Revision [1794]
Last edited on 2010-09-08 12:32:21 by KatieRichardsonAdditions:
5 hours
15 hours
15 hours
Week 3: 6/21 – 6/25:
10 hours
Week 4: 6/28 – 7/2
15 hours
Week 5: 7/5 – 7/9
15 hours
Week 6: 7/12 – 7/16
10 hours
20 hours
15 hours
TOTAL HOURS : 120
15 hours
15 hours
Week 3: 6/21 – 6/25:
10 hours
Week 4: 6/28 – 7/2
15 hours
Week 5: 7/5 – 7/9
15 hours
Week 6: 7/12 – 7/16
10 hours
20 hours
15 hours
TOTAL HOURS : 120
Deletions:
Week 5: 6/28 – 7/2
Week 6: 7/5 – 7/9
Week 7: 7/12 – 7/16
Revision [1783]
Edited on 2010-08-28 13:40:46 by KatieRichardsonAdditions:
Today was my first day in the behavioral services unit. Dr. Kevin Field, my faculty supervisor, and resident unit psychologist, showed me around the department, and introduced me to most of the staff. Then I went to human resources to get a ppd test, as well as my photo i.d for the hospital. It was kind of scary to be locked in the BSU for the first time. Some of the nurses didn’t know who I was and I feared they thought I was a patient. Thankfully, next time I will have a key and will be able to move around the unit as I please.
I was also introduced to the unit director, social worker, assistant director, along with several other techs and nurses. So far the staff seems very friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help patients along with one another. It is a relatively small unit with about twenty beds. The average length of stay is one week, as the BSU serves to get patients back at a stable baseline both physically and emotionally. Whether patients are sent by the emergency room due to self-injurious behavior, escorted by the police or concerned family members, most people that arrive at the BSU are in a state of severe crises. It is then the hospital’s job to get them back to a stable, functional level via counseling, various group meetings, and medication.
I arrived at BSU in the morning, and first attended treatment team with the staff of the adult unit. At this time they discuss all the patients as a team, regarding diagnoses, treatments, medication, and discharge plans. The staff works together to help patients plan and meet their goals for discharge, provide them with resources for outside life, as well as adjust medications.
Next, I attended cognitive behavioral group therapy led by Dr. Field. There, he discussed Freud’s theory of the ego, including the observant, conscious, and subconscious. His group session was similar to our 101 class, where he was the teacher trying to help the patients understand the concepts from a psychological point of view, in the hopes that they will be better able to understand their own thoughts and actions. I was able to contribute to the conversation by helping to explain the observant ego. A patient was having trouble understanding, so I used the analogy of the mirror, where we are aware of the self, and its actions and how they affect others. Dr. Field explained to me privately that he likes to run group in more of a classroom style rather than forum. Although he gives the patients opportunity to express themselves, he feels they require the structure of an informative session.
Following group, a paranoid schizophrenic patient had an outburst. This was my first time witnessing something like that. She accused the hospital evaluator of verbally harassing her, and demanded to speak to a supervisor, a long with a press conference to speak out for all mental health patients. She then escalated in to yelling about how her father beat her every night, and raped her every Friday night. It was difficult to hear. I am not used to this environment yet, but I think I will benefit greatly in that I will learn how to be professional amongst such awful, emotional subjects, which is essential in being a psychologist.
I was allowed to help give a Rorschach test to a middle aged woman suffering from depression. I thought ink blot tests were only used in cliché movies, however the test proved to be very informative and helpful to the patient. Every card is associated with certain aspects such as authority, male/female relations, and feelings of the self. The test can be used as a psychosis diagnostic tool, or to simply help the patient understand some underlying feelings they may be having. This woman was well educated and seemed to really appreciate the exercise. The test also provided a forum for the patient to openly discuss their mental illness, as well as the thoughts and concerns that come with it.
