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Last edited on 2011-12-13 11:26:07 by SamanthaBobbeAdditions:
Compass House Journals
6/14/11: Training: Today was my first time ever being the in house. I met Yvonne, who is in charge of all of the interns and volunteers, along with about 10 other people who were there for training. The training was less extensive than I thought it might be especially because of the fragile state of many of the residents. I’ve learned that there is room for 13 residents to stay at one time, and they are separated by sex. They also have very strict rules about everything from chores and curfew, to sexual relations with other residents while staying in the house. They are also required to lock up all personal belongings like cell phones, computers, and gaming systems while staying in the house. Residents are required to meet with their counselor when scheduled and participate in group/family therapy if it is recommended. Since this is a voluntary shelter, the resident may chose to leave at any time if they do not want to cooperate with the rules. Also, since they are all minors, the staff has the responsibility of contacting the youth’s legal guardians when they arrive at the house. I was under the impression that most of the clients would just show up at the door, but in reality most of them are brought in by the police. This usually happens if the parents do not want the child to stay at home anymore because of a conflict, or if they are found on the streets.
6/15/11: This is my first shift at the Compass House. I am nervous, but excited at the same time. When I arrived there were four residents who were setting the table and getting ready for dinner. I felt a little out of place at first because everyone is just expected to jump in and start doing something, but I caught on quickly. As we were sitting down for dinner one of the residents started to fill their plate with food when he was kindly asked to wait because at the Compass House everyone is requested to take a moment of silence before eating. This allows anyone who has a religious affiliation to pray and appreciate the food while everyone else respects that. The house rules states that no religion will ever be forced on anybody, but everybody is free to practice their own religion, and I think this a very interesting approach. After the moment of silence it becomes more of a crazy mess of passing plates, dishes, and tangled arms. It is kind of an “everyman for himself” attitude. During dinner I was able to talk to some of the residents about their upcoming finals, and what their plans were for the summer. After dinner all of the residents are assigned a chore, which includes sweeping, mopping, dishes, garbage, and wiping down the counters and table. After all of the chores are completed the youth are allowed free time until it is time for bed, which is 10:30pm on weeknights and 1:00am on weekends.
I was able to spend some time with the two female residents in the arts and crafts room drawing before bedtime. Michelle who is a 17 year old middle class female from Amherst has realized that her life is nowhere near as bad as some other kids her age. She has admitted to taking her parents for granted, and she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that other kids are abused or kicked out of their homes. She left home because her parents gave her a curfew of 11:30pm that she thought was absurd. Meanwhile she has never had to take public transportation, and her car, cell phone, and computer are all paid for by her parents. On top of that she just received $600 as a graduation gift. After talking with Michelle she has agreed to try to talk to her parents like the adult that she wants them to treat her as. She is willing to take on more responsibilities around the house, and even wants to work out a chore/responsibility plan because she has seen how effective it is at the Compass House.
The other female resident, Selena, has a story that I still think about regularly because this was the first file I read through. Selena’s father stabbed her mother in front of her when she was three years old, and she now has PTSD. This causes many psychological problems for her, including but not limited to, difficulty sleeping and feeling detached from others, which I’ve learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology. I also learned about false memories which can be suggested by family members or therapists. Since Selena was so young when this traumatic experience occurred it seems unlikely to me that she would actually be able to remember the events. After time though patients start to “remember” more and more about the events and research has shown that they remember things that never happened. It would be very difficult to determine whether or not her memories were accurate, but either way it is suggested that she relives the trauma in order to overcome it. On top of that she has contemplated suicide multiple times, and even attempted it once which lead to a two week long hospital stay. She is also diagnosed with depression, and anxiety disorder. Selena is receiving therapy, but she is not currently taking any medication. I would suggest that an SSRI such as Prozac or Paxil could be very beneficial to her. This could help treat her PTSD, anxiety and depression. It was very difficult for me to read through this file because Selena has a lot of potential. She is a very talented artist and she wants to go to college to become either an art or dance therapist. I spent a lot of time answering her questions about college, and what it’s like to take the SAT’s. I also helped her study for her math final that was the next day. My shift came to an end when the residents all went upstairs to get ready for bed.
6/16/11: The same four residents are here today. Once again I arrived just as dinner was about to be served. The atmosphere today seemed livelier and the kids seemed like they had really opened up to each other. After dinner and chores Ben, a staff member, showed me some of the general office duties like the proper way to answer a phone, and how to fill out a blue sheet. A blue sheet is what is used to record all of the information that is received over the phone, usually about incoming residents, and is stored for our records. After that we watched a movie and played cards until it was time to go to bed. When the kids went to bed I read through some more of the residents files. The information collected is very in depth and personal. They also store old records until the youth is at least 18 years old (meaning they could no longer stay at the Compass House). All of the data collected is used for national statistics and research as well.
Week 2
6/19/11: Today I was greeted by all new residents. There are four boys and two girls. One of the boys name is Jordan. I was talking to him for a little while before dinner and he was telling me about his parents, and about how he grew up in Georgia with a wonderful life. He seemed very sincere about this, and like a genuinely polite young man. He left the room and one of the staff members informed me that Jordan is actually an orphan who has been in and out of foster care since birth because there has been a problem with every family he has been with. He was also born and raised in Buffalo. Before leaving the house that night I read through Jordan’s file. He’s been suspended from school multiple times, and has had many run ins with the Buffalo police. He compulsively lies and can become very violent. I was shocked to learn this about him, but I definitely learned a valuable lesson today: don’t believe everything that your clients are telling you. Jordan is not officially diagnosed with a personality disorder, but he has many of the characteristics of a few different personality disorders that I have learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology. For example, he shows signs of antisocial personality disorder. He participates in socially unacceptable behavior, is impulsive, selfish, aggressive, deceitful, and reckless. He only cares about benefitting himself, and he knows how to act to get what he wants. This personality cannot be diagnosed until age 18 (Jordan is 17) and there needs to be evidence of conduct disorder before the age of 15, which he definitely has. Jordan also shows many of the characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He exaggerates his self importance and always wants to be the center of attention. He used his fellow resident’s downfalls to make himself feel better. Although he does not have a specific diagnosis I believe that he needs to see a therapist to work out some of his problems. (On the day Jordan was leaving, a few days later, the social worker came in the house to pick him up to take him to a group home in Buffalo and he told everybody that she was his mom and that he was going back to Georgia to live with his family.)
Total Completed Hours: 18
6/22/11: Today during dinner we talked about what it means to contribute to society. The kids shared their thoughts on what it means to give back to their community. Most of them didn’t realize that there were so many opportunities to volunteer and help out. After dinner and chores were done we played some basketball and watched a movie. Today was pretty uneventful as far as the Compass House goes.
