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Saturday, June 28, 2014

Social Work Practicum Fail #3: Not Taking the Interview Seriously




Not treating your practicum interview like a job interview (i.e., not taking it seriously) includes not arriving on time, not dressing appropriately, and not having an understanding of how your presence at the agency would be a benefit for them (besides the possibility of free labor). Some agencies may even ask you the same questions they would ask of an employment candidate.

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Feel free to use general job interview tips to get an idea of how to prepare. Don't forget to offer the interviewers a copy of your POLISHED resume. I once had a potential placement hand in a resume with the word 'education' spelled incorrectly (*sigh*). Go to the writing center at your university or have some people (yes, I mean more than one human) with literary savvy look over your resume for mistakes.


SHAMELESS PLUG: Don't forget that I'm available for such projects for just $2 per page. Email me (consulttenesha@gmail.com) your resume, I'll send you a PayPal invoice when I'm done, and email you the polished copy when I get your payment. EASY! :D

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Social Work Practicum Fail #2: Picking a Dead-End Site




The first step in choosing the right practicum is knowing what you want to be doing as a professional social worker. Would you like to offer financial aid to non-traditional college students? Do you want to rescue children from abusive homes? Are you planning on opening a private marriage counseling center? Knowing who you want to work with, and in what capacity, will be critical to getting your foot in the door in that arena by making sure that your time at practicum adequately prepares you for that role.
 
Have you worked at a practicum completely unrelated to your current job? Share your experience!

For example, if you do want to rescue young children from abusive homes, maybe your foundation practicum could take place in a school or day care center, and then your advanced practicum could take place at a Child Protective Services site. Through both of these experiences, you could learn effective ways of interacting with children and parents, and how to navigate the CPS, judicial, and foster care systems as they relate to helping parents and children transition to court-ordered changes to their relationship. Whereas getting a placement at a drug treatment facility would be wildly irrelevant to your desired career path.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Social Work Practicum Fail #1: Procrastinating on Site Selection


A social worker's practicum placement is similar to a physician's residency. This is when future social workers have a chance to get their feet wet in this helping profession. However, there are many pitfalls that it's helpful to avoid along the journey that is social work practicum.

Waiting until a few weeks before placements being in order to start setting up interviews for your social work practicum site has multiple risks involved.

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1. You could have waited so late that the practicum sites that would've been well-suited for your career goals could have already finalized their student selections.

2. You could start the interview and selection processes late, meaning you could start your practicum late. This could lead to you ending up having to work extra hard to squeeze in your weekly practicum hours quota in the first week or two of your practicum placement. This added stress is not a great way to start your practicum experience or school year.

3. Sites have most likely been notified of when they should hear from students and have a deadline for making their final selections. If you start asking for interviews towards the end of this process, you can be seen as unprofessional, disorganized, and unmotivated.



Thursday, June 5, 2014

Why Gays Shouldn't Marry: Wandering Hearts



What do you think? Sound off on Twitter now!

I would encourage gay people not to marry if they have had problems with commitment to others in the past. Multiple bouts of infidelity in dating relationships, lack of loyalty in familial and platonic relationships, and even having hardships sticking to professional commitments or plans can all be signs that someone isn't quite ready to dive head-first into a life-long commitment such as marriage. As with other major marital issues, if marriage to this person is still desired, some form of counseling to resolve any problems related to loyalty would be beneficial.

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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Why Gays Shouldn't Marry: Misanthropy




Yet another reason gays probably shouldn't get married is because they don't like other people. You may know one (or even several) people who seem to genuinely dislike being around other human beings. They spend lots of time alone, dodging party and event invitations (if they even receive any at this point), or with less complex life forms such as plants or pets.

There could be special cases in which a person still has some level of contact with family or people they grew up with and begins to feel pressure to marry. So they go on the odd blind date or allow someone to create an eHarmony profile for them, in the hopes that they'll find someone that they can tolerate in order to get their family off their back, but still be able to enjoy the solitude that they've grown to love so much.

Unless one misanthrope marries another, this can create a tense relationship. If one person is sociable, outgoing, and boisterous, the hermit-like figure may come off as disinterested and bland. This may lead the more outgoing person to feel unloved and neglected, at best. At worst, the more outgoing person may become abusive, cheat, or file for divorce.

If someone has clung to solitude throughout most of their lives, they may have a hard time navigating relationships in a positive way, including doing things like being thoughtful, romantic, or emotionally supportive. It might be helpful for the person to gain these skills before they are encouraged to enter into a romantic relationship, let alone commit to marrying someone.

Voice your thoughts on this topic on Twitter now!
 
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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Why Gays Shouldn't Marry: Unhealthy Starts




Another reason gay people might want to consider holding off on marriage is being in a relationship with someone that is unhealthy or consistently problematic. The person could be abusive, obsessive, territorial, melodramatic, or aggressive. Sometimes, when people find themselves in relationships like this--especially if they've gone on for years--they may think that the act of getting married will suddenly make everything change for the better.

While that would be a wonderful miracle to have take place, the odds lean heavily against this happening. If your relationship was fucked up when you were dating, it's very likely to stay fucked up when you get married, UNLESS there is a concerted effort to make some big changes in the relationship. This could mean communicating more openly about hurts, offenses, and desires; taking a class or attending a seminar about healthy relationship skills; or setting aside time to see a couples counselor.

Though marriage can be a wonderful and exciting next step for any relationship, it doesn't mean that it is going to wipe away any of the problems that may exist in a relationship. Be sure to either adopt the tools needed to manage, or be prepared to fully except, any issues that are part of a relationship before moving forward with getting married. If you don't, there's a good chance that the union will be short-term, or that both parties will be miserable throughout.

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Monday, June 2, 2014

Why Gays Shouldn't Marry: Lack of Love


Contrary to semi-popular belief, there are a few reasons why gay people probably shouldn't get married.

The first is because they're not romantically in love with the person whom they are marrying.

It breaks my heart to hear stories about spouses who are blindsided by the fact that their hubby or wife is gay. Then the couple often divorces so that the homosexual party can live an honest life that includes being attracted to, falling in love with, and even marrying someone whom they are truly in love with on all levels.

Everyone has to make their own choices in life, but I hope anyone contemplating marrying someone under these kinds of false pretenses will reconsider.


Join the conversation about love on Twitter!

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When a Spouse Comes Out of the Closet
Deborah Moskovitch - @TheSmartDivorce
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-moskovitch/when-a-spouse-comes-out-o_b_830214.html

Finding Out Your Spouse is Gay
Susan Pease Gadoua - @SPGadoua
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/contemplating-divorce/201201/finding-out-your-spouse-is-gay

Gay Love: When a Husband or Wife Comes Out
Amy Bloom - @AmyBloomBooks
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/20/coming-out-husband-wife