Topic: A new population for me |
 Print this page
|
| 1.A new population for me | Copy to clipboard |
|
Posted by: FeeltheBeat Posted on: Oct 6, 2009 4:27 PM I am psyched to see Princton folks using the website already. I am a bit delayed in getting my recent group experience posted but am excited about a new experience I had. I left the Stamford 2007 training with gusto. Talked our County Department of Community Mental Health into buying the HealthRhythms set and then I was ready........nervous but ready. I didn't get much buy in from my agency so I ventrued out on my own a bit. I completed a varity of HealthRhythm protocol groups as well as some modified groups based on the participant: lillt Girls Scouts, adults with a serious mental illness, staff wellness and a woman's retreat just to name a few. I fell to the ground during one of the groups, cut my hand and bled through another one, was really sick but still facilitated yet another. Always and adventure!!! This summer I decided to start my own business so I am working on incoproration paperwork etc. and expect to be official this month. I was re-inspired at the Princton 2009 training to think about new groups of special. Just before the training a participant in the woman's retreat connected me with her agency for adults in the Autism spectrum.....not a population I know well. I spent part of one day observing the program but was still hesitent when I showed up for the first of 6 session I had booked with them. As usual, my anxiety was turned into enthusiam as the group started. I joined the movement therapist and added shakers to the exercises and movvement activities that they already did every Friday morning. That worked well as our wellnes, warm up activity. With some motification to the protocol they drummed to their name and did their own version of call and response........lots of vocal sounds as well. Many in the group are non-verbal but were right there with the rest. The loved the ocean drum for a motificaiton of the guided imagary. The staff has a blast as well and spent the rest of the morining talking about how great the group was and how much the participants enjoyed themselves. About a week later I got a call from another professional in the county who asked if I had been to the program. She told me they could not stop talking aobut how great the group was. She knew it must have been me because I do nothing else but talk about drumming!!! To those who are newly trained: I can not undersocre the message of just getting out there and do groups. They become your groups with your own style. Don't try to be like anyone else, be yourself and that allows others to be loose and free to just have fun!! Kelly Darrow, LCSW 
| |
