played cards but mostly relaxed because tomorrow is the fundraiser at Delaware Park, so they are all being on their best behaviors.
Saturday – March 12, 2005 - 11am - 3pm
Today is the Cabin Fever Fund Raiser at Delaware Park. It is not my normal day to be here at the house but I am going to help with serve the food and sit at the donation tables.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 2, 2005 - 3pm - 7:15pm
Today I accompanied the residents to the Resource Center for group they had to paint and draw again today.
One of the residents who suffer from depression drew things that would indicate that she is suicidal. Because of this she was taken aside by her Case Manager and the center therapist and discussed things. The staff at the house was also notified to put her on suicide watch because of the things that were discussed.
Friday – March 4, 2005 - 3:45pm - 11pm
There were only four residents today. I assisted the staff where needed such as answering the phones, making dinner, and interacting with the residents. I also learned how to assign chores and where to find the chore sheets.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – February 23, 2005 - 3pm - 7:15 pm
Today was a quiet day at the house. Starting today, my duty’s on Wednesday is to accompany the residents to the Resource Center located on Main Street while they have group and then accompany them on the return home.
Today for group the students painted and drew various things and talked about why they used specific colors and things of that nature.
Friday – February 25, 2005 - 3pm - 11pm
There were only four residents in the house today. Because it is Friday most of the residents have extended curfew if they are old enough – they have to be over 16.
Because it was so quiet I learned how to answer and transfer the phones and do a Blue Sheet. Blue Sheets are the initial information that the house receives when they is a potential resident on the way. The BS tells us the persons name, age, and the reason why they need safe shelter here at the house this information can be relayed to us by the person themselves, the police, social services, or someone who may feel that the person needs to be placed here.
It seemed that once I learned to answer the phones they continued to ring. By the time I was to leave there were 3 Blue Sheets and two new residents already intake.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Friday – February 19, 2005 - 3:40 pm - 11:05 pm
When I arrived at the house today I learned that we would be taking the residents to go and see a movie after dinner. By the time it was time to go the house was at capacity again with 14 residents.
A short time after my arrival I was taught how to do inspections and house intake of the new incoming residents. I was able to practice on two new residents who were sisters. I was told to check for drugs, weapons, and any type of paraphernalia that they may have had. Part of the process was to take the girls around the house, remind them of the rules, assign them sleeping quarters, and answer any questions that they may have had. This process took about an hour to do.
By the time I was done it was time to fix dinner and get the residents ready for the outing. Everything seemed to be running smoothly and everyone was having a good time on our way to the movies. The residents however have somewhat of a problem with be quiet in public. For some reason it seems as if they want to be noticed. For instance all during the movie they were talking and getting up and moving, then at the end one of the residents felt the need to dance down the aisle. By the time we got back to the house it was time for me to go home.
site: Compass HOuse - Joan Dutchess Friedson
Activities: Wednesday – February 9, 2005 - 3 pm - 7:15 pm
There were no residents here on my shift today. Because most students are in school and the others are at the resource center, the staff does not expect any until 5.
Today there is an intern and volunteer meeting for us to discuss how everything is going. By the time the meeting had started there was only one resident at the house and when the meeting was over it was time for me to go home.
Friday – February 11, 2005 - 3:05 pm - 11:05 pm
There were a total of 13 residents in the house today four of them I had met already.
One of the residents was a runaway and was 13 years old. He came to the house because his teacher called his house today due to some problems he was causing and school and he does not want to go home to face his punishment. This resident has AD/HD, which caused somewhat of a problem because he would just not sit still and needed to bother everything. Other residents were bothering him because he takes medication for his disorder – because of this he refused to take his medication when it was time.
Another young man in the house – age 14 – was at the house because he was just released from a detention center and his mother refused to let him come back into her house. She brought her son to the house with a bag of clothes and indicated she just cannot deal with him. He will stay at CH until arrangements can be made for him to live somewhere. This young man has issues of self-esteem, anger, and depression.
Most of the other residents had run away from home and CH was helping them to get back home or to find some type of shelter.
Today the residents taught me how to play a game of cards that is famous at the house and I also watch television and helped to make dinner and snacks.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – February 2, 2005 - 3pm - 8 pm
Today was my first official day. When I arrived I tried to have as much of an open mind as possible but I was somewhat fearful of what I was going to encounter. Because of the stories told to us volunteers and interns I did not want to become friends with any of the residents, but I also did not want to come off too cocky either.
I was told by one of the staff that for the past two weeks it has been unusually crowded at the hose with it being at capacity (which is 14 residents) almost everyday. In the office I looked on the board and it indicated that there were 11 residents – only one of them being male. I also looked at the logbook on the residents that indicated why the residents were there, any problems that have been noticed since the last shift, who can leave and when they must return, along with any other need to know facts.
