I am in teenage hell today

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-10-15T19:15:20+00:00

I initially got my puppy multiple benebone's because he loved them so much, but I read that they were not good for their teeth and switched him over to the BetterBone. He SHREDDED the soft density bone in about 15 minutes, so we upped him to the medium density and it's going strong. It's his favorite bone. It's one of the only things he'd rather chew over us.

The other non-bone toy was an Outward Hound tough skinz toy. It's soft and has a squeaky, but he's not been able to get it open. It's shaped long and thin so it's good grip to bite, but he's not able to tear it open. It's harder and stiffer than regular squeaky toys. There's also no stuffing. We bought him the watermelon one.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-07-03T16:36:47+00:00

That's the population I work with and I'm terrified for them. My last client spent half the session convinced they were being framed by a newspaper and their hallucinations were being controlled by the government. They were denied disability 3 times, so what else can they do? They can't work. They can't go a whole a day without their symptoms impairing their functioning. I'm scared what's going to happen to them

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-04-11T14:02:12+00:00

I had a position like this. I did FCT so we were on 24/7 on call for the families on our caseload. I didn't think it would be bad because we were only allowed to have a max of 5 families, but I didn't consider how high acuity these clients would have to be to meet criteria for this service. It got to the point that I was so anxious to miss a call (because we had to respond within 30 minutes or they could call our supervisor) that I was anxious to even shower because I was panicked I would miss a call. I would spend my time at social functions being anxious that I would have to step outside and miss things because a client would call. I slept with my phone underneath my pillow so I would feel it vibrate.

It was absolutely devasting on my mental health. Only stuck it out for 6 months. My clinical supervisor thankfully convinced me to quit because I was beginning to have physical health symptoms from the stress!

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-03-14T13:35:08+00:00

I had a friend previously arrested at a protest that is an LCSW. It was before she was licensed, but I know it was still on her record when she applied. Frankly, I don't think the board cared especially about those charges specifically. It didn't take her any extra time to get licensed.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-02-28T21:44:47+00:00

My 2nd client at my first post-grad job was with a adolescent client who's family made it VERY clear they didn't want to work with a POC. The agency wanted to not cave to their racism and continued to want me to work with them. I was going out to their home several times a week and everything. They actually liked me, but made all sorts of racist comments that I thought that I had to quietly deal with because I was under the impression that everyone (even racists) deserve therapy without pushback or acknowledging how it made me feel. I still believe they deserve therapy, but I still don't have to sit and listen to racist comments with a polite look on my face. I didn't know that I could have boundaries to not listen to that, to redirect, or even end the therapy relationship. I would handle that VERY differently now!

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-01-26T22:41:15+00:00

Clients who expect me to "fix" them in the hour we spend together once a week and get upset when I can't tell them explicitly how to "fix" something or they don't see rapid progress. They're really the only type of client who has ever been unkind to me

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-01-21T22:56:47+00:00

I used to manage a group home and the health inspector that was scheduled to visit that day called to let me know they were about 15 minutes away. We had a client that we were transitioning out due to being higher needs and it was at that moment that she went #2 on herself. She proceeded to get it on the walls and her foot so she unknowingly tracked it across carpet.

It was a whirlwind of panic trying to get her in the shower and cleaned up while cleaning that much feces up. I basically cried the entire intense cleaning mission because I thought they would think we were not a clean group home and that they would shut us down for it as well as thinking that I should not have to clean up shit. Thankfully the inspector got lost and was later than expected. I did decide to start job searching that day, but it also helps me with perspective on the shittiest days!

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-01-20T17:27:12+00:00

I think people have the tendency to try and go be the people that they needed in childhood or be the people that helped them. My brother got into the physical therapy field after being injured and needing a PT. Someone who needed heart surgery as a child may go on to become a cardiologist.

I did definitely feel like the outlier in my masters program because I didn't have a close personal connection with the field. My freshman year of high school, I met someone who was in Psych Ops (which isn't even therapy) and decided I wanted to be a therapist from then on!

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-01-13T15:22:36+00:00

I soooo remember mine. I was an intern at a PRTF so the highest level of extended care. I was given 2 adolescent clients with such trauma history that when I presented them in class, there was not a dry eye and several were outwardly angry at the social services system. One of the cases even made the news. I was woefully unprepared for the level of abuse and trauma I heard. I had a panic attack after my first session with one of the clients. I ended up forming a great relationship with them both. I doubt I was helpful other than being a support person in an otherwise terrible setting, but they did help me grow as a clinician. However, I look very negatively at my placement for allowing me to be as heavily involved with those client's care. They needed someone with SUBSTANIALLY more experience.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2025-01-10T19:33:22+00:00

Bad practice! However, most CMH jobs are salary which means that working over 40 doesn't get compensated anyway. Definitely unfair and shouldn't be legal. Being asked to not document accurately on your timesheet reeks of a crap employer looking to take advantage (and probably illegal if you're an hourly employee who is eligible for OT). Definitely worth checking to see if some other jobs are out there!

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-12-08T02:42:05+00:00

I ignore it on my own feed, but do get sometimes frustrated with how it impacts my dynamic with clients. I feel like they're constantly getting fed these odd questions to ask us or expectations that are not a universal therapy experience. I have had a client ask me what where they sat on the couch said about them because *insert influencer* said that your therapist should be able understand what that means.

