Life is about choices. The small ones, medium ones and big ones. The decisions you made today can impact tomorrow in numerous ways. Errors of youth lead to lifetime consequences. Some of the major decisions you make in your life include who you marry, what you’ll do for a living, and who you will procreate with. Life includes suffering but oftentimes give you the opportunity to choose your hell. Making the wrong choice for you in any of these areas can be devastating. We see stories of people making quick decisions and regretting it later. The smaller decisions grow into bigger ones and have a compound effect on the trajectory of one’s life
Having worked in Higher Education for the last 7 years and some change, I’ve had students who didn’t know what they wanted to do as a career. School offers a lot of opportunities but in order to make the most out of your education, you have to pick the right one. Getting a bachelors degree in anything that ends in an “-ology” pretty much means that you’ll need more education to get a high paying job. Of course there are exceptions but for the most part, it’s true. Sociology, biology, physiology, psychology, and anthropology are interesting to learn about, but just know that you’ll probably need more degrees after that. There are way too many people picking a major because it sounds cool instead of seeing it as a way to sustain themselves. I remember working in a hospital and one of the technicians had a masters degree — in poetry. He could not find a job within his field (Poetry) and due to the fact that he was an adult with bills, he was now leading check in groups and trying to reason with patients who were hallucinating. School is hard enough but coming out without any prospects for a decent paying salary? Not the greatest choice of hell.
Marriage was never initially supposed to be about love. It was about connection and alliances. It was a way to preserve wealth and ensure peace as people would arrange marriages across certain societal lines. These days, people still get married for many reasons but the one most people cite is the fact that they love each other. The sad reality is that we all are not meant to love the same person we build a life with. Love is great but it’s better when paired with logic, shared goals, and similar outlooks. You can love someone dearly but if they don’t want kids, they have an enmeshed family, or they struggle with being honest, you’ll be miserably in love with them. It’s not a dynamic that is sustainable long term and chances are that your kids will adversely be affected in some way from that relationship.
Having a kid with a wrong person is a different type of hell because there’s no going back. The kid is here. The choice has been made and you’re left to pick up the pieces. Trying to work with someone who doesn’t want to work with you and raising a child while not neglecting your own mental health is hard. It’s hard and difficult and can also qualify as suffering. Being in and out of court and fighting for your child to be supported financially by the other parent is a lot. Navigating family holidays with two people and potential significant others is a dynamic that is never envied. Maybe it’s not a great choice of hell.
I’ve worked in the field of mental health for a long time. Or at least it feels like a long time. In reality, it’s been 13 years since I first started and ten years since I got my first independent clinical license. Through the years I’ve had at least 20 jobs (conservative guess). Some good, some not so good, and some that were off the chain. However, the job that was probably the wildest was working in the admissions department at a psychiatric hospital (technically a behavioral health hospital). It was my first job out of grad school and I wanted to do a good job. I was adjusting to what it was like to provide assistance to people who fit the diagnostic criteria for a mental health. Not just those who saw a video on social media and decided that they needed a cool new label.
eeded a cool new label.
The great thing about working in admissions (also known as intake) was that there was always something going on. People came in for mental health assessments and were also transferred to our hospital from some of the other hospitals in the state for mental health stabilization. We accepted adults and children as young as five. The nice thing was that the hospital never closed so there were constant opportunities to work. The tough thing was that the hospital never closed so things could get busy without any advanced warning. Kinda like a hospital emergency room. It was a job where you had to answer the phone, call insurance companies, admit patients, conduct assessments, and answer the emergency calls from the units.
Other than a discount on the cafeteria food, the job didn’t come with a lot of perks. One of the occasional downsides was getting physically assaulted by patients experiencing a mental health crisis or psychotic episode. When we would accept patients from other hospitals one of my tasks was to read the paperwork and determine if the individual was appropriate for an inpatient level of care. It usually didn’t take a long time to make a decision but the assessments were always eye opening to read. While we could never share the details of said assessments due to privacy, we created a scrapbook called “The Book that Doesn’t Exist.” In the book we would write down or share excerpts of the assessments we received that crossed the line on normal human behaviors and take out the identifiable details.