Total Completed Hours: 23
6/23/11: Three new residents came in last night for a total of 9. This makes for a very crowded dinner table, and many different personalities. Half way through dinner the phone rang and it was the Buffalo police. I answered the phone and they told me that they were bringing in a 17 year old female who had a physical altercation with her mother. Since I was the one who answered the phone and talked to the police, Ben (a staff member) asked me if I wanted to sit in on an intake. The intakes name was Aneesha. She explained that she and her mom always argue because Aneesha doesn’t pull her weight around the house because she is either working or taking care of her 2 year old daughter. The intake involves a lot of questions including history of residence, questions about suicide, sexual orientation, substance abuse, and their plan for the next few years. It is really a fascinating experience to learn so much about a person in about a half an hour. After wards I gave her a tour of the house and helped her set up her bed. She started talking to me about how much she missed her daughter and how she wants to turn her life around because she doesn’t want her responsibility of a mom to be passed on to someone else. Aneesha was very polite and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know the other residents and make friends. (I was informed that a few days later Aneesha stole $1000 dollars from a staff member’s bag and left the house. A police report was filed, but nobody has heard from her since. I was shocked when I heard this because I truly felt like she was ready to start a new beginning in her life.)
Total Completed Hours: 29
Week 3
6/26/11: Today we decided that we would take all of the residents to Shakespeare in the Park. This is a live performance of a play performed at Delaware Park. Over the last few days I’ve gotten to know one of the girls named Molly. Although she is not clinically diagnosed, her actions and behaviors all fall in line with Histrionic Personality Disorder, which I’ve learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology. She needs the center of attention to be on her at all times of she will cause a scene in order to draw attention to herself. The first day that I met Molly she came downstairs from a shower wearing very short shorts, with a V-neck shirt that was two sizes too small. She proceeded to dance around in front of the male residents. Ben, a staff member, politely asked her to join him in the kitchen for a minute. Since her outfit is against the “dress code” of the Compass House he asked her to change into something that was more appropriate. Molly proceeded to become very loud and emotional claiming that he was “picking on her, and harassing her”. At this point I stepped in and explained to her that while we have no say in what she wears outside of the house, while she is here she must abide by the same rules that all of the other residents have agreed to. Reluctantly, Molly went upstairs and changed. Reports from other staff members say that she is continuously flirting with the boys even though she is repeatedly reminded that this is against the rules, and she is also very dramatic about everything including what’s being served for breakfast to what movie we are going to watch. Her opinions change based on what her peers are saying, and she becomes very frustrated when things don’t go her way. She also has the tendency to share very personal information with people who are basically strangers.
Once we got to the park we allowed the kids to walk around the lake that is there as long as they checked in every so often. Sure enough they found their way to the woods which was nowhere near where they were supposed to be. They started playing and running around and Molly slipped and fell in some mud. She then said she couldn’t walk so two of the male residents carried her back to where we were sitting. Since they had disobeyed the rules about where they were allowed to go the rest of the kids had to sit and watch the rest of the play with us. We looked at her RIGHT ankle, which she claims to have twisted, and since everything appeared to be fine we decided that just keeping the pressure off of it until we left would be alright. When it was time to leave Molly was limping as if she broke her leg and she took off her LEFT shoe because she said it would be easier to walk without it on. The walk there took us about 30 minutes, but the walk home was about an hour because of how slow she was limping. She also complained about it the whole way home and refused to put her flip flop back on. Once we finally got home we tried to get Molly to elevate her ankle and put ice on it, but she refused because she said it would only make it worse. Although Ben and I both knew she was faking because she was now complaining about a different ankle than she originally was we finally we told her that we were going to take her to the emergency room. Suddenly everything was fine and she was back to walking normal. The next day there were no complaints of a sore ankle.
Total Completed Hours: 34
6/29/11: A 17 year old girl named Sheila came into the house last night. She is 32 weeks pregnant, and expecting a boy. Sheila is here because she was refusing to obey her mother’s rules about cleaning the house and getting a job. I’ve learned about neonatal development in PSY 203 Developmental Psychology, and by this point her baby should be fairly far along in his development, but her doctor told her that he is underweight and that his lungs aren’t developing properly. He should be practicing breathing, but there is no indication of this. They have been telling her all along that she needs to quit smoking and starting eating properly, but she has not changed her lifestyle yet. While Sheila is in the Compass House she will not be allowed to continue eating unhealthily the way she has been, and she will not be allowed to smoke as much as she does. Hopefully she will hold onto some of these habits once she leaves the house.
Total Hours Completed: 40
6/30/11: There is a new resident today named Andrew. He is 17 years old and he has Asperger’s and ADHD. Andrew is at the Compass House because his parents can no longer take care of him. He continuously runs away from home and comes home drunk or high. The people who he hangs out with are people that he meets online, and then he will meet up with them at random places around Buffalo. Andrew is also on prescription drugs for his medical conditions, but he decides when he wants to take them. When I got in today he was freaking out because he had disobeyed his curfew last night so he thought that he would not be able to go to Thursday in the Square with us tonight. After considering it we decided that Andrew would be able to come out. Everything was fine for a few hours and we were allowing the kids to leave and check in with us every 30 minutes. Towards the end of the concert Andrew stopped checking in. One of the staff members would stay where he was supposed to meet us and the other was searching the concert grounds. After about an hour of searching we decided that Andrew had probably left and was waiting outside for us. Sure enough we found him sitting on the side of the curb crying. Andrew thought we had left him and he was upset because he did not know how to get home. I have a basic understanding about Asperger’s from taking PSY 203 Developmental Psychology. One of the characteristics that Andrew displays is an extreme interest in music. He listens to music basically 24/7 and he listens to all kinds of music. If you start to sign a song chances are he knows what song you’re singing. He also tends to lack some very important social skills. For example, at dinner time he told one of the female residents who is slightly overweight that she wouldn’t be that way if she stopped eating after one helping. We had to talk to him about this, and from his perspective he didn’t do anything wrong because he was just being honest. He also repeats words or phrases several times which is known as echolalia. He tends to do this more often with comments or jokes that people laugh at.
Total Completed Hours: 45.5
Week 4
7/6/11: Andrew’s mood today is completely different from the last time I saw him. Andrew was upset because he wanted to have cereal for dinner, but this against the Compass House rules. Instead of just eating what was served he decided to throw a temper tantrum. Andrew is about 6’3” so he is hard to control in this type of situation. We decided it would be best to allow him to scream and throw things in his room, and to not get involved for our own safety. Extreme aggression can also be a characteristic of Asperger’s Syndrome. After about 30 minutes of this Andrew came back down to the table and ate with the rest of us in silence. After dinner he apologized for acting the way that he had. The rest of the night was pretty calm, we just watched a movie and they went to sleep.
Total Completed Hours: 49
7/7/11: Today was pretty uneventful at the Compass House. After dinner and chores we played Wii, watched a movie, and played cards for a few hours and the kids all went to bed.
Total Completed House: 55
Week 5
7/10/11: Anthony, 17 years old, came in today during my shift and I was able to sit in on his intake. I noticed that he was continuously clearing his throat and shrugging one of his shoulders. I had a feeling that he may have Tourette’s Syndrome (TS), and sure enough when he was asked if he had any medical conditions he told us that he had TS. Although he cannot remember the exact age that he was diagnosed, he said that it has become part of his everyday life and his friends and family barely notice anymore. As I’ve learned in PSY 203 Developmental Psychology, and PSY 397 Neurobiology of Mental Disorders, TS is often co-occurring with other disorders such as ADHD, which Anthony was diagnosed with as a child. Two common drug treatments for ADHD that we learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology are Ritalin and Adderall. Anthony was on Ritalin when he was younger and now he is on Adderall. One of the reasons that he is here though is because his mom caught him selling his Adderall to his friends. Anthony has agreed to follow the Compass House rules which include not distributing any medication to other residents.