This week I primarily shadowed the staff of the adolescent unit at the BSU. First I attended their treatment team session. I learned a lot about different medications prescribed to patients, why, and how they work. Then, I followed the adolescent unit on their “rounds” where the entire adolescent staff: psychologist, social worker, recreational therapist, and nurses, meet with each patient individually. During these meetings they discuss the daily goals which each patient is expected to write down, the status of their discharge plan, and any incidents that might have happened the previous day. If the child acts out they are required to fill out a behavioral assessment plan, and present it to the group. They help the child to understand what happened, how they can do better next time, and how the staff can help them achieve better behavior. The adolescent patients must also follow a behavior modification plan, where they must petition to be at a certain “level”. These levels are color coded, and reflect the patients’ behavior. In order to be discharged, they must achieve the green level, which reflects appropriate, productive behavior. The patient is also required to explain why he or she should be allowed to move up.
The psychiatrist leads these meetings, and also attempts to get to know the patient, how he or she is doing in the BSU, which can be very stressful for some, or even comforting to others who come from horrific home lives.
There had been a significant amount of drama this week. With only one boy in the unit, the girls were fighting and instigating one another in jealousy. Their issues seemed to be those of normally adjusted as teenagers, however exponential in the fact that they are low functioning, medicated and trapped all together. Thursday’s rounds were not very therapeutically productive because they were busy handling the drama rather than focusing the patients’ personal problems, and actual reasons for being here due to an incident involving one girl slapping the boy.
I had the opportunity to assist Dr. Field in giving Bender-Gestalt Visual Motor Integration and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III to test and elderly woman for dementia. She proved to be positive, was very confused, and had trouble identifying her own family members, and the present time. This was difficult for me because my grand father suffered from dementia during most of my lifetime, and I was able to identify her before the test was even given. We didn’t make it all the way through the Wechsler III, because it was clear she was unable to identify the prompts, and to continue would have been redundant and almost cruel.
I am enjoying being able to assist with testing as I feel it is very important to the diagnostic and treatment process. I also believe it will greatly benefit me in my Assessment of the Behavioral Sciences class I will be taking in the fall, as well as increasing my ability to give them by myself in the future. I am learning how to professionally administer these tests, in a way that provides the patient with the most opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings, with as little help from the administrator as possible. It is important not to distract them or prompt them in the wrong way, as it can take away from the legitimacy of the test.
During lunch on Tuesday I was able to meet with a prescription drug salesperson who was visiting BSU. She had Dinosaur BBQ to effectively lure staff in to hear her speech. She was selling Seraqeul XR, a mood stabilizer which can be used as a sleeping aid, or as an adjunct depression treatment. It was interesting to hear how the drug worked and what studies had been done to show its effectiveness. I noted that while the drug had been numerically proved to be effective for treating depression, it had not been statistically proven. As I learned in Behavioral Statistics, to prove effectiveness statistically is extremely important, so it seemed she was selling an additional treatment that may or may not be effective.
I like to call this week “borderline boot camp” because the majority of the adult patients have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This is my first experience with borderline patients, and I am finding them quite challenging. At times they seem completely sane, and others they are making ludicrous self destructive statements. They tend to devalue and criticize and treatment given as well as the hospital in general, while complaining that they are not receiving enough help.
All of the cognitive behavioral group sessions this week focused on borderline personality disorder, including explaining the disorder, and helping patients work through typical problems borderlines have, such as respecting boundaries and controlling feelings such as anger, frustration, and sexual impulses. It was at times difficult to keep the group focused and productive, but they did seem to learn a lot from the sessions intellectually. Two female patients today showed sad affect, and were able to discuss the major problems they are facing as they try to move forward. I had not taken abnormal psychology, so this is my first exposure to this type of patient. I am learning a great deal about this disorder, what symptoms patients show, especially narcissism/histrionic ones and how they are best treated. In general they are difficult to treat because the narcissism tends to get in the way. However I do feel we are making progress. Ultimately the goal is to get them to a place where we can ensure they will be safe from hurting themselves or others upon discharge.
