I want to ask for your advice. My former student wrote the following paper
about her practicum in clinical psychology (which is not my area). I wonder
where she can publish this piece. I think that sharing student's personal
experience about starting her work with people who have serious mental and
emotional problems has a lot of value including educational one. What do you
think?
Eugene
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The Big Picture and the Tools to Paint with XXXX [student's name]
University of California, Santa Cruz
This quarter, in my field-study placement, I applied for and was chosen to
experience an internship at Front Street Residential Care facility. This
center
is home for 47 individuals afflicted with schizophrenia. On my first day I was
scared. I was afraid of not knowing how to interact with them. I was afraid of
not being able to read them. I was afraid of not being able to predict them. I
was afraid they would reject me. The staff and the residents helped to clam my
ego before I left, that same day.
The opportunity before me was awesome. The environment was open, open for what
ever I was willing to contribute. The staff were helpful, understanding, and
eager for my contributions. The residents were, for the most part, also eager
to know me. A walk through the courtyard always provided hellos: "How are you
today love," from the daughter of the Queen of England, a "Hi, C. [name of the
student], you sure are a pretty girl, and do you want to hear a joke," from
the
man who's father beat his mother and his mother later "burned-up in front of
him" when he was a child, and a mug (deep-set growl on her face) from the
woman
who has been know to refer to me as the "white-savage beast".
Conducting group therapy is where I decided to enter the picture. I chose to
initiate a Woman's group, and later a mix-gender group. I chose group therapy,
its self, as a way to ease into their lives. Without the intrusiveness and
pressure of one on one therapy, I was hoping to be able to attract and reach
them. Due to the philosophy maintained at Front Street, and considering their
mental illness, it is very difficult to reach the residents. They also are not
obligated to attend meetings or pay any attention to me at all. The choice of
commitment is completely left to them, to come to group or not or even to
leave
group in mid-session. It is a fine line I walk, to tempt them and not stress
them too much. But status quo does not yield growth, so I take conscientious
risks and hope that the stir will provide the right mixture for growth and
pieces of serenity.
The big picture is an illustration of what I strive to develop in the group
therapy process. My aim is to promote community, trust and specialness. To
promote community I have to show, that in spite of our differences, amongst
ourselves and the world out there, that we are connected with others and do
share some common ground. To initiate a theme of connectedness I have to first
work on trust, a very difficult idea to approach amongst a population largely
paranoid. Equally important, I want very much to help them realize how very
special they each are. I feel very strongly that to feel you are special is
one
of the most important steps to psychological resiliency. To instill
specialness
contemporaneously with connectedness is tricky to do. To appreciate our
diversity and conceptualize our collective universality is essential for
all of
us, the social animals that we are. Now it is easy for the residents to see
themselves differently, but to show them that their differences make them
special, and is a treasure and not a label, is a difficult process.
I wanted to tackle these three themes in every single meeting and exercise I
suggested. I feel great responsibility here to bring an activity to the group.
The activity has to be unique, not seen as therapy but as something fun that
they want to do, to entice them to come and participate, as commitment is a
luxury here. Also, in every activity I look for how I can get them to work
together, the promotion of trust and community.
For my first meeting I lead them in a Trust Walk. After a brief check-in
(name,
how are you feeling, and something interesting about themselves) I
demonstrated
the Trust Walk to the five participants. One wears a blindfold while the
other,
the guide, holds your hands and leads you around the room. The guide is
responsible to use her voice and hands and get you safely from you seat,
around
obstacles in the room, back to you seat. All participated. I did make one
modification for one resident, she was allowed to just close her eyes, as she
perceived the "danger was too great to be blindfolded". I did have them trade
off being lead and being the guide. I lead the one with her eyes closed. At
first she was hesitant, but slowly I talked her down, and I became more
physically close, with an arm around her shoulders. Eventually she was able to
keep her eyes closed and I was able to withdraw a bit, leading her with hands
only, like the rest. Her excitement and smile was very rewarding as she
realized she was placed back to her original place on the couch. We each took
turns processing how we felt. Mostly they thought it was scary at first
progressing to fun, and yes, they would like to do it again.
