Treat others as you would like to be treated

The other day, a patient at the inpatient hospital gave me a Christmas card. I was very touched when he made a point to make me a personalized card. This particular person is known to be hostile towards others and not very friendly. Ever since I've worked at the hospital, I've always made sure to speak in a kind tone towards him and say hello whenever I saw him. He always says hello back, even when he's listening to music with his headphones. Sometimes he asks my name when he forgets it, and sometimes he talks to me randomly. He has never been hostile, aggressive, or unfriendly towards me.

When he gave me the card, I told the unit Psychologist. She said something along the lines of, "That's so great for him! He likes people when they treat him like a human being." This broke my heart and reminded me how some of the staff members talk to the patients. Just the other day, a staff member said something to him in a very rude, loud tone, basically giving him some sort of direction related to a rule. He responded with a loud, "Fuck you, bitch!"

Patients can sometimes seem scary when they are symptomatic and/or delusional, but most of the time it is not directed towards people in the environment. I think another contributing factor is how symptomatic people can be, and how that tends to create a dividing line between psychiatrically healthy people and people diagnosed with a psychiatric illness. There are several people on the unit (both my own individual therapy clients and other residents) who have a reputation for hostility, but are kind to me. I have met so many amazing people who have a psychiatric illness. People who have a diagnosis are no less human than those of us who do not. Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way, and some very disrespectful people end up working in the mental health field. Treating people with respect and dignity is very important to me in my work (and of course, life in general). How you treat others can go a very far way, and I have witnessed this first hand.

Ph.D. in Progress

Wow, it has been a long time since I have written. I have been so busy with my Ph.D. program at the University of Missouri in Kansas City (UMKC). I was reading some of my old posts and am truly amazed how much things have fallen into place. Let me give you an update...

I was admitted to UMKC to begin in Fall 2014 with a lab focused on serious mental illness. Since then, I have been involved with a project collaborating with a local community hospital and their treatment program Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET). CET helps people diagnosed with serious mental illness (primarily schizophrenia and autism) learn neurocognitive and social cognitive skills. Reading my last post reminded me how long I've been wanting to be involved with treatment research. I couldn't ask for a better project to be involved with. I absolutely love it. Our collaborators are awesome and really care about the people they work with. Our Co-Primary Investigator is one of the most skilled clinicians I have ever met (especially working with individuals with schizophrenia). I am so grateful for my mentor who pushed this project along and has been very supportive along the way. We have been very lucky to have this project funded since it has begun. I love observing and participating in groups, spending time with each participant (especially learning each person's unique perspectives), and sharing our project with the world. I look forward to continuing my involvement with the project.

I have also very much enjoyed formal practicum experiences. I began clinical practicum in my second year in the program (last year). I started at a local free clinic conducting individual therapy. This was my first time doing therapy. It was admittedly challenging and frustrating, but I truly enjoyed working with diverse people and having the opportunity to be invited into each person's world. This year, I have begun working at a local state psychiatric hospital. This practicum is on its way to becoming one of my most favorite experiences ever. I am facilitating individual therapy and group therapy. My unit is a long-term psychiatric unit with individuals with serious mental illness. My therapy clients primarily are diagnosed with schizophrenia. Before working here, I decided that individual therapy was "not for me". However, I am enjoying it so much now that I am reconsidering this. The people I work with are extremely open, gracious, and just enjoyable to be around. People on the unit amaze me with their resiliency and determination to reach their goals, despite being stuck somewhere largely against their will.

I have enjoyed my academic life at UMKC as well. The classes here have been challenging and very applicable to my future career. I am ending my semester and have one more class next semester. I have always been eager to learn, but am admittedly looking forward to being finished with coursework.

I have had a lot of different Teaching Assistantships since starting here at UMKC. Many of it has been positive, but other aspects have discouraged me from pursuing academia. I will keep the option open, but lately have been thinking about non-academic research and/or clinical careers. I have a bit of time to decide, but that's where I am now!

I can't neglect to mention the awesome friends I have met here. I wouldn't have been able to get through the tough times I've had here without my KC friends. I moved here to pursue my education and career, but was pleasantly surprised by the awesome people I have met along the way. My wonderful boyfriend moved here with me in 2015 after a hard year of a long-distance relationship. Life is always better with his support, and that is no different here in KC.

I will try to write more and continue to document my pursuit of a career focused on serious mental illnesses! Thanks for reading!