Total Completed Hours: 60
7/13/11: Noelle is a 14 year old who has been at the Compass House for three weeks now. This is a longer than average stay, but she has been her for so long because although her mother wants her to come back home they are unable to live together civilly. Noelle’s mom had her at the age of 15. She dropped out of school to get a job and she has been working at the same supermarket since then. Noelle’s biological father disappeared when he found out, but her mother has had a boyfriend for 8 years now that Noelle doesn’t get along with. This only exacerbates the problems between her and her mother because he tries to act like her father and Noelle does not even want him in her life. For the past three weeks her family has been going to family therapy sessions at the Compass House Resource Center. In PSY 452 Theories and Techniques of Counseling we learned that Family Therapy is typically used to create more effective communication within families. In Noelle’s case it will be used to not only teach her mother effective parenting skills, but to also provide a safe place for Noelle to express her feelings about her mom and her mom’s boyfriend. Once Noelle’s mother learns how to be a disciplinarian instead of a peer, Noelle will have to learn how to treat her as an authority figure. This is something that she has also been working on in the Compass House. There are many staff members here who are sometimes not that much older than she is, but she is still required to listen to what they are telling her. I have seen a lot of change in her over the past three weeks. She has learned to respect not only the staff members, but also other residents.
Total Completed Hours: 66
7/14/11: We decided to take the kids to Thursday in the Square again today. Before we went we stopped at McDonalds for dinner. We took the subway down to the harbor and decided to walk back since it was so nice. By the time we got back it was already time for bed. I read over all of the case files before I left for the night.
Total Completed Hours: 72
Week 6
7/17/11: There were a few girls in the house today so I brought a whole bag of nail polish and nail care products. I taught them all a new way to put designs on their nails and they kept telling me how they couldn’t wait to show all of their friends. As we sat at the table and painted our nails we talked about everything from STDs to college. Sarah, a 13 year old, opened up to the group and told us about how she here because her mom committed suicide after dealing with depressions for many years, and she had nowhere else to go. She had been living on the streets for a few weeks now until the police finally brought her in. The rest of her family lives in California, and they never wanted anything to do with Sarah or her mom. Sarah’s case worker is now looking into foster care with hopes that a family will eventually want to adopt her. Foster families are a unique family type that can often require a lot more work than the typical family. Some of the typical issues that foster/adoptive families with older children face are issues with discipline. These kids were raised by a family who probably had different rules, beliefs, values, etc. so it is hard for everyone to adapt to the new situation and some never do. Also many children who are put into foster care are there because something traumatic happened, and they really have no desire to be thrown into an unfamiliar situation. Sarah is afraid that she won’t like her family, or worse, they won’t like her. She is worried that they will send her back and she will become just another kid in the system, which is often how the media portrays these situations. Before I left that night I tried to reassure her that although things will be tough, if she is determined to make things work then everything will be alright in the end. She is not a child anymore and there will be consequences for her actions, but she needs to start setting goals for her life and striving for them.
Total Completed Hours: 78
7/21/11: I was able to do my first solo intake today. She is a 16 year old Latino named Maria who was kicked out of her home because her family found out that her 17 year old boyfriend had gotten her pregnant. Maria’s family threatened to not allow her back into the house until she “took care of” the baby. The police were also involved because her three older brothers went out to find her boyfriend and “take care of” him as well. Maria’s family has values that are deeply rooted in traditional Latino beliefs, which means they are very collectivistic. In my COM 304 Family Communication class we learned about the difference between cultural communications. Individualistic cultures value independence and doing what is best for you, while collectivistic cultures value interdependence. They are expected to do what is best for their family and community instead of just thinking about what they want. Maria on the other hand was born and raised in the United States so she has more of an individualistic approach. Maria wants to keep her baby no matter what her family says, but her family is so extreme that they would disown her.
After Maria’s intake I gave her a tour of the house, introduced her to the other residents, and helped her unpack her things. Since she only found out she was pregnant a few hours ago she was still confused and had a lot of questions. I’ve learned about prenatal development in PSY 203 Developmental Psychology. I answered her questions about what she should be eating, prenatal vitamins, and what types of things her baby should be doing. I also advised her to quit smoking because she has about 2 cigarettes a day. When she was done unpacking we played a few card games with the other residents and then they went to bed.
Total Completed Hours: 83
Week 7
7/24/11: Alex has been here for about three weeks now and we are starting to have some problems with him. Alex and his twin sister, who are 15 now, were adopted from Russia when they were babies. Alex was brought here by the Buffalo police because he was choking his adoptive mom. The police told us that although they did not witness Alex being physically aggressive, his adoptive mom’s neck did have markings on it and Alex was being very vulgar and verbally aggressive when they arrived. Alex, who had no knowledge about what the police told us, said that he didn’t know why he was here and his mom overreacts all of the time. He told us that all he did was tell his mom that he didn’t want to give her his iPod during dinner and she started hitting him violently. Throughout Alex’s entire intake he made no eye contact, didn’t respond to any jokes, and had an extremely flat affect. I thought that maybe this was just due to the shock of the evening’s events, but it has not changed. We have many behavioral problems with Alex such as lying, staying out past his curfew, refusing to do his daily chores, and being verbally aggressive towards the other residents. Alex’s parents have reported the same problems to the Compass House Case workers, along with stealing, cheating in school, and bullying classmates. Behavior like this is not uncommon with kids who have been adopted, especially after six months, which he was. In my PSY 334 Child, Family, and Community we learned that children from adoption agencies, especially those in other countries, are often not treated very well. They are left to cry sometimes for extended periods of time simply because they do not have adequate staffing. In PSY 302 Personality Theory we learned about attachment theory. Alex would fall into the category of avoidant. This means that he was neglected as a baby. Children who cannot form attachments are often diagnosed with oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD), which are not out of the question for Alex.
Today Ben and I talked about a lot of these issues, and he has decided to let the case workers and Alex know that unless he starts obeying the rules he will not be allowed to stay in the Compass House any longer.