After reading the log I tried to become as unbiased as possible and promised myself not to read the log before a shift again unless one of the staff suggested it because of some of the things that were included in the files.
Only three of the residents were at the house yet and the rest shuffled in around 5:30. Everything seemed to be running as smoothly as possible until one of the female residents came in and went directly upstairs to the sleeping quarters. This put all of the staff on alert because you are not supposed to go upstairs unless you ask permission. Soon everyone understood why the young lady dud what she did and that was because she was intoxicated.
Due to the fact that she was intoxicated the staff asked her to pack her things and told her she could no longer be a resident anymore. They provided her with two bus tokens and sent her on her way after notifying Social Services.
By the time the situation was calmed down, all of the residents were there and it was time for dinner. Dinnertime at the house when everyone sits down and eats dinner and discusses his or her day with each other – it was very memorable.
Friday – February 4, 2005 - 3 pm - 11 pm
There were only 4 residents today. The house seems a little too quiet. Upon my arrival I was told that I could just help around the house where needed and that I could just mingle with the residents.
I helped one young lady to do some of her homework. She was 16 and a high school drop out upon her arrival her at the house. Compass House however has set it up where she will be starting a GED program to get her diploma. The only problem that has risen is that the young lady reads at a 3rd grade level and is having a hard time with the program.
After helping her with her homework I played some cards with some of the residents and helped to make dinner. After dinner the house sat down to watch a movie.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess
Activities: December 8, 2004 / 6pm - 9pm
Today was orientation and it was held at the shelter in the conference room. We covered everything from the handbook to how to interact with the kids. The kids ranging from 13-17 normally stay at the house for a week or so but the max time at the shelter is 30 days.
During orientation we were told some "BEWARE OF THIS..." stories and were reminded that the kids take everything to heart. For example there was an incident with a young lady resident who was in Foster Care and one of the staff mentioned that they were going to adopt child and the resident thought it would be her. She was then made fun of by other residents and was so upset that she had to be put in suicide watch.
We are not allowed to tell the residents anything personal, and I understand that, but it was made clear that if we can connect with the residents by past experiences we should share with them - I think that is a little contradictory.
We were given a tour of the house and told to learn the "sounds" of the house. For instance, there are special telephone rings for different lines, and if a male resident goes up their side of the stairs it is a different sound than if it were on the female side.
I can not wait to start. Eventhough we did not interact much with the residents today I can tell it is going to be a great and interesting experience.
%%
----
%%
=====Practicum Information/Log=====
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday April 6, 2005 - 3:15pm - 8pm
Today the Resource Center was crowded with residents, outpatient clients, and the group of youth from the Belmont Shelter. The youth were allowed to do a variety of activities. Upon arrival at the house I assisted by answering the phones and doing a Blue Sheet.
Friday April 8, 2005 - 3pm - 11pm
The house was full of residents today 14 total. There was an issue during the last couple of days with how the males interact and talk to the females and vice versa, as well as an incident that occurred at the Resource Center yesterday during daytime group.
I was informed that I had to run a group for about 1 hour while the staff was occupied with other things and discuss the issues. The informal group session lasted for two hours and by the end the residents were not at each others throats.
After group I assisted in delegating chores, fixing snack, and sitting with the residents while they decided to watch a movie for the nightly activity.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 30, 2005 - 3pm - 11pm
I accompanied the residents to the Resource Center today for group. Instead of having a normal group the residents just watched a movie. Today there were a lot of clients from the Belmont Shelter there as well as past residents who now work with CH on an outpatient basis.
Upon returning to the house, I helped with an inspection of a new resident and fixed the evening snack. I also had to feel out a Hot Sheet because two of the resident were involved in an altercation with each other. There was also a problem with two new residents who came to the house with each other about their association with a gang and writing the symbols and things of that nature.
One resident was asked to leave yesterday because of threats she made to the staff and other residents. Before she left she broke some things in the kitchen along with things that her case manager were helping her to acquire for when she moved into her new apartment that CH helped her to get. Because of this, I was told not to let her in if she came and that the police would be making routine courtesy check-ins.
Friday – April 1, 2005 - 4pm - 11pm
Today the house was full of residents – there are a total of 14. I was asked if I would go with the staff and residents to the Art Gallery to assist with supervision. Before leaving many of the residents complained and said that they did not want to go, however upon leaving the gallery all of the residents were having a good time and glad that they went.
There are two brothers at the house and they are causing problems – one is 15 and the other is 12. Neither brother believes that they have to do chores and have a problem with their language and addressing adults. The younger brother has a problem with hoarding as well as trying to fight the older male residents. During dinner both brothers did not eat because they did not want to do any chores, however upon return from the gallery both brothers were very hungry and ate what the staff had put away for them.
