-This was my first day at BryLin. I met Debbie-the activites/volunteer coordinator. I got a small tour of the building and a description of what goes on on each of the four floors. There is one floor decicated entirely to adolescents, another for geriatric patients, a section for people who are addicted to drugs and alchohol, and "general" areas that are for adults with various types of disorders. After a short interview with Debbie she told me after going throught somewhat of a lenghtly process of medical exams, drug tests, and orientations, she would love for me to volunteer at BryLin. I was told that every visit would be different. I would always be supervised but doing different activities all the time. I could take part in arts and craft groups with kids, help distribute meds, sit in on group therapy sessions, etc etc. I am very excited to get started!

-Today was part of the "lenghty process" of paperwork and meeting a few more coordinators and supervisors. I signed what seemed like a million papers, took a confidentiality oath, and set up more appointments (fingerprinting, a physical, and drug test)

-This was actually quite a cool process. I went to the Buffalo Psychiatric Center on Forest Rd. The fingerprinting is now all done digitally using a computer scanner. Much easier and less messy than the normal ink process.
2:00-3:00pm (1) > physical and observation of a eldery group session
-After the fingerprinting I had to go back to BryLin to get a physical. As I was waiting outside the nursing station I got to observe a group therapy session of elderly patients. During the portion I watched I heard two patients describe their week and how they have been taking their medication and going to all their appointments. Though I was not able to really participate I assume the session was almost like a support group to help seniors get through their week.

-While waiting for the nurse to get the final shots I need I was allowed to sit in briefly (for about 35 mins) on a group session. The group consisted of eldery patients. I didn't know this at the time, but they were all waiting for Electro Shock Therapy. Bry-Lin is one of the only places around WNY that does EST. Many of the patients come for 3 sessions a week at least once a year. As they were all awaiting the procedure, a women was talking to them and they were all talking about how the past few months has been. I didn't get to hear to much because I was taken down the hall to get my vaccination shots. Ouch.

-Today Jillian and I had to wake up at a nice early early hour to get over to BryLin and find parking. We sat in a conference room with three other newly employed people. One girl had actually just graduated from the masters program in counselling at Canisius in the spring and was hired as a Mental Health Tech, the other girl was in the Social Work program and UB and doing a year long internship in the social work area of the hospital. Oour orientation host was Mary VerShay. She was a nurse who became head of staff development at BryLin. We sat and went through what seemed like a thousand slides going over basic rules, safety techniques and other hospital policies. We heard some interesting stories about her experiences at the hospital including how she as attacked in a stairwell! Day 2 of orientation is supposed to focus more on the clinical aspects of our volunteer work.

-Today we actually had orientation in the hospital itself, not just a conference room. Today we went over some symptoms of psychological disorders (most, if not all, of which I knew). We also went over the proper way to talk to and deal with patients. We are supposed to remind them they are in a safe place and we are hear to help them and try to calm them. Mary also told us that we are supposed to tell them their experiences are a side effect of their illness. Jillian and I both agree that does not seem like the proper thing to say, it might even cause them greater harm. Regardless, today is the day I also learned of the ECT and realized the group I observed on 9/9 was actually a group awaiting ECT. We went over final information and now we are FINALLY ready to start actual hands-on volunteer work!