Total Completed Hours: 89
7/27/11: Today everyone was making brownies when I arrived. I noticed that Megan was organizing the silverware drawer, but I didn’t really think anything of it. After dinner everyone was doing the chores and Megan volunteered to do the dishes. While they were doing their chores I went into the office to read their case files. I learned that Megan has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I went back into the kitchen and she was still washing the pan that she was when I left. I started talking to Megan about her disorder. She told me the hardest part for her to deal with isn’t the fact that she has these obsessions and compulsions it’s that her friends and family don’t understand them. They don’t understand why she can’t just stop doing the things she does. She is extremely distressed about her disorder because she wants to live a normal teenage life, but she can’t get these thoughts out of her mind. I started telling her about some of the techniques I’ve learned about in PSY 452 Theories and Techniques of Counseling. Megan would be called a “washer” because she is afraid of contamination so she washes her hands numerous times and rewashes dishes multiple times, and an “arranger” because she needs everything to be perfectly arranged. One of the most successful therapies for this disorder is exposure therapy. This involves repeated exposure to the uncomfortable obsessions that these people have without allowing them to engage in their compulsions. Another therapy that would be beneficial to Megan’s family is Family Therapy because her family lacks the education necessary to successfully live with a loved one who has OCD. Megan and I spent the rest of the night playing Rummy 500 before they went to bed.
Total Completed Hours: 95
Week 8
8/3/11: Today there is an information session on STDs, pregnancies, and safe sex. Although we advocate for abstinence, the reality is that these kids are having sex, and they need to learn about safe sex especially because so many of them do not have a reliable parental figure to talk to them about this. To my surprise, not only were all of the residents mature about this discussion, but they also asked questions. They were curious about the long term effects of STDs and one girl even asked, “If I was raped when I was a child does that mean that nobody will want to have sex with me?” It broke my heart to think that not only did she have feelings like this, but also that she probably had no one to talk to them about. We then had a long somber conversation about rape. Although this is hard to do with such young people it is definitely necessary.
Total Completed Hours: 101
8/4/11: Today we took the kids to Thursday in the Square. Two of the boys, who we’ve learned are in a Buffalo gang, got into a fight with two boys from a different gang. Thankfully it was broken up before anyone was injured, but we were asked to leave by security. Since fighting of any kind is against the Compass House rules the boys were asked to leave. This is always hard to do because this means that they either are forced to go home before they are ready or have to move to a different homeless shelter. We were also required to report the incident to the police because we had knowledge of them being affiliated with a gang. We watched a movie and the kids went to bed.
Total Completed Hours: 107
Week 9
8/7/11: Today we took the kids to Niagara Falls, which was really cool because even though all 5 of them are from Buffalo, none of them have seen the falls. We had a lot of fun, and it is nice to see them happy. For some of these kids, this is the only trip they’ve ever taken. I believe that allowing them to experience them things like this gives them hope in the world. There were no arguments or bickering all night, which barely ever happens. They even agreed to watch the same movie when we got home.
Total Completed Hours: 111
8/11/11: Today was Christopher’s 14th birthday. It is easy to see that this is the last place that he wants to be on his birthday, but the other residents are trying to make the best of it. We made cake sang and I brought a few puzzles (something he loves doing) for him. After cake and ice cream Christopher’s mom called to talk to him for a while. From the other room we could hear him start crying and asking to come home, which his mom was obviously refusing. Christopher was kicked out because he and his step dad are violent towards each other and do not ever get along. Christopher told me later that night, “My mom picks him over me even on my birthday.” I didn’t know exactly what to say so I just told him that is why he has case managers. They will work with his family so that he and his step dad can learn to live with each other and he will be able to go home. He seemed content with this answer and agreed to join us in the living room again. After the movie they went to bed. I learned that Christopher’s mom came to pick him up the next morning.
Total Completed Hours: 117
Week 10
8/14/11: Today will complete my 120 hours for the practicum, but I will continue to volunteer regularly. During dinner I was thinking about my experiences over the past 10 weeks, and I’ve realized that I’ve seen so many kids come and go. I can’t help but wonder if I’ve impacted any of them for the better. As we were finishing eating, Johnie (a 17 year old who has been in the house for over two months), offered to take up my plate. I was shocked. Johnie and I have gotten used to the Compass House together since he was only here a few days before my first day. When he first arrived he was rude to the staff, was always reluctant to do his chores, and very uncooperative. Over the last two months I have seen a drastic change in his personality and outlook on life. He is now helpful without being asked, and he seems to genuinely be interested in other’s wellbeing. He now has manners that were never there, and he is polite to even complete strangers. He has helped many new residents feel welcomed into such a strange unfamiliar environment. After we finished cleaning up from dinner I pulled Johnie aside and I told him that I truly believed he has turned into a fine young man in his time here at the Compass House. I could tell by the look in his eyes that what I said really meant something to him.
Johnie has been here for so long because his mom is in a nursing home with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Her prognosis isn’t good, and they don’t think she will be coming home. Johnie has no family here so he is waiting until he turns 18 in three weeks to go and live in a group home. I’ve learned in PSY 397 Neurobiology of Mental Disorders, that MS is a type of subcortical dementia. This is a fatal disease, and her doctors think she is in the last stages. Johnie is obviously very depressed about this, but he has decided to turn his life around because he knows that is what his mom would want.
Total Completed Hours: 123
6/14/11: Training: Today was my first time ever being the in house. I met Yvonne, who is in charge of all of the interns and volunteers, along with about 10 other people who were there for training. The training was less extensive than I thought it might be especially because of the fragile state of many of the residents. I’ve learned that there is room for 13 residents to stay at one time, and they are separated by sex. They also have very strict rules about everything from chores and curfew, to sexual relations with other residents while staying in the house. They are also required to lock up all personal belongings like cell phones, computers, and gaming systems while staying in the house. Residents are required to meet with their counselor when scheduled and participate in group/family therapy if it is recommended. Since this is a voluntary shelter, the resident may chose to leave at any time if they do not want to cooperate with the rules. Also, since they are all minors, the staff has the responsibility of contacting the youth’s legal guardians when they arrive at the house. I was under the impression that most of the clients would just show up at the door, but in reality most of them are brought in by the police. This usually happens if the parents do not want the child to stay at home anymore because of a conflict, or if they are found on the streets.
6/15/11: This is my first shift at the Compass House. I am nervous, but excited at the same time. When I arrived there were four residents who were setting the table and getting ready for dinner. I felt a little out of place at first because everyone is just expected to jump in and start doing something, but I caught on quickly. As we were sitting down for dinner one of the residents started to fill their plate with food when he was kindly asked to wait because at the Compass House everyone is requested to take a moment of silence before eating. This allows anyone who has a religious affiliation to pray and appreciate the food while everyone else respects that. The house rules states that no religion will ever be forced on anybody, but everybody is free to practice their own religion, and I think this a very interesting approach. After the moment of silence it becomes more of a crazy mess of passing plates, dishes, and tangled arms. It is kind of an “everyman for himself” attitude. During dinner I was able to talk to some of the residents about their upcoming finals, and what their plans were for the summer. After dinner all of the residents are assigned a chore, which includes sweeping, mopping, dishes, garbage, and wiping down the counters and table. After all of the chores are completed the youth are allowed free time until it is time for bed, which is 10:30pm on weeknights and 1:00am on weekends.
I was able to spend some time with the two female residents in the arts and crafts room drawing before bedtime. Michelle who is a 17 year old middle class female from Amherst has realized that her life is nowhere near as bad as some other kids her age. She has admitted to taking her parents for granted, and she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that other kids are abused or kicked out of their homes. She left home because her parents gave her a curfew of 11:30pm that she thought was absurd. Meanwhile she has never had to take public transportation, and her car, cell phone, and computer are all paid for by her parents. On top of that she just received $600 as a graduation gift. After talking with Michelle she has agreed to try to talk to her parents like the adult that she wants them to treat her as. She is willing to take on more responsibilities around the house, and even wants to work out a chore/responsibility plan because she has seen how effective it is at the Compass House.