I like this tool, for in this exercise they have to willingly trust and depend
on someone, and they have to commit to be there for someone else. This tool's
function was to provide that opportunity, but it was their willingness to take
a risk, to touch, and to work together that allowed for the reward of personal
growth, which is very empowering. Learning to trust, to find value in the
guides present in our lives, and to develop confidence in ourselves and
realize
our importance, are wonderful first steps, that help to propel us.
After the Trust Walk, one of the residents, wanted to talk. She did not like
that other girls stayed away from her, teased her, and called her the
schizophrenic. (Was God in on all this? I couldn't have asked for a more rich
and filled group meeting.) I talked-up how we can not control how others think
and what other do or say, but that we can control how we think and feel. To
know, that yes, we are schizophrenic, but we are also: women, mothers,
students, someone's child, an employ, a friend..... that there is so much to
us. There is so much to each and everyone of us, and all that we are, makes us
different, special. From this point I asked them what they could do for
themselves when they wanted to treat themselves special. I tried to slip in
how
nice I thought a warm bubble-bath is, but bathing is not a favorite past-time
in this population. They bought up going to coffee shops.
Then it hit me, and off the cuff I went about the gift of a smile. That a
smile
is a gift to give someone else, but also it is a gift to you. Right then I
invited them to put on the most contrived smile they could muster-up. These
came quite easy for them. From that point I challenged them to keep it fake
and
not let a real smile out. We all watch each other very closely and the fake
smile evolved into its genuineness. In fact, much to my surprise and delight,
we all had to giggle and laugh. I again went off about how those facial muscle
release endorphins that make us feel good. They were able to see how a
smile is
a gift to themselves, for the way it makes them feel.
Another most successful tool I have used is the activity I called Body
Painting
and Guess Who. The guess who part was built in to intrigue them as this was
the
first time I was going to try a group of mixed genders. So to motivate
participation of the men and women, it was billed as a guessing game. I used a
co-worker to demonstrate first, then the six of us went to work. Half the
participants were blindfolded again, (that trust issue) while the other
members
walked around the room, to mix-up the members that were blindfolded and
standing in the middle of the room.
Then I secretly chose a match for each blindfolded participant. Standing
behind
their blindfolded person, the painter, was to use their brushes (their hands),
and act as if they were painting their partners shoulders. The trick was to
come as close as you could to touching their shoulders, but to not touch them.
To paint, the essence of you connecting with them, ever so slowly and
peacefully, for a period of two whole minutes. The game to the resident is
two-fold, the blindfolded person is concentrating, trying to guess who the
painter is. While the painter is concentrating on his job, willingly getting
ever so close, being comfortable with the closeness, and enjoying the slow
intenseness of the task. Their willing participation affords their
ownership of
the process and eliminates profound and rewarding results. The blindfolded
person develops trusts and awareness of others, and they connect!
After the exercise we processed. How did it feel? Was it easy?
Words like relaxing, good, positive experience, and invigorating (from a
resident who is perpetually affectedly flat) were expressed. Then came the
kicker from my co-worker. The word spoken was connected. Once again, I was
motivated to shoot from the hip. "Connected?" I said, "What a great word! But
are we really connected?" The puzzled looks crossed their faces. "Hurry, I
said, everyone place a hand in the circle, palms up." Then one by one,
spending
perhaps 15 seconds on each, I laid my hand ever so closely over the tops of
theirs. In the circle I progressed until I had connected with each and
everyone
of them. Yes, there was no denying that we had indeed, connected. The energy
and warmth, was quite evident to all. At this point I was very, very pleased
with myself and group concluded, a triumph for us all! But-- as we broke-up I
watch an interaction that will forever fill me. I watched one say to another,
"Can I hug you?" I fully expected for him to be ignored or rejected,
but...without hesitation...and with arms stiff and open wide, they awkwardly
came together, found a fit, and immersed into a full fledged, lift me off the
ground hug! Delight and bliss was written all over their faces, and I, filled
to the brim, left to process many tears of pride and joy.
THE END
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Eugene Matusov
Willard Hall Educational Bldg., Room 206G
Department of Educational Studies
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716-2920
Phone: (302) 831-1266
Fax: (302) 831-4445
e-mail: ematusov who-is-at udel.edu
http://www.ematusov.com
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