-Well, where do I start.... I was nervous today about actaully getting in there and starting my volunteering. But it turned out real good. Jillian and I got there and talked to out supervisor, Debbie. She is the head in the Theraputic Activities Dept. Along with Debbie there are a few girls, all in their mid and upper 20's who work as therapists. We found out what Jillian and I are going to be doing in basically shadowing the therapists during their group sessions. For two weeks I'll be shadowing the girls who do groups on the geriatric and adult floors and Jillian will be down on the child and adolescent floor then we will switch. That way we'll get a nice well rounded expierence.
-The girl I shadowed today was Jackie, she actually has her certification in Art therapy, which I thought was pretty cool. The first group we went to was an art group with the geriatric patients. I've actually volunteered at a nursing home before so I felt I'd be ok. It was quite interesting. First we had to gather supplies and set stuff up in the lounge. Todays activity was making leaves to decorate a fake tree with. Then we went down the halls to make sure everyone knew there was an art group going on and told them to come down if they wanted to participate. The adults do not have to participate in any of the groups, though they strongly encourage them to.
-We set the patients who did decide to participate up with paper and art supplies and just kind of guided them along and socialized with them. Many of the geratric patients have a form of dementia and a few have depression. There was one woman who had bipolar disorder and was definatly on her way up. She was very talkative and made wonderful leaves and was actually very fun to be around. There were also a few patients who didn't participate but came and sat in the lounge just to watch or talk. Either way, the point of the group was to get the patients to socialize and stay active. The art therapy is especially important in keeping thier brain stimulated and even as a form of exercise for their hands. Many of the patients just sit around and slowly lose full functioning in their hands and so art is a good way to keep them active.
-After the art group with the geriatric patients we cleaned up then I watched and learned about how they do their paperwork. After each group session they have to fill out a form on whether each patient participated, the extent they participated, and how they acted that day. All this is done but had. I feel computers would be much easier but Bry Lin is a little behind when it comes to technology.
-For my final hour I helped Jackie in another art group, this time with the adults. These patients were a little more active and talkative. During this group we let each patient use whatever art supplies they wanted. Some painted, some colored, some just sat and talked. I sat in between a few patients and painted and just talked with them. During the hour there was one patient who was in a manic phase and kept walking in and out of the room and telling us odd things. She had on a lot of makeup and very short shorts. Another patient was on suicide watch and had a nurse with him the entire time.
-All in all I enjoyed the whole experience and actually look forward to going back. I like how everything I've read about in books for three years I'm actually seeing for real. I really think I'll get a lot out of my time there.

-Today I got to go with Jillian and work down on the child and adolescent floor. It was a lot more intense than Tuesday. The kids have a lot more energy as expected. We shadowed Pam today and she ran two groups, one with the younger kids, one with the older kids. At 9am we went down to run a group with the younger kids and the older ones went to "school". School basically is a two hour time block when they go in a room with a tutor and do work their shool has sent to do, or, if they are not in school, they get to read and basically have a little bit of quiet time.
-In the group with the little kids we set up an indoor volleyball game using blow up beach balls. It wasnt a very organized game, but it got the kids running around and having fun. They dont get much exercise while in the hospital. As expected though, some of the kids (many of whom have ADD and various behavior problems) got a little carried away with the game and started to get frustrated and started to fight with each other. To calm them all down we played mumball, which also produced some tense moments between the kids.
-After that group we went down the the office and blew up some ballons for a relay race Pam had planned for the older kids. We brought down the balloons and gave them to the kids who proceeded to pop them all within five minutes. So instead of the relay race we let them play some videogames and brought up some bondogle and other crafts for the girls. During this hour I sat down and talked with a few of the girls and observed the boys as they played the video games. The girls seemed eager to talk to other girls (Jillian and I) who were close to their own age. One of the girls was planning on taking her GED test once she got out and asked me about college. The other girl talked to me about hairstyles. I felt really comfortable and glad I was able to sit and talk to them and hopefully help them feel like normal teenage girls.

-Today was sort of a quiet day at BryLin. I was back with the elderly patients and adults today. At the first group with the elderly patients we did some simple (and I mean simple) stretching. Many of the patients are in wheelchairs or have a hard time standing on their own so most remained seated. Basically I just stood at the front and demonstrated the moves which involved opening and closing ones hands, bending elbows, touching ones nose, slightly kicking up ones legs, and rolling the head around in circles. It keeps the patients stimulated and mobile and gives them some exercise which is rare. After stretching many of the patients went down to their rooms so I just helped and cleaned up.
-The second group was with the adults. This group was a discussion group. The purpouse was to discuss "life skills," aka proper hygiene, how to act at work, what is considered to be appropriate in public, etc. This group did not go so well. Only 5 patients showed up to the group and they didn't seem pleased. One patient protested and told us we were treating them like children and they already know how to act like adults and what appropriate hygeine is. So that group ended quickly. The rest of the time I spent helping Jackie fill out paperwork and organizing files. I hope Friday is more exciting.