This week, I shadowed some of the hospital discharge planners. The hospital discharge planners are key in the post in-patient process. Often patients come in because they are not receiving sufficient outpatient support. The discharge planners ally patients with appropriate support systems, from living arraignments, clinic groups, support groups, rehabilitation services, residential treatment, and financial aid. I think this piece of the BSU is possibly the most important, as it is impossible for the patient to permanently reside here. Trying to help the patient adjust to outside life is absolutely necessary. It is totally possible for mental health patients to function successfully in society; they just need the extra tools and assistance. Discharge planners spend most of their time on the phone with various agencies trying to find availability in a multitude of services based on each patients needs. Patients sometimes spend an unusual time on the BSU waiting for a bed at another facility.
What concerns me is many patients are parents to multiple children, with seemingly no normative or healthy family structure. It is easy to see why mental illness can often be hereditary and cyclical amongst families. Luckily outside agencies are notified and involved to either remove children from the home or at least keep an eye on them. However it is still rather frightening that helpless children are allowed to live in a home with such blatantly unstable adults.
I was also introduced to the unit director, social worker, assistant director, along with several other techs and nurses. So far the staff seems very friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help patients along with one another. It is a relatively small unit with about twenty beds. The average length of stay is one week, as the BSU serves to get patients back at a stable baseline both physically and emotionally. Whether patients are sent by the emergency room due to self-injurious behavior, escorted by the police or concerned family members, most people that arrive at the BSU are in a state of severe crises. It is then the hospital’s job to get them back to a stable, functional level via counseling, various group meetings, and medication.
I arrived at BSU in the morning, and first attended treatment team with the staff of the adult unit. At this time they discuss all the patients as a team, regarding diagnoses, treatments, medication, and discharge plans. The staff works together to help patients plan and meet their goals for discharge, provide them with resources for outside life, as well as adjust medications.
Next, I attended cognitive behavioral group therapy led by Dr. Field. There, he discussed Freud’s theory of the ego, including the observant, conscious, and subconscious. His group session was similar to our 101 class, where he was the teacher trying to help the patients understand the concepts from a psychological point of view, in the hopes that they will be better able to understand their own thoughts and actions. I was able to contribute to the conversation by helping to explain the observant ego. A patient was having trouble understanding, so I used the analogy of the mirror, where we are aware of the self, and its actions and how they affect others. Dr. Field explained to me privately that he likes to run group in more of a classroom style rather than forum. Although he gives the patients opportunity to express themselves, he feels they require the structure of an informative session.
Following group, a paranoid schizophrenic patient had an outburst. This was my first time witnessing something like that. She accused the hospital evaluator of verbally harassing her, and demanded to speak to a supervisor, a long with a press conference to speak out for all mental health patients. She then escalated in to yelling about how her father beat her every night, and raped her every Friday night. It was difficult to hear. I am not used to this environment yet, but I think I will benefit greatly in that I will learn how to be professional amongst such awful, emotional subjects, which is essential in being a psychologist.
I was allowed to help give a Rorschach test to a middle aged woman suffering from depression. I thought ink blot tests were only used in cliché movies, however the test proved to be very informative and helpful to the patient. Every card is associated with certain aspects such as authority, male/female relations, and feelings of the self. The test can be used as a psychosis diagnostic tool, or to simply help the patient understand some underlying feelings they may be having. This woman was well educated and seemed to really appreciate the exercise. The test also provided a forum for the patient to openly discuss their mental illness, as well as the thoughts and concerns that come with it.
This week I primarily shadowed the staff of the adolescent unit at the BSU. First I attended their treatment team session. I learned a lot about different medications prescribed to patients, why, and how they work. Then, I followed the adolescent unit on their “rounds” where the entire adolescent staff: psychologist, social worker, recreational therapist, and nurses, meet with each patient individually. During these meetings they discuss the daily goals which each patient is expected to write down, the status of their discharge plan, and any incidents that might have happened the previous day. If the child acts out they are required to fill out a behavioral assessment plan, and present it to the group. They help the child to understand what happened, how they can do better next time, and how the staff can help them achieve better behavior. The adolescent patients must also follow a behavior modification plan, where they must petition to be at a certain “level”. These levels are color coded, and reflect the patients’ behavior. In order to be discharged, they must achieve the green level, which reflects appropriate, productive behavior. The patient is also required to explain why he or she should be allowed to move up.
