"Perhaps we write towards what we will become from what we are."
-May Sarton
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Good News?
So, I started my new job as a case manager 2 weeks ago, Tuesday, October 2. For those of you that didn't know, I'm sorry about that. I'm horrible at keeping people up to date on things...e-mailing and blogging and the like are not my strengths. But I keep trying.
I am now a case manager at the Fairfax County Women's Shelter. My job is basically to get these women (and their children) everything they need while they are at the shelter (which is for 28 days) and try and get them on their feet and self-sufficient. This requires a magnitude of referrals: housing, employment, legal aid, medical care, schooling, etc. I meet these women where they're at and help them on the road to self-sufficiency as much as I can, not to mention as quickly as I can, since their stay at the shelter is only for 28 days. All of this requires an enormous amount of learning on my part; how to fill out tons of paperwork, where to look for all these resources, when things need to be accomplished, limitless procedures for all kinds of situations...the list goes on.
It's a BIG JOB. And I'm kind of overwhelmed. This is the real deal. The reality of helping people, in some ways more than others, is drastically different than what I imagined. I am not only learning the ins and outs of my job but am also dealing with the influx of lessons concerning myself and where my passions and loyalties truly lie...and I'm starting to see, in whole new ways, how very selfish I am.
Moral of the story: major adjustment. All over the place. Here's hoping I can cope.
I am now a case manager at the Fairfax County Women's Shelter. My job is basically to get these women (and their children) everything they need while they are at the shelter (which is for 28 days) and try and get them on their feet and self-sufficient. This requires a magnitude of referrals: housing, employment, legal aid, medical care, schooling, etc. I meet these women where they're at and help them on the road to self-sufficiency as much as I can, not to mention as quickly as I can, since their stay at the shelter is only for 28 days. All of this requires an enormous amount of learning on my part; how to fill out tons of paperwork, where to look for all these resources, when things need to be accomplished, limitless procedures for all kinds of situations...the list goes on.
It's a BIG JOB. And I'm kind of overwhelmed. This is the real deal. The reality of helping people, in some ways more than others, is drastically different than what I imagined. I am not only learning the ins and outs of my job but am also dealing with the influx of lessons concerning myself and where my passions and loyalties truly lie...and I'm starting to see, in whole new ways, how very selfish I am.
Moral of the story: major adjustment. All over the place. Here's hoping I can cope.
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