Me and My World

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
--Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

In social work, we see ourselves and clients through the lens of "Person-in-Environment."  That is, human behavior is a function of the social environment.  There is a bi-directional (a give and take, influence and influenced by) relationship between us and the people and places that make up our world.

That's why our first efforts are aimed at changing the environment to create a better fit between person and environment.  Sometimes efforts to change institutions, policies, communities and other externals are not enough.  Sometimes we gotta change ourselves too.  There is no ideal place or person - simply goodness of fit.

External barriers can be knocked down but we may still choose imprisonment - it can seem safer than the power and responsibility of freedom.  The oppression we have lived under can seep in and become our own thoughts and beliefs - oppression internalized.

Changing ourselves may mean getting stronger (challenging our own limiting thoughts & beliefs) and becoming more hopeful and optimistic in order to manifest our hearts desire.  It may mean redoubling our efforts or it may mean overcoming our fears of taking risks.

This post is purposefully vague and abstract.  It may make sense in relation to your work, love or other relationships and/or situations.

 “If you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. ”
― Mary Engelbreit

If all else has failed, then try something different.  Scary, I know.  Being stuck or making progress?  It can feel like an impossible choice when something important has to be lost (title, position, money, or significant other) for something important to be gained (your own life & soul).

I have reached an age where I don't have any answers.  Thinking, curiosity, reflection, hope, faith and optimism are what I've got.   I have a nagging suspicion that everything is gonna be okay.  I'll keep you posted.  It's gonna be a good story.

Love

A child needs to feel valued by his/her parent.

S/he needs to see welcome on the parent's face when s/he enters a room 
and feel like s/he really matters,
and is loved.

http://gettinbetter.com/needlove.html

Motivation for the Mid-Way Point

When you find yourself in the middle of a big, scary forest, tired and emotionally spent, you have the choice to run back or finish the journey. Both options seem hard. If you would have known that the path was this treacherous, you might not have started it in the first place. Thank goodness for naivete. Take a break. Sit down. Have a snack. Take a nap. Pace yourself until you catch a second wind. The Universe is conspiring to help you. It will work out.

Universal Interventions

The cardinal characteristics of universal interventions are that individual families (and their children) do not seek help and children are not singled out for the intervention.

All children in a geographic area or setting (e.g., a school) receive the intervention.

There are two types of universal programs:

1. those that focus on particular communities or settings (e.g., a public housing complex) and 
2. those that are state-, province-, or countrywide. 

The setting itself may be a high-risk one for emotional and behavioral problems in children and adolescents, but if the intervention is not targeted at specific children and adolescents but at all children and youth in that location, then the intervention is classified as universal.

In the past, the term primary prevention has been used” (Offord et al., 1998, p. 687).

Herbs & NCCAM

It is pretty cool that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have a center that funds research for complementary and alternative medicine like herbs, acupuncture, yoga and meditation.

In 2012, there were over 3 million visitors to National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM’s) Web site seeking information on complementary health approaches.

The top 5 searched-for herbs that led visitors to the NCCAM site:
1. Evening Primrose Oil
2. St. John’s Wort
3. Fenugreek
4. Echinacea
5. Aloe Vera

NCCAM's advice:  These herbs and botanicals are widely marketed and readily available, often sold as dietary supplements. However, the scientific evidence available to assess safety or efficacy of each of these products is quite variable. In some cases, there is limited evidence to support a product’s use, while in others, evidence identifies significant safety concerns, fails to suggest efficacy, or is insufficient. Because of this variability, consumers and health care providers should carefully review the available information before deciding to use a specific product.

What Makes Therapy Effective?

The effectiveness of therapy is a result of the dynamic interplay among many complex components. It includes:

1. the characteristics of the client
2. the therapeutic relationship
3. theoretical orientation of the therapist, and 
4. the expectancy or placebo effect 

(Lambert & Bergin, 1994).

From Dr. Jeff Koob's dissertation:  THE EFFECTS OF SOLUTION-FOCUSED SUPERVISION ON THE PERCEIVED SELF-EFFICACY OF DEVELOPING THERAPISTS

The Wishing Game

What do you really, really want?

Use your imagination to picture what you want and marinate in the good feelings that follow

Dig deep

Take a break, sit down, take a nap

Keep going

Dig deeper

Have some fun

Keep going

Appreciate the journey and the accomplishment