I started my new field placement this week. I'll still be working part-time in the Autism program for the rest of the summer, but now I'll be spending 3 days a week at a new location with a new supervisor, a whole new client population, and a whole lot to learn.
Don't get me wrong- I am super, super excited. My new placement is absolutely amazing: an intellectual paradise. There's so much fascinating and truly cutting-edge research going on, in an atmosphere that encourages curiosity and questions. Since it's part of a teaching institution, trainees are welcomed and encouraged by the entire faculty. We're there to learn, and they're there to teach. It's amazing.
That said, I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm going to be working with children with a very different set of presenting concerns than I'm used to. And these kids can converse, which means therapy will be structured very differently. There's just so much to absorb, and I've already been given my first 5 cases. Sink or swim!
I won't be posting much about the details of what I do. Confidentiality, and all that. But I may post periodically on my reflections about what I do. Unlike last year, my second year of grad school is very focused on my area of specialization. And I'm specializing in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. So all of my classes are about mental health: social work practice in mental health settings, mental health policy, mental health with children...and that's just 1st semester.
I'm so excited!!! And yes, I am a dork.
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