Back To Work
I'm pleased to announce that I am once again working in my chosen field of human services, for the first time since becoming clean and sober. Last week, I started a position managing a group home for adults with mental illness. The residence, located in a quiet, pleasant neighborhood in Washtenaw County, is home to six men and women, all of whom have a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia.
This is my first time working with this population, and I think I will enjoy it. I have experience with several other populations, including abused and neglected adolescents, homeless families, and (mostly elderly) nursing home residents. The residents at my new group home are, in many respects, more stable than the people I've worked with in the past. They are in relatively good shape physically, they've lived in the same environment for years, and in some cases have jobs in the community. However, their chronic mental illness prevents them from being able to live independently. Most were in state-run psychiatric hospitals before they were closed in the 1980s. These folks are not likely to ever get any better. My job is to give them the best quality of life possible under the circumstances. It should be interesting . . .
I've always enjoyed helping others, and have found I'm pretty good at it. Were it not for my own problems, I'd have my Master's degree by now, in Social Work or Counseling. I'll probably wait until my wife finishes Nursing school before I go back myself.
After my stint in a long-term treatment center (as a resident, not an employee), I spent well over a year working a crappy job in retail sales. Then I had a temporary, seasonal position scoring essay tests. I figured I would've found something else by the time that ended, but it was another six weeks until I started my current work. My shakey work history (too many jobs; too many gaps between positions), the result of my substance abuse, is finally starting to catch up with me. I hope I like this position and company enough to stay for awhile.
I'll most likely be writing about my work from time to time, provided I can do so without compromising the confidentiality of my clients. I'm grateful to be back to doing the type of work I find fulfilling. I couldn't do it without being clean and sober.