-Today I was Emily, another therapist. She is a little bit older than the other girls and showed me a lot more of the actual paperwork they do. Before we did any groups she took me to see the ECT rooms, which Ive seen before, but this time she explained some things to me. That was interesting. The machinery is a little scary but in the end it helps the patients, so its a good thing. After that we went to do a group with the elderly patients. We all sat in a circle and Emily led the group with a relaxation session. It lasted over and hour and by the end I was ready to go to sleep! It really helped relax the patients, although a few of them did fall asleep. After that it was already 1130 so I just helped Emily with some paperwork then I was done for the day.

-Today for the first half of my time I did a group with the geriatric patients with Jillian and Jackie. We tried to gather as many patients as possible and then Jackie led a communication group. She had a bunch of flash cards with "conversation" starters and tried to ask the patients questions (whats your favorite music, if your mood today caused changes in weather what would the changes be, etc). It started off ok but the patients started to fall asleep and not respond. I feel it was a pretty unsuccessful group. In defense, it was right after lunch and they did eat turkey that day!
-After a while at the nurses station I went down with Pam to start group with the children. We had the kids break up into groups and had them play a game of catagories. I just watched for a while (which wasnt that long because they got bored very quickly). After that we just got out the coloring supplied and colored with the kids. Some of the older girls talked to me a little, just about normal teenage high school type of stuff. After that I helped with some paperwork and walked the kids upstairs to get their dinner.

-Today was a fun day at Bry Lin. Jillian and I were both with the children today. First we did a coloring game with the younger kids. Everyone got a sheet of paper and drew something that made them happy, then the paper was passed on around the table, so at the end you eventually got back your original sheet and everyone had colored something on it. It actually went well. One girl threw a temper tantrum and had to the leave the room. And at the end some of the kids fought over whose paper was whose, but overall it went well.
-Next Pam, Jillian, and I set up a savenger hunt in the basement for the older kids. It took up quite a while and I think it turned out real good. At first the older kids didnt want to participate, but with some convincing the girls at least came down and in the end they really enjoyed it and got candy as a prize. After that we went back up the the childrens floor and played taboo for a while with the older kids.

-Today I shadowed Emily and did groups on the geriatric and adult floors. Before groups started I went up with Emily and some other therapists to the nurses station. While she filled out some paperwork I got to look through assessment sheets and learn how they do the actual assessment of patients. I got to learn what disorders and problems some of the patients had and that was really interesting. I'm starting to be able to see how actual people with certain disorders act instead of just reading about it in textbooks. There are patients with bi-polar disorder, lots of personality disorders, aggression problems, lots and lots of depression, and even one patient who is showing signs of anti-social personality disorder. This is really a great experience for me to see how these people act and learn how to treat them.
-After that we started the geriatric group. We put in The Little Rascels tape and served some cider and donuts. Only a few patients were there but they seemed to enjoy it. The tape was of the originial 1930's black and white show so one of the patients told me how he used to watch in in movie theaters after the newsreel.
-Finally we had a group with the adults. We put in a relaxation CD and served them some cider and donuts. While the Cd was playing I helped Emily with some paperwork and talked with a few of the new patients. One of the new patients is an 18 year old college student from UB who is having her 2nd manic phase in 2months. She said she used to be normal them once she started college she "lost her mind." She has some psychosis and talks to her teddy bear and herself a lot. It's sad because this girl looks like jsut a normal college girl but has so many issues that she may never have a normal life.

-Today I spent most of my time with the kids. We did all kinds of things to prepare for halloween. We decoreated the cafeteria, made cupcakes, made and ate some chocolate suckers and got some rooms set up for saturday. To make the suckers the older kids got to come down the the theraputic activities kitchen and listen the radio and make the suckers. This was nice because not only do they not usually get to come down and relax in the theraputic activities office, but they also go to get away from the little kids. And im sure spending every hour of every day with young restless kids can get annoying.
-The kids were very excited for Halloween. To younger children Halloween is one of the "coolest" holidays so the staff tries to make it as cool as they possibly can. They dont get to leave the hospital and trick or treat with friends so a lot of the kids get mad/sad over the situation. So the staff tries to distract their attention and create as much fun as possible for them. I will be going in tomorrow(Saturday) to take part in some of the Halloween festivities.

