December 15, 2010
· Filed under Uncategorized
At our last monthly parenting workshop we discussed a simple do-it-yourself project to help kids with emotion management.
It goes by many names: Break Box, Breathe Box, Calm Down Kit or whichever cute and appropriately alliterative name that you so choose.
It is useful in many locations: Home, Car, Classroom, Grocery Basket, Church .
It gives kiddos many coping skill options
Bubbles can help kids (and adults) breathe deeply. So can counting to 10…that’s what the “counting straws” are for!
Somt imes when kids (and adults) are all filled up with emotions, our bodies seem to have extra energy. Playdough, a bouncy ball or a smooth stone for rubbing can help get out that extra energy without harm to self, others or property.
And other times we all just want to be heard. A notepad, some pencils or crayons and an envelope let us write or draw our feelings so we can talk about them later.
Lots of materials, one easy to carry box and…
Voila, everything fits and material can be switched out or in as desired.
Want a few more ideas?
Now add your own!
December 3, 2010
· Filed under Uncategorized
Social Workers have a lot of roles…
but only a limited number of hands…
If only there were a way to have an apprentice of sorts. Someone who could be invaluable in terms of output/production measures and who could, concurrent to lending his or her hands, offer additional eyes, ears and perspectives to the work that we offer our clients and communities.Guess what? We not only have this opportunity as school social workers, we also have this responsibility. It is, for my money, one of the more important of our varied and asundered professional roles.So, if you haven’t already, check-out the School Social Work Standards found on the NASW website and take a gander at out numero 28:
School social workers shall contribute to the
development of the profession by educating
and supervising school social work interns.
But be careful! There are dangers to having cheap to free labor at one’s own disposal. I believe I have Spiderman to thank for teaching me that:
With great power comes great responsibility. Luckily I know of a great set of training modules for current and future field instructors, care of our very own University of Texas, School of Social Work. Find out how to wield the power of supervison carefully and competently, right
here.
U.T.E.S. housed social work interns even prior to housing a full-time Social Worker. Their work lives on through resource manuels crafted for class projects, mentors they have referred for our 4th and 5th grade students, and of course most profoundly through the lives of the children who still tell me anecdotes about Mr. or Ms. so and so from a few years back. As the program supervisor, I have, at times, been guilty of fretting over the hassles that come naturally when you share your space and license with another human. But at the end of the day, I am always reminded of an ancient agricultural truth that a parent shared again with me just yesterday–we reap what we sow. So,in what ways are you planting, watering, caring for the next generation of social workers?