During the visit to the gallery one brother pulled me over to the side to talk and he began to cry. He felt as if his mother did not love him because she put them there and that his family does not care about them because no one has come to visit them and no one seems to be answering and returning their phone calls. I felt sorry for him but had to remind him that there is a restraining order against their mother and some members of their family and that may be the reason for some things. After our discussion he seemed to feel a lot better and did not cause any more trouble for the rest of the night.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 23, 2005 - 3:10pm - 7:20pm
Instead of attending group with the residents today, I was allowed to sit in on an intake of a new resident.
The process is very simple in content however it is very long. It took three hours to complete from start to finish. Questions included why the person was there, the resident setting up an individualized action plan for themselves, the issue of drug use and sexual activity, as well as a history of where they have lived and with whom – I was told this allows for the case managers to see if there is a pattern of instability in the youths life.
Friday – March 25, 2005 - 3:05pm - 11:15pm
Today the house had 10 residents. Many of the residents were not there until dinner, which allowed for the house to be quiet for a while.
I assisted in making dinner, answering the phones, delegating chores, and choosing and making the evening snack. I was taught how to do the shift log and a Hot Sheet to report any problems noticed during the shift.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 16, 2005 - 3pm - 7:15pm
Group today for the residents was cancelled. Because of this I just hung out with the kids and fixed dinner. I also had to delegate the chores.
Friday – March 18, 2005 - 3pm - 9:45pm
There were only two residents in the house today. It was pretty laid back. I assisted with fixing dinner and playing cards with the residents. Tomorrow I have been asked to attend a play with the kids to help with supervision.
Saturday – March 19, 2005 - 1pm - 6pm
Only two residents attended the play today with one staff person and myself. There were no problems from the residents except trying to keep them awake during the play.
Upon arrival back to the house there was and issue of one of the female residents promising things to one of the male residents. The main problem came because the male resident was mentally retarded and the female resident left the house before saying goodbye and giving the item to the male resident. He then proceeded to try to hurt himself and act out to the point where the male staff had to restrain him.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Friday – March 11, 2005 - 3:10pm - 11:10pm
Today I helped to make dinner and kept an eye on the residents because both of the staff was busy doing intakes and I was the only intern/volunteer in the house. The house was very crowded tonight but the residents did not get out of hand.
There is an issue however about one resident and her breaking curfew along with two other residents starting what seems to be a relationship with each other.
Many of the residents played cards but mostly relaxed because tomorrow is the fundraiser at Delaware Park, so they are all being on their best behaviors.
Saturday – March 12, 2005 - 11am - 3pm
Today is the Cabin Fever Fund Raiser at Delaware Park. It is not my normal day to be here at the house but I am going to help with serve the food and sit at the donation tables.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – March 2, 2005 - 3pm - 7:15pm
Today I accompanied the residents to the Resource Center for group they had to paint and draw again today.
One of the residents who suffer from depression drew things that would indicate that she is suicidal. Because of this she was taken aside by her Case Manager and the center therapist and discussed things. The staff at the house was also notified to put her on suicide watch because of the things that were discussed.
Friday – March 4, 2005 - 3:45pm - 11pm
There were only four residents today. I assisted the staff where needed such as answering the phones, making dinner, and interacting with the residents. I also learned how to assign chores and where to find the chore sheets.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – February 23, 2005 - 3pm - 7:15 pm
Today was a quiet day at the house. Starting today, my duty’s on Wednesday is to accompany the residents to the Resource Center located on Main Street while they have group and then accompany them on the return home.
Today for group the students painted and drew various things and talked about why they used specific colors and things of that nature.
Friday – February 25, 2005 - 3pm - 11pm
There were only four residents in the house today. Because it is Friday most of the residents have extended curfew if they are old enough – they have to be over 16.
Because it was so quiet I learned how to answer and transfer the phones and do a Blue Sheet. Blue Sheets are the initial information that the house receives when they is a potential resident on the way. The BS tells us the persons name, age, and the reason why they need safe shelter here at the house this information can be relayed to us by the person themselves, the police, social services, or someone who may feel that the person needs to be placed here.
It seemed that once I learned to answer the phones they continued to ring. By the time I was to leave there were 3 Blue Sheets and two new residents already intake.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Friday – February 19, 2005 - 3:40 pm - 11:05 pm
When I arrived at the house today I learned that we would be taking the residents to go and see a movie after dinner. By the time it was time to go the house was at capacity again with 14 residents.
A short time after my arrival I was taught how to do inspections and house intake of the new incoming residents. I was able to practice on two new residents who were sisters. I was told to check for drugs, weapons, and any type of paraphernalia that they may have had. Part of the process was to take the girls around the house, remind them of the rules, assign them sleeping quarters, and answer any questions that they may have had. This process took about an hour to do.