-Today I went in to help with the halloween party. Pizza and wings was made for the kids, which they very much enjoyed. Then they went trick or treating to various offices and parts of the building. They all acquired a good amount of candy, which they are allowed to eat only in moderation of course. We then ate some suckers and cupcakes and some of he kids got their face painted. The rest of my time was spent just hanging out with the kids as they enjoyed the day.

-Today I was back with the adults. First we had group with the elderly patients. We brought up a trivia game. I read clues allowed and the patients tried to guess what the person, place, or object was that I was describing. Only three patients took part in the activity. Although there were not many patients, the ones that were there were very excited about the game. A lot of the trivia cards I used were of people or events from the 40's, 50's, and 60's, so the patients knew a lot of the answers and seemed to enjoy the fact that they could still remember things from their past.
-Next, on the adult floor, we took down a bunch of art supplies and had an open art group. The patients got to just do whatever art they wanted and relax. As this went on I got to talk to one of the patients, a girl who is my age. She is in college, but has severe depression issues and this is her third time at BryLin in a year. She is distressed about not finishing all her classes. She also told me she is (was) in the middle of doing an internship at Gateway Longview and wants to be a therapist one day. Its very interesting to think that a girl in a psychiatric hospital actually wants to be a therapist for people like her one day. I hope she works through her illness and gets better enough one day to reach her goal.

-Today was another day spent on the adult and geriatric floors. Mornings on those floors are pretty low key and just involve "wake-up"/stretching activities. Both groups were short today and involved playing some relaxing music and doing basic stretches with the patients. They hospital is starting to get a little crowded. On the adult floor there is only one bed left open. This makes sense, its the start of the busy holiday season, and stress-levels for everyone are elevated. Many of the patients are at BryLin for depression symptoms. And from what the nurses tell me, many of the patients are "return seasonal customers" and usually come in around Nov-Jan each year. The number of patients getting ECT has also increased. I got the opportunity to talk to a patient today who is getting ECT. She is in her mid twenties and has been in BryLin twice before for depression. This is her first time getting ECT and she says she feels "dramatically different" and she feels she finally has found something that really helps her. She insisted to me that she would be leaving the hospital in a few days and would never be back. Although I do hope this is right, it may just be she is on such a high right now that she is overly optomistic for the future. Yet, at the same time, maybe the ECT has really helped her and now she can start a new life and fight a winning battle against her depression.

-Today I got to do groups on the adult floor and geriatic floor. Before groups started I went up the nurses station and got to label notes and also got a chance, while waiting for groups to start, to look through all the patients charts. Each patient has a binder and in it there are admittance sheets that the patients fill out when they come in to the hospital, actual diagnostic charts from the doctors, a few pages of patient history, treatment plans from their doctor and any medications that have been prescribed to them. Though all this information is very confidential, as volunteer working with the patients, I was allowed to read them. I now have a better understanding off all the paperwork involved and I have a better understanding of some patients.
-Today we did art group with both the geriatrics and the adults. Basically we just brought up various art supplies and let them have an open art time. The adults, especially seem to enjoy this. We put on a relaxing Cd an let them do whatever they wanted. Its basically just a time for them to relax, clear their mind, and maybe even get out some negative feelings in a theraputic way using art.

-Today I got to go to a multi-meeting today. This is a meeting that happens in the morning at least twice a week. The nurses, therapists, social workers, and doctors sit down for a meeting and discuss each patient. The nurses, who see the patients the most talk about the general attitudes and behaviors of the patients. The social workers discuss the cases of each patient. And the therapists discuss how the groups are going, if the patients attend each group, and how they act in each group. Everyone has to present info on each patient to the doctors. The doctors briefly discuss their assessment of the patient, jot down observations of the nurses, TA's and social workers. and give advice on how to treat and deal with each patient.
-I enjoyed the meeting because I got to see the interaction between the various people at the hospital. Even though they all have different jobs they still all are there for one reason, to help each patient. Everyone has to do their job for the whole process of treatment to work. I also realized, that although the doctors are very important, if it wasnt for the hard work of all the nurses, therapists, and social workers, none of the patients would get the treatment they need. The doctors only see the patients for a few minutes a day while everyone is with them all the time. Treating the mentally ill is a complex job and requires the work and cooperation of many people.