One notable story that comes to mind was that of a poor soul who was having a rough time. He was struggling and made the decision that he wanted to experience the afterlife — or whatever came afterwards. However, he didn’t have the means or access to anything that would make his heart stop beating. So, this individual went into the woods of a state park known for black bears and covered himself from head to toe in deli meat in the hopes that a bear would see him as a source for food and his sacrifice would not be in vain. However, the implementation of his plan failed as no animals ventured near him as he sat in the woods covered in bologna. He was found by fellow hikers who became concerned and alerted local authorities who determined he was in need of mental health stabilization.
Stories like this were the ones that made it into the book. It was a reminder that the work we did was important and that everyone has a bad day sometimes. I don’t know if something like this exists in other hospitals but I am appreciative of those who still work in these settings providing care and intervening in times where someone just needs a reset and support. We don’t thank them enough. After all, who else has stories they can’t tell in a book that they can’t talk about?
But I had to make a difficult decision that led me on another path. Part of responsible adulthood is making momentary sacrifices for long term gains. We get roommates, settle for jobs we hate and sometimes even work hours we don’t like in order to accomplish the feat of paying our monthly bills. I’ve been in hundreds of job interviews and the one question that annoys me is when I’m asked why I want the position. While I always give a good answer, I sometimes just want to tell the interviewer simply that I don’t want to be homeless and that’s what drew me to the job posting. But my life as a travel social worker took on an adventure of its own as I went around the country living (literally) out of two suitcases. It was a journey filled with challenges, growth, and countless rewarding moments. From bustling hospital departments to serene outpatient therapy centers, to rehabilitation centers, each assignment left an indelible mark.
The Lessons Learned
After working in hospitals for years, I enjoyed the change of pace that came with Acute Rehab. There were rarely any emergencies and the vast majority of discharges were planned. I had the chance to meet so many community partners and for the first time in my life I lived close to a beach. It was lovely. I would go sit by the waves after a long day of work or head there on a busy Saturday morning to get some fresh air before it got busy. It was a lovely small town and everyone was welcoming. There were cool local attractions to explore and Hearst Castle was just a leisurely drive away. The only reason why I decided to leave was that I didn’t want my first assignment to be my only assignment.
My journey as a travel social worker also led me into the wonderful world of outpatient psychotherapy as well as case management. But that’s another story for another day. Of course, this journey wasn’t without its challenges. The constant upheaval of moving from one assignment to the next, the emotional toll of hearing tough things on a constant basis, and the lack of predictability made it challenging. Yet, amidst the challenges, there have been countless triumphs — the smile of a patient as they took their first steps towards recovery, the gratitude of a young adult who finally found their voice,
Though travel social work is definitely not for the weak, the rewards have far outweighed the struggles. In the midst of working in different settings and reading contracts, I’ve picked up an extra set of skills that have served me well through the years. So, if you want an adventure, try (national) travel social work.
Have you ever thought about pursuing a profession that merges your desire to assist others with your fondness for traveling? Envision the chance to create a difference in corners of the globe while indulging in exciting escapades at the same time. This is the path that awaits you as a travel worker.
Let me set the scene for you. Picture yourself standing on a beach feeling the touch of crystal clear waves on your toes. Inhale the salty ocean breeze. Absorb the stunning vista before you. This isn’t a getaway; it’s part of your job. As a travel worker you have an opportunity to discover new places and immerse yourself in diverse cultures all while positively impacting peoples lives. Imagine waking up each day with a sense of purpose aware that today you hold the ability to transform someones life for the better. Whether its aiding underserved communities in accessing resources or offering assistance and direction to individuals your role as a travel social worker will leave a lasting imprint on those who require help.