The psychiatrist leads these meetings, and also attempts to get to know the patient, how he or she is doing in the BSU, which can be very stressful for some, or even comforting to others who come from horrific home lives.
There had been a significant amount of drama this week. With only one boy in the unit, the girls were fighting and instigating one another in jealousy. Their issues seemed to be those of normally adjusted as teenagers, however exponential in the fact that they are low functioning, medicated and trapped all together. Thursday’s rounds were not very therapeutically productive because they were busy handling the drama rather than focusing the patients’ personal problems, and actual reasons for being here due to an incident involving one girl slapping the boy.
I had the opportunity to assist Dr. Field in giving Bender-Gestalt Visual Motor Integration and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III to test and elderly woman for dementia. She proved to be positive, was very confused, and had trouble identifying her own family members, and the present time. This was difficult for me because my grand father suffered from dementia during most of my lifetime, and I was able to identify her before the test was even given. We didn’t make it all the way through the Wechsler III, because it was clear she was unable to identify the prompts, and to continue would have been redundant and almost cruel.
I am enjoying being able to assist with testing as I feel it is very important to the diagnostic and treatment process. I also believe it will greatly benefit me in my Assessment of the Behavioral Sciences class I will be taking in the fall, as well as increasing my ability to give them by myself in the future. I am learning how to professionally administer these tests, in a way that provides the patient with the most opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings, with as little help from the administrator as possible. It is important not to distract them or prompt them in the wrong way, as it can take away from the legitimacy of the test.
During lunch on Tuesday I was able to meet with a prescription drug salesperson who was visiting BSU. She had Dinosaur BBQ to effectively lure staff in to hear her speech. She was selling Seraqeul XR, a mood stabilizer which can be used as a sleeping aid, or as an adjunct depression treatment. It was interesting to hear how the drug worked and what studies had been done to show its effectiveness. I noted that while the drug had been numerically proved to be effective for treating depression, it had not been statistically proven. As I learned in Behavioral Statistics, to prove effectiveness statistically is extremely important, so it seemed she was selling an additional treatment that may or may not be effective.
I like to call this week “borderline boot camp” because the majority of the adult patients have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This is my first experience with borderline patients, and I am finding them quite challenging. At times they seem completely sane, and others they are making ludicrous self destructive statements. They tend to devalue and criticize and treatment given as well as the hospital in general, while complaining that they are not receiving enough help.
All of the cognitive behavioral group sessions this week focused on borderline personality disorder, including explaining the disorder, and helping patients work through typical problems borderlines have, such as respecting boundaries and controlling feelings such as anger, frustration, and sexual impulses. It was at times difficult to keep the group focused and productive, but they did seem to learn a lot from the sessions intellectually. Two female patients today showed sad affect, and were able to discuss the major problems they are facing as they try to move forward. I had not taken abnormal psychology, so this is my first exposure to this type of patient. I am learning a great deal about this disorder, what symptoms patients show, especially narcissism/histrionic ones and how they are best treated. In general they are difficult to treat because the narcissism tends to get in the way. However I do feel we are making progress. Ultimately the goal is to get them to a place where we can ensure they will be safe from hurting themselves or others upon discharge.
This week, I shadowed some of the hospital discharge planners. The hospital discharge planners are key in the post in-patient process. Often patients come in because they are not receiving sufficient outpatient support. The discharge planners ally patients with appropriate support systems, from living arraignments, clinic groups, support groups, rehabilitation services, residential treatment, and financial aid. I think this piece of the BSU is possibly the most important, as it is impossible for the patient to permanently reside here. Trying to help the patient adjust to outside life is absolutely necessary. It is totally possible for mental health patients to function successfully in society; they just need the extra tools and assistance. Discharge planners spend most of their time on the phone with various agencies trying to find availability in a multitude of services based on each patients needs. Patients sometimes spend an unusual time on the BSU waiting for a bed at another facility.