-Today I was back with the children. There are many new kids. A few are kids I met in Sept/Oct then left but now are back. It just goes to show that there is no easy quick cure for these disorders and problems. Sometimes they last over a lifetime, the key is being able to control and rise above the disorders. I also found out today that one of the patients, a girl that has been there since July/Aug. She had a history of drug/alcohol abuse. Depression issues, agression issues, very low self confidence, and a cronic bad attitude and overall weird personality. She was prone to angry outbursts and had attempted to run away countless times. She even had to be seperated from the other kids and had a bed on the second floor. Over the past week she physically assaulted a number of staff so was taken to jail. Last everyone heard she was still there and after will be transfered to either another psychiatric hospital or a detention center. Overall the story is sad. No matter what the doctors or therapists did they could not get through to this girl. And she did nothing to help herself. I can see her living on the streets and in and out of jail for the rest of her life. She doesn't want help, and as soon as she turns 18, which is soon, no one can force her to get it. It is a sad situation which Im sure Ill be exposed to many times in my career.
-I helped run a group with the kids today. Since there are so many kids in the hospital (over 20) its hard to do any kid of structured activity that they all want to do and will all cooperate with. So we brought a few different things for them to do-sand art, coloring supplies, holla-hops, and various games. They also played the radio, so some the girls sang and danced a lot. The kids were rowdy today. Some were in a very good mood, some were in an aggresive mood. To the group was very loud and almost out of control at times. I colored a little bit with some of the girls, watched some other girls dance, and played cards with one of the little boys. At times I almost felt that I was babysitting. But overall it was nice to give the kids some free time to get some energy out and act like regular excited kids.

-This morning I went to another multi-meeting. I really enjoy these because I get to watch how all of the staff interact and how everything works together for the benifit of each patient. The only qaulm I have about the whole process is with the doctors. Like i said in a previous entry, they kinda come in, only for a short time to talk about the patients. The social workers, therapists, and nurses talk for much longer after the doctor leaves. I understand the doctors are very busy but I feel they should maybe spend a little more time hearing what the rest of the staff has to say.
-After the meeting we did stretches with the geriatrics and adults again. Again, this is just to wake the patients up and get them some much needed exercise. After the stretch groups I helped the therapists get some art supplies ready for the afternoon kid groups.

-Today I did groups on both the adult floor and the geriatrics floor. On the adult floor I was with the art therapist again, so, not surprisenly we did an open art group. Even though we do this alot, I think it is really benificial. The patients always enjoy it and always leave the group in a positive and relaxed mood. Plus, everyday there are patients coming and going so the group never is redundant. On the geriatric floor we brought up the old Little Rascals tape and put it in for them to watch. The geratrics were tired today so most just sat in their chairs and watched, and some even fell asleep.
-Today I also learned more about the outings kids get to go on. To get to go on outings each kid has to be a "level 4" There are 4 levels. The levels are based on how many points you have. And you get points by being good, participating in groups, being able to calm yourself, cooperate, and by showing that your behavior is improving. And if you have a tantrum, start a fight, or show some other kind of negative behavior you can loose points. So, needless to say, it is only appropriate and safe to take out kids that are on level 4. The rest of the kids have to stay behind and are not usually very happy about it.

-Today, being the day after thanksgiving, was kind of a slow and sad day. I did a few groups with the adults today. I noticed a very quiet and sad enviroment while in the groups. Im sure all the patients are sad over the fact they were not home over thanksgiving. Yes, they get to have a thanksgiving meal at the hospital, but its nothing special, and not the same as being home. But, at the same time, the sadness of not being able to be home I think helped some of the patients. It caused a few of them to state, at least to us in the groups, that they are going to try really hard to help themselves get better so they can go home to their families and not spend another holiday away from them.
-Today there were also a lot of new patients who were arriving to the hospital. The holidays is definatly a big time during the year for an increase in depression and similar problems. Many people cannot cope with the stress, and it may just put them over the edge so they are in need of some help. I was told today that between thanksgiving and into january there is usually only one or two empty beds at a time, and sometimes they get completely filled up. It wont be till spring time that things go back to a normal pace.