But what exactly is international travel social work? International travel social work is an area of work that involves delivering services and assistance to individuals and communities in various locations. For the purposes of this article, I’ll call it travel social work. Travel social workers often take on roles in settings, like hospitals, schools or nonprofit organizations. Firstly you get to embark on thrilling adventures and immerse yourself in cultures. Moreover you can make a difference in the lives of communities and enhance your professional skills and expertise. The flexible nature of travel social work also allows you to maintain a work life balance.
Travel social work presents chances, for personal and professional development. Each task brings its set of challenges allowing you to enhance your skills gain an understanding of global issues and evolve into a more versatile and empathetic social worker with the expertise to address intricate societal concerns. If you are prepared to pursue a fulfilling career that enables you to explore the world make an impact, you should contemplate a career as a travel social worker. Are you excited about this once in a lifetime adventure?
The Exciting Journey Ahead Starting a career as a travel social worker unveils an array of exhilarating experiences and unforgettable escapades. Each assignment transforms into an opportunity for a journey. As a travel social worker you can venture into parts of the world while leaving a positive mark on peoples lives. Whether it involves working with communities, aiding refugees, or supporting groups, each assignment presents distinct challenges and gratifications.
“Engaging in social work while traveling offers a chance to break out of your comfort zone and test your limits. I expanded my perspectives in ways I never imagined.”. Sarah, Social Worker
Picture yourself trekking through forests helping families, in villages or offering assistance to individuals in bustling urban areas. An extraordinary adventure awaits as you navigate surroundings interact with communities and gain firsthand understanding of global issues impacting societies. With each place you visit you’ll have the chance to savor dishes explore historic landmarks and take part in unique cultural practices. Whether it’s witnessing a sunset on a shore or exploring temples the memories forged as a social worker on the move will endure forever.
Creating a Positive Influence Within the realm of travel social work, the opportunity to genuinely impact peoples lives exists. Engaging with populations and assisting those in need brings fulfillment. It is through our expertise and abilities that we can bring about changes in communities. As a travel social worker you hold the privilege of immersing yourself in various environments and connecting with individuals from all walks of life. Whether it involves supporting communities or offering guidance, your efforts hold the potential to spark positive transformations.
“The best way to discover yourself is by dedicating yourself to serving others.”. Mahatma Gandhi
Each day presents an opportunity for you to create an impact. Whether it entails aiding families in crisis, empowering individuals to conquer obstacles, or assisting communities in recovering from calamities, your commitment and skills have the power to change lives for the better. Through your work you will witness firsthand the resilience and fortitude of individuals grappling with challenges. Your steadfast support and direction can serve as a catalyst, for their growth and empowerment. By supporting with resources you can make an impact on individuals and communities and help them thrive.
Engaging in travel social work enables you to connect with people from cultures, backgrounds and life experiences. By bridging gaps and promoting understanding you contribute to building a compassionate society.
Personal Development As a travel social worker you have the opportunity to explore social work environments fostering significant personal growth and development. Each assignment brings forth challenges exposing you to populations and cultures that enhance your skills and broaden your professional expertise. Through working in various locations, you can gain insights into social issues and systems while strengthening your knowledge in areas like child welfare, mental health advocacy. Exposure to perspectives can enrich your understanding. Empower you to tackle complex societal challenges effectively.
Moreover travel social work provides opportunities for learning and professional advancement. Attending conferences, workshops or trainings across regions allows you to acquire knowledge while refining your skills. Travel social work has not only helped me grow personally, but has also increased my expertise as a social worker.
You can experience many benefits to making this decision. These include expanding your knowledge across social work environments, gaining an understanding of diverse populations and cultures, improving your skills in addressing complex social issues and accessing ongoing education. When comparing the advantages and disadvantages of growth in travel social work there are pros to consider. These include exposure to social work settings leading to enhanced skills and expertise, a knowledge base, and better comprehension of different societal challenges. On the other hand there are cons such as adjusting to environments, and spending time getting acquainted with local resources and systems.