What concerns me is many patients are parents to multiple children, with seemingly no normative or healthy family structure. It is easy to see why mental illness can often be hereditary and cyclical amongst families. Luckily outside agencies are notified and involved to either remove children from the home or at least keep an eye on them. However it is still rather frightening that helpless children are allowed to live in a home with such blatantly unstable adults.
Deletions:
I was also introduced to the unit director, social worker, assistant director, along with several other techs and nurses. So far the staff seems very friendly, knowledgeable, and eager to help patients along with one another. It is a relatively small unit with about twenty beds. The average length of stay is one week, as the BSU serves to get patients back at a stable baseline both physically and emotionally. Whether patients are sent by the emergency room due to self-injurious behavior, escorted by the police or concerned family members, most people that arrive at the BSU are in a state of severe crises. It is then the hospital’s job to get them back to a stable, functional level via counseling, various group meetings, and medication.
I arrived at BSU in the morning, and first attended treatment team with the staff of the adult unit. At this time they discuss all the patients as a team, regarding diagnoses, treatments, medication, and discharge plans. The staff works together to help patients plan and meet their goals for discharge, provide them with resources for outside life, as well as adjust medications.
Next, I attended cognitive behavioral group therapy led by Dr. Field. There, he discussed Freud’s theory of the ego, including the observant, conscious, and subconscious. His group session was similar to our 101 class, where he was the teacher trying to help the patients understand the concepts from a psychological point of view, in the hopes that they will be better able to understand their own thoughts and actions. I was able to contribute to the conversation by helping to explain the observant ego. A patient was having trouble understanding, so I used the analogy of the mirror, where we are aware of the self, and its actions and how they affect others. Dr. Field explained to me privately that he likes to run group in more of a classroom style rather than forum. Although he gives the patients opportunity to express themselves, he feels they require the structure of an informative session.
Following group, a paranoid schizophrenic patient had an outburst. This was my first time witnessing something like that. She accused the hospital evaluator of verbally harassing her, and demanded to speak to a supervisor, a long with a press conference to speak out for all mental health patients. She then escalated in to yelling about how her father beat her every night, and raped her every Friday night. It was difficult to hear. I am not used to this environment yet, but I think I will benefit greatly in that I will learn how to be professional amongst such awful, emotional subjects, which is essential in being a psychologist.
I was allowed to help give a Rorschach test to a middle aged woman suffering from depression. I thought ink blot tests were only used in cliché movies, however the test proved to be very informative and helpful to the patient. Every card is associated with certain aspects such as authority, male/female relations, and feelings of the self. The test can be used as a psychosis diagnostic tool, or to simply help the patient understand some underlying feelings they may be having. This woman was well educated and seemed to really appreciate the exercise. The test also provided a forum for the patient to openly discuss their mental illness, as well as the thoughts and concerns that come with it.
This week I primarily shadowed the staff of the adolescent unit at the BSU. First I attended their treatment team session. I learned a lot about different medications prescribed to patients, why, and how they work. Then, I followed the adolescent unit on their “rounds” where the entire adolescent staff: psychologist, social worker, recreational therapist, and nurses, meet with each patient individually. During these meetings they discuss the daily goals which each patient is expected to write down, the status of their discharge plan, and any incidents that might have happened the previous day. If the child acts out they are required to fill out a behavioral assessment plan, and present it to the group. They help the child to understand what happened, how they can do better next time, and how the staff can help them achieve better behavior. The adolescent patients must also follow a behavior modification plan, where they must petition to be at a certain “level”. These levels are color coded, and reflect the patients’ behavior. In order to be discharged, they must achieve the green level, which reflects appropriate, productive behavior. The patient is also required to explain why he or she should be allowed to move up.
The psychiatrist leads these meetings, and also attempts to get to know the patient, how he or she is doing in the BSU, which can be very stressful for some, or even comforting to others who come from horrific home lives.