The other female resident, Selena, has a story that I still think about regularly because this was the first file I read through. Selena’s father stabbed her mother in front of her when she was three years old, and she now has PTSD. This causes many psychological problems for her, including but not limited to, difficulty sleeping and feeling detached from others, which I’ve learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology. I also learned about false memories which can be suggested by family members or therapists. Since Selena was so young when this traumatic experience occurred it seems unlikely to me that she would actually be able to remember the events. After time though patients start to “remember” more and more about the events and research has shown that they remember things that never happened. It would be very difficult to determine whether or not her memories were accurate, but either way it is suggested that she relives the trauma in order to overcome it. On top of that she has contemplated suicide multiple times, and even attempted it once which lead to a two week long hospital stay. She is also diagnosed with depression, and anxiety disorder. Selena is receiving therapy, but she is not currently taking any medication. I would suggest that an SSRI such as Prozac or Paxil could be very beneficial to her. This could help treat her PTSD, anxiety and depression. It was very difficult for me to read through this file because Selena has a lot of potential. She is a very talented artist and she wants to go to college to become either an art or dance therapist. I spent a lot of time answering her questions about college, and what it’s like to take the SAT’s. I also helped her study for her math final that was the next day. My shift came to an end when the residents all went upstairs to get ready for bed.
6/16/11: The same four residents are here today. Once again I arrived just as dinner was about to be served. The atmosphere today seemed livelier and the kids seemed like they had really opened up to each other. After dinner and chores Ben, a staff member, showed me some of the general office duties like the proper way to answer a phone, and how to fill out a blue sheet. A blue sheet is what is used to record all of the information that is received over the phone, usually about incoming residents, and is stored for our records. After that we watched a movie and played cards until it was time to go to bed. When the kids went to bed I read through some more of the residents files. The information collected is very in depth and personal. They also store old records until the youth is at least 18 years old (meaning they could no longer stay at the Compass House). All of the data collected is used for national statistics and research as well.
Week 2
6/19/11: Today I was greeted by all new residents. There are four boys and two girls. One of the boys name is Jordan. I was talking to him for a little while before dinner and he was telling me about his parents, and about how he grew up in Georgia with a wonderful life. He seemed very sincere about this, and like a genuinely polite young man. He left the room and one of the staff members informed me that Jordan is actually an orphan who has been in and out of foster care since birth because there has been a problem with every family he has been with. He was also born and raised in Buffalo. Before leaving the house that night I read through Jordan’s file. He’s been suspended from school multiple times, and has had many run ins with the Buffalo police. He compulsively lies and can become very violent. I was shocked to learn this about him, but I definitely learned a valuable lesson today: don’t believe everything that your clients are telling you. Jordan is not officially diagnosed with a personality disorder, but he has many of the characteristics of a few different personality disorders that I have learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology. For example, he shows signs of antisocial personality disorder. He participates in socially unacceptable behavior, is impulsive, selfish, aggressive, deceitful, and reckless. He only cares about benefitting himself, and he knows how to act to get what he wants. This personality cannot be diagnosed until age 18 (Jordan is 17) and there needs to be evidence of conduct disorder before the age of 15, which he definitely has. Jordan also shows many of the characteristics of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. He exaggerates his self importance and always wants to be the center of attention. He used his fellow resident’s downfalls to make himself feel better. Although he does not have a specific diagnosis I believe that he needs to see a therapist to work out some of his problems. (On the day Jordan was leaving, a few days later, the social worker came in the house to pick him up to take him to a group home in Buffalo and he told everybody that she was his mom and that he was going back to Georgia to live with his family.)
Total Completed Hours: 18
6/22/11: Today during dinner we talked about what it means to contribute to society. The kids shared their thoughts on what it means to give back to their community. Most of them didn’t realize that there were so many opportunities to volunteer and help out. After dinner and chores were done we played some basketball and watched a movie. Today was pretty uneventful as far as the Compass House goes.
Total Completed Hours: 23
6/23/11: Three new residents came in last night for a total of 9. This makes for a very crowded dinner table, and many different personalities. Half way through dinner the phone rang and it was the Buffalo police. I answered the phone and they told me that they were bringing in a 17 year old female who had a physical altercation with her mother. Since I was the one who answered the phone and talked to the police, Ben (a staff member) asked me if I wanted to sit in on an intake. The intakes name was Aneesha. She explained that she and her mom always argue because Aneesha doesn’t pull her weight around the house because she is either working or taking care of her 2 year old daughter. The intake involves a lot of questions including history of residence, questions about suicide, sexual orientation, substance abuse, and their plan for the next few years. It is really a fascinating experience to learn so much about a person in about a half an hour. After wards I gave her a tour of the house and helped her set up her bed. She started talking to me about how much she missed her daughter and how she wants to turn her life around because she doesn’t want her responsibility of a mom to be passed on to someone else. Aneesha was very polite and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know the other residents and make friends. (I was informed that a few days later Aneesha stole $1000 dollars from a staff member’s bag and left the house. A police report was filed, but nobody has heard from her since. I was shocked when I heard this because I truly felt like she was ready to start a new beginning in her life.)
Total Completed Hours: 29
Week 3
6/26/11: Today we decided that we would take all of the residents to Shakespeare in the Park. This is a live performance of a play performed at Delaware Park. Over the last few days I’ve gotten to know one of the girls named Molly. Although she is not clinically diagnosed, her actions and behaviors all fall in line with Histrionic Personality Disorder, which I’ve learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology. She needs the center of attention to be on her at all times of she will cause a scene in order to draw attention to herself. The first day that I met Molly she came downstairs from a shower wearing very short shorts, with a V-neck shirt that was two sizes too small. She proceeded to dance around in front of the male residents. Ben, a staff member, politely asked her to join him in the kitchen for a minute. Since her outfit is against the “dress code” of the Compass House he asked her to change into something that was more appropriate. Molly proceeded to become very loud and emotional claiming that he was “picking on her, and harassing her”. At this point I stepped in and explained to her that while we have no say in what she wears outside of the house, while she is here she must abide by the same rules that all of the other residents have agreed to. Reluctantly, Molly went upstairs and changed. Reports from other staff members say that she is continuously flirting with the boys even though she is repeatedly reminded that this is against the rules, and she is also very dramatic about everything including what’s being served for breakfast to what movie we are going to watch. Her opinions change based on what her peers are saying, and she becomes very frustrated when things don’t go her way. She also has the tendency to share very personal information with people who are basically strangers.