Cultural competence development is another benefit that comes with Travel Social Work. This includes an improved ability to work with populations, understanding of cultural factors affecting individuals. However challenges may arise in adapting to norms or overcoming language barriers. Accessing continuing education is crucial for travel workers as it provides opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, trainings in locations while staying updated on cutting edge research and best practices. Yet this may require an investment in development along with time commitment for attending trainings.
The flexibility offered by being a travel social worker allows you to tailor your career according to your preferences. By selecting assignments in locations and settings aligned with your interests and goals you can enjoy the desired flexibility, in your profession.Having this level of independence enables you to establish a balance, between your work and personal life.
Picture yourself waking up in a city interacting with communities immersing yourself in new cultures and making a meaningful contribution. Alternatively you might prefer the serenity of working in an area surrounded by nature and close communities. Travel social work empowers you to choose assignments that align with your professional goals. Aside from selecting the location and environment travel social work also includes intervals between assignments. These breaks offer opportunities to explore destinations engage in self reflection or simply rejuvenate before embarking on your journey. It’s a time to pursue your love for travel and uncover horizons.
The adaptability of travel social work allows you to shape a career that suits your lifestyle and preferences. Whether you crave the excitement of life the tranquility of landscapes or the chance to discover various places this profession provides the versatility you seek. Embrace the liberty and boundless opportunities that accompany being a travel social worker. Revel in the satisfaction of making a difference while maintaining a work life equilibrium tailored to suit your needs.
Establishing an International Network Being a social worker who specializes in overseas work, you’ll encounter an advantage in creating a varied and extensive international network. As you work in locations you’ll have the opportunity to connect with peers and professionals, from cultural backgrounds. These connections can greatly influence your career and lead to future prospects. Through teamwork with professionals in social work environments you’ll gain perspectives and insights that can enhance your expertise. Sharing stories, obstacles and achievements with travel workers can create a support system and a feeling of unity that transcends boundaries.
Forming a network not broadens your professional relationships but also exposes you to different methods and approaches in social work. By learning from practitioners around the globe you’ll expand your knowledge of subtleties and diverse ways of addressing challenges. Developing a network as a travel social worker provides access to extensive knowledge, resources and experiences. It nurtures collaboration promotes learning and enhances sensitivity.
In Summary To sum up, embarking on a career path in travel social work offers advantages worth considering. Becoming a travel worker allows you to embark on adventures immersing yourself in diverse cultures and gaining new perspectives. In addition, to making an impact on peoples lives and communities you’ll see firsthand the effects of your efforts. This career path also offers many opportunities for professional development. As a travel social worker you have the freedom to select assignments that match your interests and aspirations enabling you to maintain a fulfilling work life balance. The range of experiences and exposure to social work environments will enrich your skills. Broaden your outlook. By embracing travel social work you can establish connections with professionals who share your passion for creating change on a global scale.
Like so many, I’ve been astonished at how fast this year is flying by. It’s already May and we are almost to the halfway point of this year. So yeah. There’s that. One thing I’ve been slacking on this year has been reading and I want to change that. There are so many books that I’ve been buying and hoping that I’ll get to but in realizing that it’s time to stop buying and start to catch up on this ever evolving and growing list of interesting books. They say that readers are leaders and I for one know that I’m more verbose and self aware if I’m reading about the experiences and perspectives of others. It’s been a valuable resource to my professional identity and growth. Which means that I absolutely have to be more consistent with it. Ideally, I’d like to have a good balance of reading for fun and reading for information. But I think I’ll have to start off with the reading for information. Moving forward I plan to start taking books on flights with me. It’s a dedicated space to learn and I’ll be less distracted with phone notifications. Considering the fact that I have a few cross country flights scheduled, I think it’ll be an easy way to start to catch up on reading. I’ll let you know how it goes.