By the time I was done it was time to fix dinner and get the residents ready for the outing. Everything seemed to be running smoothly and everyone was having a good time on our way to the movies. The residents however have somewhat of a problem with be quiet in public. For some reason it seems as if they want to be noticed. For instance all during the movie they were talking and getting up and moving, then at the end one of the residents felt the need to dance down the aisle. By the time we got back to the house it was time for me to go home.
site: Compass HOuse - Joan Dutchess Friedson
Activities: Wednesday – February 9, 2005 - 3 pm - 7:15 pm
There were no residents here on my shift today. Because most students are in school and the others are at the resource center, the staff does not expect any until 5.
Today there is an intern and volunteer meeting for us to discuss how everything is going. By the time the meeting had started there was only one resident at the house and when the meeting was over it was time for me to go home.
Friday – February 11, 2005 - 3:05 pm - 11:05 pm
There were a total of 13 residents in the house today four of them I had met already.
One of the residents was a runaway and was 13 years old. He came to the house because his teacher called his house today due to some problems he was causing and school and he does not want to go home to face his punishment. This resident has AD/HD, which caused somewhat of a problem because he would just not sit still and needed to bother everything. Other residents were bothering him because he takes medication for his disorder – because of this he refused to take his medication when it was time.
Another young man in the house – age 14 – was at the house because he was just released from a detention center and his mother refused to let him come back into her house. She brought her son to the house with a bag of clothes and indicated she just cannot deal with him. He will stay at CH until arrangements can be made for him to live somewhere. This young man has issues of self-esteem, anger, and depression.
Most of the other residents had run away from home and CH was helping them to get back home or to find some type of shelter.
Today the residents taught me how to play a game of cards that is famous at the house and I also watch television and helped to make dinner and snacks.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess Freidson
Activities: Wednesday – February 2, 2005 - 3pm - 8 pm
Today was my first official day. When I arrived I tried to have as much of an open mind as possible but I was somewhat fearful of what I was going to encounter. Because of the stories told to us volunteers and interns I did not want to become friends with any of the residents, but I also did not want to come off too cocky either.
I was told by one of the staff that for the past two weeks it has been unusually crowded at the hose with it being at capacity (which is 14 residents) almost everyday. In the office I looked on the board and it indicated that there were 11 residents – only one of them being male. I also looked at the logbook on the residents that indicated why the residents were there, any problems that have been noticed since the last shift, who can leave and when they must return, along with any other need to know facts.
After reading the log I tried to become as unbiased as possible and promised myself not to read the log before a shift again unless one of the staff suggested it because of some of the things that were included in the files.
Only three of the residents were at the house yet and the rest shuffled in around 5:30. Everything seemed to be running as smoothly as possible until one of the female residents came in and went directly upstairs to the sleeping quarters. This put all of the staff on alert because you are not supposed to go upstairs unless you ask permission. Soon everyone understood why the young lady dud what she did and that was because she was intoxicated.
Due to the fact that she was intoxicated the staff asked her to pack her things and told her she could no longer be a resident anymore. They provided her with two bus tokens and sent her on her way after notifying Social Services.
By the time the situation was calmed down, all of the residents were there and it was time for dinner. Dinnertime at the house when everyone sits down and eats dinner and discusses his or her day with each other – it was very memorable.
Friday – February 4, 2005 - 3 pm - 11 pm
There were only 4 residents today. The house seems a little too quiet. Upon my arrival I was told that I could just help around the house where needed and that I could just mingle with the residents.
I helped one young lady to do some of her homework. She was 16 and a high school drop out upon her arrival her at the house. Compass House however has set it up where she will be starting a GED program to get her diploma. The only problem that has risen is that the young lady reads at a 3rd grade level and is having a hard time with the program.
After helping her with her homework I played some cards with some of the residents and helped to make dinner. After dinner the house sat down to watch a movie.
site: Compass House - Joan Dutchess
Activities: December 8, 2004 / 6pm - 9pm
Today was orientation and it was held at the shelter in the conference room. We covered everything from the handbook to how to interact with the kids. The kids ranging from 13-17 normally stay at the house for a week or so but the max time at the shelter is 30 days.
During orientation we were told some "BEWARE OF THIS..." stories and were reminded that the kids take everything to heart. For example there was an incident with a young lady resident who was in Foster Care and one of the staff mentioned that they were going to adopt child and the resident thought it would be her. She was then made fun of by other residents and was so upset that she had to be put in suicide watch.
We are not allowed to tell the residents anything personal, and I understand that, but it was made clear that if we can connect with the residents by past experiences we should share with them - I think that is a little contradictory.
We were given a tour of the house and told to learn the "sounds" of the house. For instance, there are special telephone rings for different lines, and if a male resident goes up their side of the stairs it is a different sound than if it were on the female side.
I can not wait to start. Eventhough we did not interact much with the residents today I can tell it is going to be a great and interesting experience.
%%
----
