Sometimes I wish I could direct people to my blog when they ask how things are going at my new job. I become exhausted at times while trying to explain why it’s great, why it’s stressful, why it’s hard, why it’s fun… It’s helpful talking it out with some people, but sometimes I don’t even know how to start. How can I summarize all I’ve shared on here? And honestly I feel like there is so much about the new job that I haven’t even addressed in this blog yet.
One thing that has been a huge adjustment in my new position is how much is at stake each day. Or at least how much it feels like there is at stake.
For one thing, I have never done so many suicide assessments in such a short period of time. And it’s terrifying.
Each time I leave work after speaking with a child who is expressing that they want to die or want to hurt themselves, I feel empty and sad. It stays with me all night and often for days after. When one of my current clients was absent from school a full week after he shared his suicidal thoughts, my initial reaction was fear that something terrible had happened. Continue reading
process, recorded. 