So…… I recently turned the ripe old age of 33 and also celebrated 3 years with my significant other. Now, if you’ve read any of my previous posts you’ve read about how I was chronically single for the longest. But the tides of luck have changed and this year represented 3 years of successful partnership. I’ve lived so many lives and this time of year lends itself to more reflection. I will say that the one biggest change that stands out to me (second to leaving organized religion of course) has been abandoning vegetarian life. This is not to be outdone by the emotional effort it takes to maintain a healthy secure attachment. Not to mention in this year alone, I’ve moved across the country, grown a business, taken on new responsibilities and continued to be consistent with a (brutal) workout regimen. It’s been a wild ride and I’m reminded of all the many chapters of my life that have led up to the current one. 33 represents…..something significant in numerology and while I’m too lazy to look it up right now, I will admit that I see things differently. It’s funny how insanely fast your 20s are. I remember the birthday dinner I had in college and greeting my 20th birthday at the crack of dawn by a statue in the middle of the college campus. Fast forward to 29 turning 30 where I was on a cruise sailing to Puerto Rico. Alabama to Colorado, Georgia, California, Georgia, California, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, to Georgia, to Maryland, and finally to Texas. It’s been a lot. I’m grateful for everything and while it’s not been easy, it’s been worth it. Here’s to more years and more memories and honestly more shrimp, lobster and sushi.
Someone randomly reached out to me the other day to get my perspective on the next step to take in their career. My first thought was that this was definitely a question that deserved an in-depth response or a consultation session. However, given my time constraints I decided on the quickest option. I’m not a philosopher but I’ve read a lot and sometimes it’s great to be able to recall information and share some of the things I’ve learned after over a decade in my field. My advice to the individual was to consider the values of freedom, flexibility, and peace and determine which one deserved the driver’s seat for their current moment. Are you willing to make less money in order to travel extensively and be less tied down? Do you need a schedule where you have the flexibility to start work and end work when you want? Or, do you want to feel peaceful at the end of the day? So much of society today glorifies the grind culture but there’s also the problematic inverse of not doing anything because all jobs have a certain level of stress. The majority of people depends on jobs to make money and fulfill their financial obligations. Deciding what deserves your time work-wise is an important choice and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s worth it to consider your options and look for ways to leverage your education and experience. Know your worth but increase your competence at the same time.
I’m no stranger to relocation. My career has taken me to various states where I had to live out a suitcase for 13 weeks at a time. That being said, moving out a two bedroom apartment is different than packing up some suitcases. It takes a minute for a new place to become familiar again and even though I’ve done it 5 times, it doesn’t get easier. Maybe getting older means that the familiar feels more safe than usual. The eternal optimism starts to fade with the adrenaline. It’ll be interesting to see how an upcoming move out of state will be both challenging and changing. It may also be time to re-evaluate other areas of my life since it’s already a season of change. Life comes at you fast.
Today makes 10 years since I finished my graduate school education. I remember how excited and optimistic I was for the future. I had gone straight from college into graduate school and even though my program was only a year long, it represented a major change. For the first time in my life I lived in a place where I didn’t know anyone and I couldn’t drive to my parents house on a whim. I had to adjust to living alone and creating my own community. The experience set the tone for my professional specialties of relationship therapy, religious trauma and career planning. I knew even then that I wanted to keep on learning and grow as a therapist. Ten years later I can say that I’m a lot more comfortable talking to clients and providing them with some value for their time and resources. I still enjoy helping people and finding solutions. Regardless of where my career goes next, I know I have a good foundation and a better sense of who I am—both personally and professionally.
Life comes with so many transitions and changes. I’ve been in a continual growth process and it’s been interesting to reflect back on how things have changed. Living in multiple states, changing jobs, and trying to navigate different professional goals has been challenging. My partner and I have been contemplating moving out of state for the past year, but now we finally have a timeline and a moving date. After settling in and getting used to having all my favorite stores and restaurants within a 15 to 20 minute drive, it’s time for another environment. I remember when I was always looking for something new and exciting and plotting the next place I would live. The feeling of contentment has been a foreign but welcome change of pace. Time for (another) new thing.
Alisha's Angle 