Once we got to the park we allowed the kids to walk around the lake that is there as long as they checked in every so often. Sure enough they found their way to the woods which was nowhere near where they were supposed to be. They started playing and running around and Molly slipped and fell in some mud. She then said she couldn’t walk so two of the male residents carried her back to where we were sitting. Since they had disobeyed the rules about where they were allowed to go the rest of the kids had to sit and watch the rest of the play with us. We looked at her RIGHT ankle, which she claims to have twisted, and since everything appeared to be fine we decided that just keeping the pressure off of it until we left would be alright. When it was time to leave Molly was limping as if she broke her leg and she took off her LEFT shoe because she said it would be easier to walk without it on. The walk there took us about 30 minutes, but the walk home was about an hour because of how slow she was limping. She also complained about it the whole way home and refused to put her flip flop back on. Once we finally got home we tried to get Molly to elevate her ankle and put ice on it, but she refused because she said it would only make it worse. Although Ben and I both knew she was faking because she was now complaining about a different ankle than she originally was we finally we told her that we were going to take her to the emergency room. Suddenly everything was fine and she was back to walking normal. The next day there were no complaints of a sore ankle.
Total Completed Hours: 34
6/29/11: A 17 year old girl named Sheila came into the house last night. She is 32 weeks pregnant, and expecting a boy. Sheila is here because she was refusing to obey her mother’s rules about cleaning the house and getting a job. I’ve learned about neonatal development in PSY 203 Developmental Psychology, and by this point her baby should be fairly far along in his development, but her doctor told her that he is underweight and that his lungs aren’t developing properly. He should be practicing breathing, but there is no indication of this. They have been telling her all along that she needs to quit smoking and starting eating properly, but she has not changed her lifestyle yet. While Sheila is in the Compass House she will not be allowed to continue eating unhealthily the way she has been, and she will not be allowed to smoke as much as she does. Hopefully she will hold onto some of these habits once she leaves the house.
Total Hours Completed: 40
6/30/11: There is a new resident today named Andrew. He is 17 years old and he has Asperger’s and ADHD. Andrew is at the Compass House because his parents can no longer take care of him. He continuously runs away from home and comes home drunk or high. The people who he hangs out with are people that he meets online, and then he will meet up with them at random places around Buffalo. Andrew is also on prescription drugs for his medical conditions, but he decides when he wants to take them. When I got in today he was freaking out because he had disobeyed his curfew last night so he thought that he would not be able to go to Thursday in the Square with us tonight. After considering it we decided that Andrew would be able to come out. Everything was fine for a few hours and we were allowing the kids to leave and check in with us every 30 minutes. Towards the end of the concert Andrew stopped checking in. One of the staff members would stay where he was supposed to meet us and the other was searching the concert grounds. After about an hour of searching we decided that Andrew had probably left and was waiting outside for us. Sure enough we found him sitting on the side of the curb crying. Andrew thought we had left him and he was upset because he did not know how to get home. I have a basic understanding about Asperger’s from taking PSY 203 Developmental Psychology. One of the characteristics that Andrew displays is an extreme interest in music. He listens to music basically 24/7 and he listens to all kinds of music. If you start to sign a song chances are he knows what song you’re singing. He also tends to lack some very important social skills. For example, at dinner time he told one of the female residents who is slightly overweight that she wouldn’t be that way if she stopped eating after one helping. We had to talk to him about this, and from his perspective he didn’t do anything wrong because he was just being honest. He also repeats words or phrases several times which is known as echolalia. He tends to do this more often with comments or jokes that people laugh at.
Total Completed Hours: 45.5
Week 4
7/6/11: Andrew’s mood today is completely different from the last time I saw him. Andrew was upset because he wanted to have cereal for dinner, but this against the Compass House rules. Instead of just eating what was served he decided to throw a temper tantrum. Andrew is about 6’3” so he is hard to control in this type of situation. We decided it would be best to allow him to scream and throw things in his room, and to not get involved for our own safety. Extreme aggression can also be a characteristic of Asperger’s Syndrome. After about 30 minutes of this Andrew came back down to the table and ate with the rest of us in silence. After dinner he apologized for acting the way that he had. The rest of the night was pretty calm, we just watched a movie and they went to sleep.
Total Completed Hours: 49
7/7/11: Today was pretty uneventful at the Compass House. After dinner and chores we played Wii, watched a movie, and played cards for a few hours and the kids all went to bed.
Total Completed House: 55
Week 5
7/10/11: Anthony, 17 years old, came in today during my shift and I was able to sit in on his intake. I noticed that he was continuously clearing his throat and shrugging one of his shoulders. I had a feeling that he may have Tourette’s Syndrome (TS), and sure enough when he was asked if he had any medical conditions he told us that he had TS. Although he cannot remember the exact age that he was diagnosed, he said that it has become part of his everyday life and his friends and family barely notice anymore. As I’ve learned in PSY 203 Developmental Psychology, and PSY 397 Neurobiology of Mental Disorders, TS is often co-occurring with other disorders such as ADHD, which Anthony was diagnosed with as a child. Two common drug treatments for ADHD that we learned about in PSY 303 Abnormal Psychology are Ritalin and Adderall. Anthony was on Ritalin when he was younger and now he is on Adderall. One of the reasons that he is here though is because his mom caught him selling his Adderall to his friends. Anthony has agreed to follow the Compass House rules which include not distributing any medication to other residents.
Total Completed Hours: 60
7/13/11: Noelle is a 14 year old who has been at the Compass House for three weeks now. This is a longer than average stay, but she has been her for so long because although her mother wants her to come back home they are unable to live together civilly. Noelle’s mom had her at the age of 15. She dropped out of school to get a job and she has been working at the same supermarket since then. Noelle’s biological father disappeared when he found out, but her mother has had a boyfriend for 8 years now that Noelle doesn’t get along with. This only exacerbates the problems between her and her mother because he tries to act like her father and Noelle does not even want him in her life. For the past three weeks her family has been going to family therapy sessions at the Compass House Resource Center. In PSY 452 Theories and Techniques of Counseling we learned that Family Therapy is typically used to create more effective communication within families. In Noelle’s case it will be used to not only teach her mother effective parenting skills, but to also provide a safe place for Noelle to express her feelings about her mom and her mom’s boyfriend. Once Noelle’s mother learns how to be a disciplinarian instead of a peer, Noelle will have to learn how to treat her as an authority figure. This is something that she has also been working on in the Compass House. There are many staff members here who are sometimes not that much older than she is, but she is still required to listen to what they are telling her. I have seen a lot of change in her over the past three weeks. She has learned to respect not only the staff members, but also other residents.
Total Completed Hours: 66
7/14/11: We decided to take the kids to Thursday in the Square again today. Before we went we stopped at McDonalds for dinner. We took the subway down to the harbor and decided to walk back since it was so nice. By the time we got back it was already time for bed. I read over all of the case files before I left for the night.
