Gratitude day #2

1. Today I am grateful for a better night's sleep. Image comes from here...

2. And for my gourmet vege box, from food connect...

3. And for the idea of Open Table, namely sharing surplus food in the local community, first seen in Frankie magazine, which I would love to see happen in Brisbane. (Perhaps I have to be the change I want to see...).

Two posts in one evening = totally unsustainable!

more later

MBSR: Gratitude challenge

Last week, I started an eight week course in mindfulness (another one!), called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR, (link to previous post) run by Openground. I have been meaning to do this since I did the weekend introductory course  in June 2012. Its a good way to unwind, after almost two years of  non-stop studying.

The course includes a lot of home practice, especially the body scan and mindfulness of the breath.

This is what the body scan looks like. Its better from the inside! I struggled with this at first, but now I am getting to really like it.

 For homework this week, we have to start a daily gratitude journal. So this is going to be mine.

1. I was grateful for signing up for this course, second class yesterday.

2. Yesterday, I was grateful for more rainbow mural painting at my placement. So near to being finished, which is very exciting. No photos, as it is in a secure facility.

3. I am also grateful for the rain yesterday. It was desperately needed, everything was so brown and tired.The rain came after the rainbow, not before!

more later

Walk on the wild side...

Buddha, wall in Prahran, Melbourne

The photos in this post were all taken in Melbourne this weekend, where I paid a brief visit, to attend my brother Lindsay's wedding to Shirley, who I know as Rebekha.

This was not the only name confusion, as our stepfather, Mike, signed as a witness under the name of our father, Michael. (Its going to be corrected, by the way). Perhaps them having the same first name made it more confusing...

I also found out my brother's nickname, for the first time, from the best man, his friend since high school in NZ.

It was a happy day, with lots of emotion, champagne and hugs. Thanks, Lindsay and Shirley.

Meanwhile, back in Brisbane, I have virtually finished my final social work placement, but have negotiated to return for a few hours, to help everyone complete the mural, which has been an ongoing project since I started in July. I am hoping this can be achieved in three weeks...

Still one minor hurdle to get over - an oral 'exam' where we explain why we are 'ready to be social workers' in eight minutes - without notes. Somewhat daunting. I think my best bet is to write something and try to memorise it, sort of.

And I heard this morning of the death of Lou Reed, at the age of 71. I remember clearly the impact of Transformer, and listening to it after school in my friend Susan's bedroom, aged about 14 or 15, in 1972. She always knew better than me what was hip, and with us both being Bowie fans, it just had to be good. Reed described a world so different from ours, growing up in rural Devon cheescloth hippiedom, but gave us a window into the New York art scene, populated by Andy Warhol et al, so we could imagine ourselves also transformed.

Goodbye Lou, goodbye Susan, goodbye Dad. I miss you all, in different ways.

more later.

 

on being a social worker - almost

I am awarding  myself a button medal for endurance this week

 (yes, this is another cheat post from my QUT blog, but hey, it is almost the end of semester)

Being a social worker means:

• Having the language and framework to describe how my humanist values, professional integrity and personal ethics are deeply embedded in my daily work practice, regardless of the specific context,
• specifically, expanding my professional identity to incorporate the macro level of culture and society,
• having increased confidence in being able to work sensitively and appropriately with people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, due to having developed greater cultural knowledge and skills through academic study, training and experiences on placement,
• having a heightened awareness of the increasingly adverse political environment, the impact of this on the community, having the ability to critique this political environment, and respond in an effective manner,
• understanding more clearly how structural factors, such as economic and educational disadvantage, impact on individuals, families and communities, resulting in physical and mental illness, lower educational achievement, higher unemployment and a multitude of other negative outcomes,

• having a broader perspective on state and federal government policy changes, which are currently impacting on issues such as civil liberties, workers’ rights, refugees’ human rights, mental health and disability,
• perhaps most importantly, having an understanding of the global challenge of climate change, and how government policies are acting against our long term interests as a species on this fragile planet, by abandoning strategies for slowing global warming, let alone acting collaboratively with other nations in pursuit of this goal, for the sake of future generations,
• having a recognised professional body, the AASW, to support me and my future professional development, and having more doors open to me in terms of employment opportunities,
• adding a new layer to my previous knowledge, skills and experience as an art therapist and educator,
• being able to pursue my goal of becoming a mental health social worker in private practice, so that I can provide an accessible service to disadvantaged clients through a mental health plan,
• having experience, through two very different placements, of working in both government and non-government sectors,
• bringing a broader socio-cultural perspective into art therapy education at University of Queensland,
• perhaps also contributing to the future professional development of social workers, in areas in which I have expertise that I can share,

• Using my pre-existing skills in art therapy, mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy, and as a therapist with children and families, to continue to work effectively with clients, using a strengths and values-based, person-centred, humanistic, approach,
• being flexible and adaptable to working in a range of contexts and roles, which at times has included having the ability to do less than usual, for example, observing and reflecting, rather than jumping into action, which has been both a struggle and a gift, due to being on placement in environments where this was possible, and at times, imperative,
• Having a great sense of achievement, due to having survived the somewhat surreal experience of simultaneously being both a lecturer and a student, at different universities, and being both a supervisor of students in my workplace, and a supervisee on placement, which has brought home any number of power and control issues, both for myself and others, that can perhaps only be experienced first-hand to be completely appreciated…

more later

getting over the hump, and getting warmer...

my impression of the rainbow serpent background for mural,

designed by Indigenous artist Gordon Hookey



Has an interesting night last night, at placement late, immediately following two intense days of Indigenous cultural competency training: we worked on mapping out the second mural at the placement site. In the dark, using an old school OHP (overhead projector), we projected the images made by each client, which were drawn onto transparencies, onto the wall, and  then traced them onto the corrugated iron fence with charcoal. With background of serpent and rainbow, as above, sort of. Eventually the whole perimeter fence will be included in the mural, with the rainbow serpent wrapped protectively around the whole centre. Exciting stuff! I am definitely not leaving the placement until this project is finished. 

Phew, having said that, I have only a few weeks left, and then I will be completely finished with the Masters of Social Work, hurrah! I have just over three weeks to go on placement, which seems incredible. I can't say it has been easy, but I am now feeling quite at home there, in some ways, and it will be sad to leave, despite the many challenges. And then, there are still the assignments...currently somewhat in avoidance mode...

After that, the future awaits, whatever that might look like...initially it will involve being back at my usual work, plus teaching (and with the end of the academic year approaching for my students as well, there will be marking, marking and more marking...) but also maybe seeking something different, workwise.

 

Despite my almost total neglect, this blog has now almost had 9000 hits, only 3 more to go at the time of writing, which is another milestone of sorts. I am so grateful to the people who visit here, and here is another way to say this...thanks so much for dropping by!

I have stayed off the topic of politics recently, as it is all just so depressing since the election of Tony Abbott.. However, I have to mention the fact that we now have conservative prime minister who does not believe in climate change. And will repeal the Carbon tax. And wants to 'stop the boats'. And. And..

words fail me, again.

more later