It's again Wednesday and I remembered to join in with Wishcasting Wednesday at http://www.jamieridlerstudios.ca. This week we are asked "What Do You Wish To Share?"
For a long time now, I have been looking for a way to share my love of creating and my love of my career as a social worker. I have tried to find a way to get continuing ed credits by taking conferences that are more creative driven vs. clinically driven. They all have a clinical component, but they also have a creative component too. I have taken an art therapy workshop, a journaling workshop, a yoga worksop, and next I am taking an art therapy for grief and loss next month.
After reading a couple of books, specifically "Craft Hope", I have been trying to find a way to craft for charity. I figured this would be a decent way to combine some community work (social work) and crafting (creating). I've been trying to find a way to go about doing it. I was hoping to start in my own community, but didn't know where to start. I was reading Facebook and saw a post about "Enchanted Makeovers" looking for dolls. I still have to create some and send them off, but I looked at the website and noticed that they have national chapters and my state is not listed. They are looking to have a chapter in more states, so I contacted Terry Grahl, the founder of "Enchanted Makeovers" and have a phone conference on Monday to talk about heading up a chapter in MA. I am a little nervous about this phone call. I haven't told my husband about it. I have sent e-mails to over chapter leaders hoping to get some inside info on what being a Chapter leader entails. I figured that this may be a good way to start to share my love of community (social work) and my love of creating. It would be an established program and I guess I would just be a liaison to the company for local people who have questions or donations for area shelters. I wish it was a paid position! I would love to have something like this as my job. I do think that this will be a great addition to my resume for when I have the ability to start my own type of program.
I don't want to be the person that has dream that never get fulfilled. I don't want to look back on my life and say "I wish I had followed my dreams and passions". I do like being a social worker, but I don't just want to do clinical work without creativity. I want to share my love of creativity with others as well as my love of social work, but more the community work of social work, not individual clinical work. I want to help my community by sharing my talents and gifts, both as a social worker and as a crafter!
What do you wish to share?
Amy
Showing posts with label profession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label profession. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Friday, January 28, 2011
Passions
I know, I know! I've probably written more about my passions in life than I should, mostly because I am not really following through with them. The thing is, I feel that if you don't maintain constant thoughts about your dreams and your passions, they very quickly fade and die! What are my passions in life? Other than my family, who are the most important part of my life, I feel very passionate about living naturally, eating healthy, being creative, and looking for things that maybe outside the box.
As some of you know, I am a social worker by profession. I have about 12 years experience working with the geriatric population and in nursing homes (some nursing homes have younger people in them too). I got my MSW in 2007 and between getting married and having my 3 kids, I haven't really done much with my career since graduation. While I only had my undergrad degree, I thought long and hard about going back to school. Did I really want to go back for a MSW, or did I want to branch out and do something totally different? I often thought about going back to school to get my dietician degree, but then I figured the degree would just point me in teh direction of the SAD (standard american diet), again I wanted something that was out of the box. After a while I thought about going back to school for an art therapy degree. That actually would be a littel out of the box, as I'm not sure all insurances (probably a primary payer source for many people) actually pay for that type of therapy. I had a mentor lead me to get my MSW, and then I could think about using my MSW and my passions as a way to treat people using more alternative methods. Unfortunately, at this time in my life, I have not been able to persue many alternative therapy trainings. I have taken a conference on journal therapy and would love to do more on that. I have taken a conference on yoga therapy and again would love to learn more. I have also taken a conference on art therapy, and would absolutely love to learn more on that. I have so many different interests that I think could help me in my social work practice, but until I get my LICSW, which will not be for some time (not starting til at least when the twins go to school which isn't for another 4 years).
In the meantime, I would love to take classes on the things that I have already mentioned as well as more alterntative therapies. I would love to also incorporate different eating plans into my learning and my social work practice. I would love to learn more about aromatherapy and it's affect on mood and behavior. I just really want to incorporate My passions into my professional lifee too. That way, I think that I will be a better social worker, if I am using things that I actually believe in and also be happier than jsut using the standard talk therapy.
While I am waiting for all this to happen, I really need to start following my passions in my own life, especially if I want to reach others with them. I need to stop following the SAD and start incorporating the different diets that I think benefit people. I need to continue to make time for my creative endeavors. I need to continue to live as natural and handmade life as possible. I think once I get into a rhythm, things will get easier to maintain. It's just getting into that rhythm, that is tough.
This is a goal that I will continue to work on. I know that as I learn more for my personal life, I will learn things for my professional life too. I just think that I need to make sure that I get some sort of certification in the different things that I learn if I plan to use it in my professional life too. I guess life is alwways a work in progress, and we are always learning!
Here's to following your passions and living the life that you truly want to be living!
Amy
As some of you know, I am a social worker by profession. I have about 12 years experience working with the geriatric population and in nursing homes (some nursing homes have younger people in them too). I got my MSW in 2007 and between getting married and having my 3 kids, I haven't really done much with my career since graduation. While I only had my undergrad degree, I thought long and hard about going back to school. Did I really want to go back for a MSW, or did I want to branch out and do something totally different? I often thought about going back to school to get my dietician degree, but then I figured the degree would just point me in teh direction of the SAD (standard american diet), again I wanted something that was out of the box. After a while I thought about going back to school for an art therapy degree. That actually would be a littel out of the box, as I'm not sure all insurances (probably a primary payer source for many people) actually pay for that type of therapy. I had a mentor lead me to get my MSW, and then I could think about using my MSW and my passions as a way to treat people using more alternative methods. Unfortunately, at this time in my life, I have not been able to persue many alternative therapy trainings. I have taken a conference on journal therapy and would love to do more on that. I have taken a conference on yoga therapy and again would love to learn more. I have also taken a conference on art therapy, and would absolutely love to learn more on that. I have so many different interests that I think could help me in my social work practice, but until I get my LICSW, which will not be for some time (not starting til at least when the twins go to school which isn't for another 4 years).
In the meantime, I would love to take classes on the things that I have already mentioned as well as more alterntative therapies. I would love to also incorporate different eating plans into my learning and my social work practice. I would love to learn more about aromatherapy and it's affect on mood and behavior. I just really want to incorporate My passions into my professional lifee too. That way, I think that I will be a better social worker, if I am using things that I actually believe in and also be happier than jsut using the standard talk therapy.
While I am waiting for all this to happen, I really need to start following my passions in my own life, especially if I want to reach others with them. I need to stop following the SAD and start incorporating the different diets that I think benefit people. I need to continue to make time for my creative endeavors. I need to continue to live as natural and handmade life as possible. I think once I get into a rhythm, things will get easier to maintain. It's just getting into that rhythm, that is tough.
This is a goal that I will continue to work on. I know that as I learn more for my personal life, I will learn things for my professional life too. I just think that I need to make sure that I get some sort of certification in the different things that I learn if I plan to use it in my professional life too. I guess life is alwways a work in progress, and we are always learning!
Here's to following your passions and living the life that you truly want to be living!
Amy
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