Total Completed Hours: 72
Week 6
7/17/11: There were a few girls in the house today so I brought a whole bag of nail polish and nail care products. I taught them all a new way to put designs on their nails and they kept telling me how they couldn’t wait to show all of their friends. As we sat at the table and painted our nails we talked about everything from STDs to college. Sarah, a 13 year old, opened up to the group and told us about how she here because her mom committed suicide after dealing with depressions for many years, and she had nowhere else to go. She had been living on the streets for a few weeks now until the police finally brought her in. The rest of her family lives in California, and they never wanted anything to do with Sarah or her mom. Sarah’s case worker is now looking into foster care with hopes that a family will eventually want to adopt her. Foster families are a unique family type that can often require a lot more work than the typical family. Some of the typical issues that foster/adoptive families with older children face are issues with discipline. These kids were raised by a family who probably had different rules, beliefs, values, etc. so it is hard for everyone to adapt to the new situation and some never do. Also many children who are put into foster care are there because something traumatic happened, and they really have no desire to be thrown into an unfamiliar situation. Sarah is afraid that she won’t like her family, or worse, they won’t like her. She is worried that they will send her back and she will become just another kid in the system, which is often how the media portrays these situations. Before I left that night I tried to reassure her that although things will be tough, if she is determined to make things work then everything will be alright in the end. She is not a child anymore and there will be consequences for her actions, but she needs to start setting goals for her life and striving for them.
Total Completed Hours: 78
7/21/11: I was able to do my first solo intake today. She is a 16 year old Latino named Maria who was kicked out of her home because her family found out that her 17 year old boyfriend had gotten her pregnant. Maria’s family threatened to not allow her back into the house until she “took care of” the baby. The police were also involved because her three older brothers went out to find her boyfriend and “take care of” him as well. Maria’s family has values that are deeply rooted in traditional Latino beliefs, which means they are very collectivistic. In my COM 304 Family Communication class we learned about the difference between cultural communications. Individualistic cultures value independence and doing what is best for you, while collectivistic cultures value interdependence. They are expected to do what is best for their family and community instead of just thinking about what they want. Maria on the other hand was born and raised in the United States so she has more of an individualistic approach. Maria wants to keep her baby no matter what her family says, but her family is so extreme that they would disown her.
After Maria’s intake I gave her a tour of the house, introduced her to the other residents, and helped her unpack her things. Since she only found out she was pregnant a few hours ago she was still confused and had a lot of questions. I’ve learned about prenatal development in PSY 203 Developmental Psychology. I answered her questions about what she should be eating, prenatal vitamins, and what types of things her baby should be doing. I also advised her to quit smoking because she has about 2 cigarettes a day. When she was done unpacking we played a few card games with the other residents and then they went to bed.
Total Completed Hours: 83
Week 7
7/24/11: Alex has been here for about three weeks now and we are starting to have some problems with him. Alex and his twin sister, who are 15 now, were adopted from Russia when they were babies. Alex was brought here by the Buffalo police because he was choking his adoptive mom. The police told us that although they did not witness Alex being physically aggressive, his adoptive mom’s neck did have markings on it and Alex was being very vulgar and verbally aggressive when they arrived. Alex, who had no knowledge about what the police told us, said that he didn’t know why he was here and his mom overreacts all of the time. He told us that all he did was tell his mom that he didn’t want to give her his iPod during dinner and she started hitting him violently. Throughout Alex’s entire intake he made no eye contact, didn’t respond to any jokes, and had an extremely flat affect. I thought that maybe this was just due to the shock of the evening’s events, but it has not changed. We have many behavioral problems with Alex such as lying, staying out past his curfew, refusing to do his daily chores, and being verbally aggressive towards the other residents. Alex’s parents have reported the same problems to the Compass House Case workers, along with stealing, cheating in school, and bullying classmates. Behavior like this is not uncommon with kids who have been adopted, especially after six months, which he was. In my PSY 334 Child, Family, and Community we learned that children from adoption agencies, especially those in other countries, are often not treated very well. They are left to cry sometimes for extended periods of time simply because they do not have adequate staffing. In PSY 302 Personality Theory we learned about attachment theory. Alex would fall into the category of avoidant. This means that he was neglected as a baby. Children who cannot form attachments are often diagnosed with oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD), which are not out of the question for Alex.
Today Ben and I talked about a lot of these issues, and he has decided to let the case workers and Alex know that unless he starts obeying the rules he will not be allowed to stay in the Compass House any longer.
Total Completed Hours: 89
7/27/11: Today everyone was making brownies when I arrived. I noticed that Megan was organizing the silverware drawer, but I didn’t really think anything of it. After dinner everyone was doing the chores and Megan volunteered to do the dishes. While they were doing their chores I went into the office to read their case files. I learned that Megan has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I went back into the kitchen and she was still washing the pan that she was when I left. I started talking to Megan about her disorder. She told me the hardest part for her to deal with isn’t the fact that she has these obsessions and compulsions it’s that her friends and family don’t understand them. They don’t understand why she can’t just stop doing the things she does. She is extremely distressed about her disorder because she wants to live a normal teenage life, but she can’t get these thoughts out of her mind. I started telling her about some of the techniques I’ve learned about in PSY 452 Theories and Techniques of Counseling. Megan would be called a “washer” because she is afraid of contamination so she washes her hands numerous times and rewashes dishes multiple times, and an “arranger” because she needs everything to be perfectly arranged. One of the most successful therapies for this disorder is exposure therapy. This involves repeated exposure to the uncomfortable obsessions that these people have without allowing them to engage in their compulsions. Another therapy that would be beneficial to Megan’s family is Family Therapy because her family lacks the education necessary to successfully live with a loved one who has OCD. Megan and I spent the rest of the night playing Rummy 500 before they went to bed.
Total Completed Hours: 95
Week 8
8/3/11: Today there is an information session on STDs, pregnancies, and safe sex. Although we advocate for abstinence, the reality is that these kids are having sex, and they need to learn about safe sex especially because so many of them do not have a reliable parental figure to talk to them about this. To my surprise, not only were all of the residents mature about this discussion, but they also asked questions. They were curious about the long term effects of STDs and one girl even asked, “If I was raped when I was a child does that mean that nobody will want to have sex with me?” It broke my heart to think that not only did she have feelings like this, but also that she probably had no one to talk to them about. We then had a long somber conversation about rape. Although this is hard to do with such young people it is definitely necessary.
Total Completed Hours: 101
8/4/11: Today we took the kids to Thursday in the Square. Two of the boys, who we’ve learned are in a Buffalo gang, got into a fight with two boys from a different gang. Thankfully it was broken up before anyone was injured, but we were asked to leave by security. Since fighting of any kind is against the Compass House rules the boys were asked to leave. This is always hard to do because this means that they either are forced to go home before they are ready or have to move to a different homeless shelter. We were also required to report the incident to the police because we had knowledge of them being affiliated with a gang. We watched a movie and the kids went to bed.
Total Completed Hours: 107
Week 9
8/7/11: Today we took the kids to Niagara Falls, which was really cool because even though all 5 of them are from Buffalo, none of them have seen the falls. We had a lot of fun, and it is nice to see them happy. For some of these kids, this is the only trip they’ve ever taken. I believe that allowing them to experience them things like this gives them hope in the world. There were no arguments or bickering all night, which barely ever happens. They even agreed to watch the same movie when we got home.