-Today was kind of a crazy day. The kids today were really bad. I dont know if was the fact that if was right after thanksgiving and they were feeling extra depressed or angry but they were bad. There are a few new kids that came in over the weekend. A 12 year old girl and a younger boy. Both are very aggressive and defiant. They were starting fights with all the other kids. And no matter what you said to them they didnt seem to care. They didnt care if they got in trouble or not. The girl has a tick that affects her eyes and if anyone stares at her for more than 2 seconds she flips out and accuses them of making fun of her. So, needless to say, every child was very tense and ready to fight. they are in such close quarters and all have their own issues to deal with on a daily basis as it is, so if two new kids come in wanting to fight with everyone then it just raises the stress and aggressiveness of everyone.
-What really bothered me today was the fact that the staff did not do a lot to help the situation. Yes they told the kids to "knock it off" but thats about as far as it went. At first they didnt even seperate the kids who were verbally fighting with each other. They almost ignored it for a while. It really bothered me because they almost allowed the kids to act on their impulses and aggresiveness which is the thing they are supposed to be teaching them to cope with and reduce. I, being a volunteer, am not really allowed to step in. But after a while Jillian and I got fed up and she actually spoke up and tried to help the situation.
-I understand the hospital is understaffed, and I am not suggesting the workers dont want to help, but sometimes it seems they are just encouraging the patients troubled behavior and not intervening and trying to help. The girls we volunteer under are nice girls and good therapists, but at the same time they are young, and sometimes seem to slack off and during our groups they just let the patients do whatever they want. It is not so much of a problem with the adults, but children, especially ones with aggresion and impulse problems, need some sort of structure and discipline, or else their behaviors will not decrease. I know it is not my place to criticize, but I feel sometimes they should put in a little more effort.

-Today I spent another morning with the kids. In the mornings they split the kids up into two groups. Group 1 has kids 12 and under and Group 2 is kids 13 and older. The first group consists of Group 1 kids while the Group 2 kids are at "school." The group 1 kids, again, just like Tuesday, were not in great modes. One of the boys, who left last week Thursday, came back this Monday because his mother cannot handle him. He had a bit of a temper tantrum. We were trying to do a cooperative drawing thing with the kids. That means everyone gets a sheet of paper, and you are supposed to draw a picture on it of something that makes you happy. After five minutes you pass it to the person next to you and they draw a picture. The sheets keep going around the table until everyone draws on it and you get it back. Well, the boy didnt want to take part in it because he didnt want the other kids to "ruin" the pictures he drew. He pounded the table and get real upset and eventually had to be moved to another table by himself to calm down. He calmed himself down and came back to join the group about 30 minutes later.
-There are only six older kids in group 2 and the girls are all around the same age so they have formed a bit of a cliche and all get along. So group 2 is always so much easier to handle. They all enjoy writing in their journals and blogs so for group we brought up some pads and let them have free time to do some writing. It was very quiet, and very relaxing, and over all a good group.
-I think, as maybe a remedy for the craziness in group 1, that maybe they should split the group up. There are so many kids in the group and they all are hyper and aggresive and if one has a tantrum they all get tense and mad. So, by breaking the group up and letting them have group therapy at differnt times maybe some of the tension will subside.

-Today was our second last day at BryLin. Its getting close to Christmas time so they are collecting as many presents as possible. They try to give every kid at least 5 presents each. That is quite a lot, sometimes even more than some of these kids get at home. It is a really nice treat bc the kids get real depressed and worked up if they have to be there over Christmas, which is understandable. So today before group I helped them organize the gifts. We also took a short trip to wegmans with the therapists to get some candy and chocolate for the kids so they can make treats. I think I am going to try to get psych club and psi chi involved in doing a fund raiser of some kind to raise money for the hospital. They are always looking for donations for the kids, no matter what time of the year it is.
-I also helped them organize the "store" today. The "store" is basically a bunch of dollar store items-brushes, toothpaste, lotion, makeup, small toys, stuffed animals, etc-that the kids can "buy" with the points they accumlate. Like Ive said before, they get points for being good, going to group, being cooperative, etc.
-Finally, in group today with the kids we made stockings out of paper and glitter and cotton balls. Theres about 20 kids at the hospital right now so its always a little loud and gets crazy sometimes but for the most part they are good. A lot of the kids I became kinda close to are gone and there are a lot of new kids. Since Im almost done with my time there I probably wont really get to know them.

