Hello friends!
It is yet ANOTHER glorious day here in Edmonton (5*C and beautifully sunny!). I have had a lovely day. Which I especially appreciate given how 'blah' I had been feeling earlier in the month.
In fact, my lack of motivation, hypersomnia, changes in appetite, and general 'Debbie Downer' mood had me a little bit concerned that perhaps I was depressed. Jason told me that I really wasn't being myself, and wondered if I shouldn't be seeing the doctor about it. Kathie suggested maybe it was just the February blahs. I really didn't know. I didn't feel really 'sad,' so depression seemed a bit much. Yet it hadn't been a particulary grey or gloomy month either, so the 'blahs' didn't really fit either.
It must have been the blahs. The temperature has risen, the sun has been out every day, and I've been feeling like a new person. Yesterday I ran outside for the first time in (I'm embarassed to say) months. It was more of a walk than a run, and I had an asthma attack, but I was out there giving my best and it felt really good. I ran again today and had a much better time of it. Short-ish - only 20 minutes - but that's still better than being a lump of lard on the couch! So I'm celebrating being active and enjoying the sun, and I'm looking forward to more days where I can chug down the sidewalk listening to some of my favorite songs.*
I now have a new snowboard, so tonight I'm going to put my bindings (peeing men and all!) on it. Tomorrow I'll head over to Snow Valley and practice up some more - hopefully a shorter board will help me to feel more in control, and I'll be able to figure this turning thing out. Let's just say I'm hopeful, if not expectant. ;)
My clinic partner has been gone this week, and I've therefore had 2 solo sessions. Tuesday's was excellent - I was working with just 1 of the 3 girls, and she achieved some good things. I also made progress on some of my personal goals (like accurately taking data and being really enthusiastic and responsive to her accurate productions). Today's session... well, I was nervous. And I rarely get nervous. I'm very confident in my abilities as a student SLP. I know my strengths, I know my weaknesses, and I can work with them. But today I had a parent observing.
In my heart of hearts, I am an old-school, directive SLP. I do my thing in my room, then send the child home, and the parents are excited about the progress. I write them reports, they read them, maybe we conference... but I'm in charge, and clinic is separate from home. If I had no guidance, this is how I would run treatment. This is NOT the best way to do speech/language therapy. I, as the clinician, see the client for maybe an hour a week. They, as the parents, see the child... well, lots more. Treatment is most effective when the SLP can coach the parents so that they can provide the treatment at home. The SLP brings the speech/language expertise, but the family brings the 'child' expertise. They know their kid. They know what motivates him, what frustrates him, what works for him. You help them figure out tasks that move the child towards his goal, and then they work on them at home as well. You coach, facilitate, advise... and work yourself out of the picture. The ideal SLP is the one who winds up making herself obsolete to each client.
So having a parent in the room is a challenge for me. I feel a bit intimidated, and a LOT overwhelmed. Now I have to run the session, manage behavior, take data, AND include a parent. That means explaining what I'm doing in each task and WHY (vital! vital! Otherwise people think that all you're doing is coloring. Or climbing stairs. Or making a cow 'moo.' They don't see that each task also has a communicative component), and providing the parent with a role for each task. It's so great if you can include a parent, demonstrate the task, and then let her take over. You also want to ask for her input about her child. Does this task suit her child? Can she think of something that might work better? Can she see herself trying something similar at home? Does she have questions, comments, concerns, or advice? Including a parent in a session goes beyond having her watch - it's a chance for EVERYONE to learn. The child at the activity, the parent from the coaching, and the SLP from the parent's expertise.
I was therefore very pleased to sit down with my supervisor afterwards and have her tell me that I did an excellent job. I missed a few things, of course, and would love a second opportunity to go further in talking with mum than I did, but I did a solidly good job of having mum in the room. I successfully explained the rationale for our activities, talked with her about things her daughter finds motivating and frustrating, shared stories about her daughter's previous sessions, and invited her to provide any feedback she wanted, either today in person, or in the future through a communication book. It went really well. Yay!! I was so pleased.
So pleased that I went to the knitting store and bought the supplies for a new afghan!** It's going to be dark purple with wide turquoise bands and narrow lime green stripes. So cute. The lady at the store told me that she "likes people who are adventurous with colour." That's me! :D I'm excited to get started on it, so I'm going to go and get started.
I'm so glad it was just the blahs... it's so much better to be excited and loving life!
Elizabeth
*The Killers - All these things that I've done
SheDaisy - Don't worry 'bout a thing
Lily Allen - Alfie
Usher - Yeah
**Yes, I have one that's almost done. It's currently in Wetaskiwin. As soon as I get it, I'll put this new one on hold and finish the old one. But for now... it's all about the casting on.
Labels: Clinic, Knitting, Running, Snowboarding