Total Completed Hours: 111
8/11/11: Today was Christopher’s 14th birthday. It is easy to see that this is the last place that he wants to be on his birthday, but the other residents are trying to make the best of it. We made cake sang and I brought a few puzzles (something he loves doing) for him. After cake and ice cream Christopher’s mom called to talk to him for a while. From the other room we could hear him start crying and asking to come home, which his mom was obviously refusing. Christopher was kicked out because he and his step dad are violent towards each other and do not ever get along. Christopher told me later that night, “My mom picks him over me even on my birthday.” I didn’t know exactly what to say so I just told him that is why he has case managers. They will work with his family so that he and his step dad can learn to live with each other and he will be able to go home. He seemed content with this answer and agreed to join us in the living room again. After the movie they went to bed. I learned that Christopher’s mom came to pick him up the next morning.
Total Completed Hours: 117
Week 10
8/14/11: Today will complete my 120 hours for the practicum, but I will continue to volunteer regularly. During dinner I was thinking about my experiences over the past 10 weeks, and I’ve realized that I’ve seen so many kids come and go. I can’t help but wonder if I’ve impacted any of them for the better. As we were finishing eating, Johnie (a 17 year old who has been in the house for over two months), offered to take up my plate. I was shocked. Johnie and I have gotten used to the Compass House together since he was only here a few days before my first day. When he first arrived he was rude to the staff, was always reluctant to do his chores, and very uncooperative. Over the last two months I have seen a drastic change in his personality and outlook on life. He is now helpful without being asked, and he seems to genuinely be interested in other’s wellbeing. He now has manners that were never there, and he is polite to even complete strangers. He has helped many new residents feel welcomed into such a strange unfamiliar environment. After we finished cleaning up from dinner I pulled Johnie aside and I told him that I truly believed he has turned into a fine young man in his time here at the Compass House. I could tell by the look in his eyes that what I said really meant something to him.
Johnie has been here for so long because his mom is in a nursing home with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Her prognosis isn’t good, and they don’t think she will be coming home. Johnie has no family here so he is waiting until he turns 18 in three weeks to go and live in a group home. I’ve learned in PSY 397 Neurobiology of Mental Disorders, that MS is a type of subcortical dementia. This is a fatal disease, and her doctors think she is in the last stages. Johnie is obviously very depressed about this, but he has decided to turn his life around because he knows that is what his mom would want.
Total Completed Hours: 123
Deletions:
6/14 Training: Today was my first time ever being the in house. I met Yvonne, who is in charge of all of the interns and volunteers, along with about 10 other people who were there for training. The training was less extensive than I thought it might be especially because of the fragile state of many of the residents. I’ve learned that there is room for 13 residents to stay at one time, and they are separated by sex. They also have very strict rules about everything from chores and curfew, to sexual relations with other residents while staying in the house. They are also required to lock up all personal belongings like cell phones, computers, and gaming systems while staying in the house. Residents are required to meet with their counselor when scheduled and participate in group/family therapy if it is recommended. Since this is a voluntary shelter, the resident may chose to leave at any time if they do not want to cooperate with the rules. Also, since they are all minors, the staff has the responsibility of contacting the youth’s legal guardians when they arrive at the house. I was under the impression that most of the clients would just show up at the door, but in reality most of them are brought in by the police. This usually happens if the parents do not want the child to stay at home anymore because of a conflict, or if they are found on the streets.
6/15 (all names have been changed): This is my first shift at the Compass House. I am nervous, but excited at the same time. When I arrived there were four residents who were setting the table and getting ready for dinner. I felt a little out of place at first because everyone is just expected to jump in and start doing something but I caught on quickly. As we were sitting down for dinner one of the residents started to fill their plate with food when he was kindly asked to wait because at the Compass House everyone is requested to take a moment of silence before eating. This allows anyone who has a religious affiliation to pray and appreciate the food while everyone else respects that. The house rules states that no religion will ever be forced on anybody, but everybody is free to practice their own religion, and I think this a very interesting approach. After the moment of silence it becomes more of a crazy mess of passing plates, dishes, and tangled arms. It is kind of an “everyman for himself” attitude. During dinner I was able to talk to some of the residents about their upcoming finals, and what their plans were for the summer. After dinner all of the residents are assigned a chore, which includes sweeping, mopping, dishes, garbage, and wiping down the counters and table. After all of the chores are completed the youth are allowed free time until it is time for bed, which is 10:30pm on weeknights and 1:00pm on weekends.
I was able to spend some time with the two female residents in the arts and crafts room drawing before bedtime. Michelle who is a 17 year old middle class female from Amherst has realized that her life is nowhere near as bad as some other kids her age. She has admitted to taking her parents for granted, and she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that other kids are abused or kicked out. She left home because her parents gave her a curfew of 11:30pm that she thought was absurd. Meanwhile she has never had to take public transportation, and her car, cell phone, and computer are all paid for by her parents. On top of that she just received $600 as a graduation gift. After talking with Michelle she has agreed to try to talk to her parents like the adult that she wants them to treat her as. She is willing to take on more responsibilities around the house, and even wants to work out a chore/responsibility plan because she has seen how effective it is at the Compass House.
The other female resident, Selena, has a story that I still think about regularly because this was the first file I read through. Selena’s father stabbed her mother in front of her when she was three years old, and she now has PTSD. This causes many psychological problems for her, including but not limited to, difficulty sleeping and feeling detached from others, which I’ve learned about in Abnormal Psychology. I also learned about false memories which can be suggested by family members or therapists. Since Selena was so young when this traumatic experience occurred it seems unlikely to me that she would actually be able to remember the events. After time though patients start to “remember” more and more about the events and research has shown that they remember things that never happened. It would be very difficult to determine whether or not her memories were accurate, but either way it is suggested that she relives the trauma in order to overcome it. On top of that she has contemplated suicide multiple times, and even attempted it once which lead to a two week long hospital stay. She is also diagnosed with depression, and anxiety disorder. Selena is receiving therapy, but she is not currently taking any medication. I would suggest that an SSRI such as Prozac or Paxil could be very beneficial to her. This could help treat her PTSD, anxiety and depression. It was very difficult for me to read through this file because Selena has a lot of potential. She is a very talented artist and she wants to go to college to become either an art or dance therapist. I spent a lot of time answering her questions about college, and what it’s like to take the SAT’s. I also helped her study for her math final that was the next day. My shift came to an end when the residents all went upstairs to get ready for bed.
6/16/11: The same four residents are here today. Once again I arrived just as dinner was about to be served. The atmosphere today seemed livelier and the kids seemed like they had really opened up to each other. After dinner and chores Ben, a staff member, showed me some of the general office duties like the proper way to answer a phone, and how to fill out a blue sheet. A blue sheet is what is used to record all of the information that is received over the phone, usually about incoming residents, and is stored for our records. After that we watched a movie and played cards until it was time to go to bed. When the kids went to bed I read through some more of the residents files. The information collected is very in depth and personal. They also store old records until the youth is at least 18 years old (meaning they could no longer stay at the Compass House). Also of the data collected is used for national statistics and research as well.
Revision [2111]
Edited on 2011-08-17 19:48:34 by SamanthaBobbeAdditions:
Please note: The names of all residents have been changed to protect confidentiality.