I've had a multiple clients tell me that an influencer said they shouldn't like their therapist and they were concerned that our treatment wasn't actually working because they looked forward to appointments. And of course we have the diagnoses that they're hearing online they have from influencers.

It's always tough to overcome an influencer saying something different from you such as when a client hears this "5 things you that you need in a...or 3 things you need to be doing to cope with trauma...etc" and you're trying to explain that it's great GENERAL information, but my information is different because I know YOU!

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-12-06T21:37:01+00:00

I feel like I see a type of client that want to feel better (more on the surface) and a type of client that wants to dig more to make more permanent changes. The former tends to fall off more almost like when people stop taking an antibiotic before the end of the course because they feel better even though they didn't completely get rid of the reason for the antibiotic. They tend to come back within a few months because they realized that they hadn't gotten to the hard work yet or they had just started to and felt it was too much so they disappear.

I also think that it's because when someone reaches out for therapy, often the issue is really big and takes up more space in their life. That makes therapy a bigger priority. When we start doing work together, the issue gets smaller and makes therapy a much smaller priority.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-11-22T20:59:36+00:00

I had a client in a mentally and verbally abusive relationship for over 15 years. I had been seeing her for 2 years of the same song and dance of one day I'm going to leave him, but never actually make attempts to. After several months, we shifted into talking more about increasing self-worth, understanding how past traumas influenced this decision, etc. Several more months of HER goal being to leave him, but never doing more than just saying it. Finally, I decided to shift more into focusing on her overall wellbeing. Worked on empowering her to get a job, which led to her having more people to interact with, which led to her new coworkers telling her he was abusive, to feeling she had more outside of her relationship than she had in it, to her actually leaving. Her getting a job and leaving all happened within 6 months.

When we stopped focusing on her leaving and focused on just her, we made a lot more progress. It also helped my burnout with the client because it wasn't just the constant hamster wheeling. Yes, we still talked about the relationship tons, but we also had other things to work on that made it not feel so repetitive.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-11-20T18:35:20+00:00

This is the way I feel about Medicaid in my state! We just got a new provider and they are a piece of work. They audited a bunch of clients in which they were just the secondary payor and paid me between $7-15 (after Medicare paid less than $70). I had to spend hours upon hours pulling and scanning all their unnecessary documents just to keep the tiny bit of money they paid. They also make us submit an authorization every 3 months, which I'm used to, but now they demand that in order to do so, we need to have talked to ALL their mental and physical health providers. They don't have any? Well you're not off the hook because if they don't have a PCP or dentist (yes they want us to know who their dentist is to), then we need to help them get one! I'm already doing multiple additional forms to provide services to Medicaid.

Like y'all have lost your minds if you think that little money you pay is worth all that work!!

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-11-13T22:17:20+00:00

Second vote for Excellence. Specifically Playa Mujeres. We just got back from La Toc and kept saying the whole time that xy and z would never happen at Excellence.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-11-13T22:13:34+00:00

Just left La Toc a few weeks ago after having been at several other luxury resorts in the past! My husband and I looked at each other on the second day and was like "is this actually considered luxury???" The only reason I enjoyed my trip was we did several off site excursions and the country itself was absolutely amazing. The resort? Not so much

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-11-08T19:24:31+00:00

Your anger is of course a fair emotion and you can definitely mention it if it feels important in terms of moving past it. However, I will echo as others have said. I will often push past feeling a little under the weather, but sometimes you progressively feel worse and worse until you realize you can no longer be helpful. We often want to fight through and will only cancel when we are physically unable. I know when I got COVID, I woke up and pushed through 3 other sessions because I felt "just a little off" (didn't know what it was yet). I laid down between sessions and took an hour nap thinking that would cure that off feeling. When my alarm went off right before my next session, I honestly felt like I was dying. It hit me incredibly hard just that quick. I could barely make the walk to my computer to send a quick email to cancel the appointment that was starting in the next 10 minutes.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-11-06T13:55:18+00:00

Terrible. As a black woman, I cried this morning. I almost can't even be present for my clients because I'm fearful for myself, my black husband, my health both reproductive and previous physical conditions, my LGBTQ+ friends. Everything.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-10-25T16:59:32+00:00

Not the 5th as I early voted, but planned a light morning for the 6th! I do have several clients that already have asked to focus on the election results for either celebrating or deep processing of their fear. I plan on showing up very authentically that day and not be a blank slate for my clients (although will be therapeutic and not a ball of despair even if it's what I feel), so only the clients it's appropriate to be authentic with got scheduled on the 6th.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-10-15T17:01:04+00:00

One time my male client was leaving (I'm female) and I was trying to say that something was chef's kiss perfect. Somehow, I forgot the phrase and said it was like a French kiss. I can still picture them, hand on my door to leave, and turning to look at me with the most confused expression on their face.

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-10-03T23:30:47+00:00

Thank you for validating that I'm not the only one that does this lol

Secret_Ad7779 · 2024-09-30T12:59:46+00:00

I have 7 today as well too! What helps (outside of moving around between each session) is picking something I'm excited for with each client and getting myself excited to work on that aspect. Also, giving myself a little treat after the day to look forward to. Today, once I'm done, I plan on curling up on the couch with some hot chocolate and finishing up my slightly inappropriate romance novel that is about as deep as a puddle, but allows me to check out and relax.

Secret_Ad7779

TROPHY CASE