-Well, today was my last day at BryLin. I was actually kind of sad to leave. Ive learned a lot. Ive gotten to actually see the things I have learned in all my psychology classes. I was able to see people with different disorders, and how they act, and how they get treatment. I was able to see, first hand, what being in a psychiatric hospital really means. It is different when you learn the stuff from a book sitting in a classroom. It is completely different when you are actually hands on with people. Ive gotten to experience people with schizophrenia, dementia, depression, mania, PTSD, paranoid personality disorders, and aggression problems. Ive gotten to see how these people are treated and how the nurses, social workers, therapists, and doctors all interact to carry out that treatment. Sadly, Ive also gotten to see how many of these people struggle with their problems for most of their life and are never fully "cured" and many come back to the hospital two, three, four times over the course of just a few years.
-Ive also realized lately that I have been doing groups with the kids more than I have the adults. I have come to love the kids. This is not to say the adults weren't interesting and fun to work with. I learned a lot from them. It was in them that I was able to observe many of the disorders I listed above. And the geriatrics were fun sometimes, but most of the times I walked away from groups sad. Many of the geriatrics, along with depression, have some level of dementia. And that is irreversible, so there is no way to really help them as much as one would want to. And it is sad to know these people are slowly deteriorating and there is no reverse. It was hard when one day a woman was telling me about her late husband and how they met and all her grandchildren, then the next day not even remember who I was. So, even though I enjoyed me experiences with the adults and geriatrics, I have realized, Id rather work with kids.
-My expereinces with the kids were always entertaining. Children are so much more energetic and dynamic. Many of the kids who come into brylin have a cluster of problems, but most deal with some form of aggression issues, concentration issues, acting out problems, and depression. There were a few with some hallucinations (mostly voices) and a few with some paranoia. Sadly, many are there for a long time for a variety of reason. First of all, the aggression and impulse issues of many of the kids dont just go away in a day, it takes a lot of treatment to teach them how to properly act. Second, many of these kids have grown up in bad enviroments, with aggressive parents, with abusive parents, with parents who have gone to jail. If they have grown up in a place where chaos is all around them and aggression is the norm, and their parents have a lot of problems to, then their behavior is not a surprise and its very hard to change. Third, a lot of the kids are not going back to their homes, and are in brylin waiting for a foster family. And that process takes a long time.
-So, when you really look at the big picture, it is quite sad. But at the same time, its so much fun working with these kids. Because, after a while, you really can see improvement in their behavior. And they are so lively and so eccentric it is hard not to get attached to them. In my own personal views I feel working with the younger generations of this world is what will really make a difference in the long run. I think by intervening now there is a greater chance of them getting better and getting to grow up and live normal lives. Yes, there are some that, no matter how hard you try, they will always have problems and will grow up and have more problems...but there are so much more, that if you give them the care and treatment they need and work to improve their home life, that they have such a big chance of getting better. And ive realized, at my time at BryLin, that I want to be a part of that. Whether its being a social worker or a counsellor in a school, or a therapist or even a teacher. I want to work with children and help them and give them the opportunity to grow up and live as happy and normal a life as possible.
-With all that said...on my final day at BryLin I got to sit around with the therapists for a while and just talk. They are all nice girls and are good at their jobs. They have been more than nice to Jillian and I and did not seem to mind us following them around and probably annoying them for three and a half months. I am grateful to them for letting us come there and volunteer. Though, as I have said before, I think BryLin has some problems (mostly centered around them not having enough staff and not disciplining enough) most of the people that work there do care about the patients and try their hardest to help them.
-I also helped organize some more christmas presents and went and did morning stretch groups with the adults and geriatrics. Before I left I went to say goodbye to the kids. Many are new so they didnt even know who I was but I said goodbye anyway. So, in conclusion, overall I enjoyed my time at BryLin and found the experience rewarding. I learned a lot, experienced a lot, and in the end I feel it has helped me more clearly define my path in life.