There had been a significant amount of drama this week. With only one boy in the unit, the girls were fighting and instigating one another in jealousy. Their issues seemed to be those of normally adjusted as teenagers, however exponential in the fact that they are low functioning, medicated and trapped all together. Thursday’s rounds were not very therapeutically productive because they were busy handling the drama rather than focusing the patients’ personal problems, and actual reasons for being here due to an incident involving one girl slapping the boy.
I had the opportunity to assist Dr. Field in giving Bender-Gestalt Visual Motor Integration and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III to test and elderly woman for dementia. She proved to be positive, was very confused, and had trouble identifying her own family members, and the present time. This was difficult for me because my grand father suffered from dementia during most of my lifetime, and I was able to identify her before the test was even given. We didn’t make it all the way through the Wechsler III, because it was clear she was unable to identify the prompts, and to continue would have been redundant and almost cruel.
I am enjoying being able to assist with testing as I feel it is very important to the diagnostic and treatment process. I also believe it will greatly benefit me in my Assessment of the Behavioral Sciences class I will be taking in the fall, as well as increasing my ability to give them by myself in the future. I am learning how to professionally administer these tests, in a way that provides the patient with the most opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings, with as little help from the administrator as possible. It is important not to distract them or prompt them in the wrong way, as it can take away from the legitimacy of the test.
During lunch on Tuesday I was able to meet with a prescription drug salesperson who was visiting BSU. She had Dinosaur BBQ to effectively lure staff in to hear her speech. She was selling Seraqeul XR, a mood stabilizer which can be used as a sleeping aid, or as an adjunct depression treatment. It was interesting to hear how the drug worked and what studies had been done to show its effectiveness. I noted that while the drug had been numerically proved to be effective for treating depression, it had not been statistically proven. As I learned in Behavioral Statistics, to prove effectiveness statistically is extremely important, so it seemed she was selling an additional treatment that may or may not be effective.
I like to call this week “borderline boot camp” because the majority of the adult patients have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This is my first experience with borderline patients, and I am finding them quite challenging. At times they seem completely sane, and others they are making ludicrous self destructive statements. They tend to devalue and criticize and treatment given as well as the hospital in general, while complaining that they are not receiving enough help.
All of the cognitive behavioral group sessions this week focused on borderline personality disorder, including explaining the disorder, and helping patients work through typical problems borderlines have, such as respecting boundaries and controlling feelings such as anger, frustration, and sexual impulses. It was at times difficult to keep the group focused and productive, but they did seem to learn a lot from the sessions intellectually. Two female patients today showed sad affect, and were able to discuss the major problems they are facing as they try to move forward. I had not taken abnormal psychology, so this is my first exposure to this type of patient. I am learning a great deal about this disorder, what symptoms patients show, especially narcissism/histrionic ones and how they are best treated. In general they are difficult to treat because the narcissism tends to get in the way. However I do feel we are making progress. Ultimately the goal is to get them to a place where we can ensure they will be safe from hurting themselves or others upon discharge.
This week, I shadowed some of the hospital discharge planners. The hospital discharge planners are key in the post in-patient process. Often patients come in because they are not receiving sufficient outpatient support. The discharge planners ally patients with appropriate support systems, from living arraignments, clinic groups, support groups, rehabilitation services, residential treatment, and financial aid. I think this piece of the BSU is possibly the most important, as it is impossible for the patient to permanently reside here. Trying to help the patient adjust to outside life is absolutely necessary. It is totally possible for mental health patients to function successfully in society; they just need the extra tools and assistance. Discharge planners spend most of their time on the phone with various agencies trying to find availability in a multitude of services based on each patients needs. Patients sometimes spend an unusual time on the BSU waiting for a bed at another facility.
What concerns me is many patients are parents to multiple children, with seemingly no normative or healthy family structure. It is easy to see why mental illness can often be hereditary and cyclical amongst families. Luckily outside agencies are notified and involved to either remove children from the home or at least keep an eye on them. However it is still rather frightening that helpless children are allowed to live in a home with such blatantly unstable adults.
