Can I Handle This?

My professor made a comment last week in my Sociology of Religion class that really resonated with me. We were discussing the Central American Peace Movement, and what social factors contributed to creating and making this movement successful. My professor made a comment about how personal reflections and accounts from Central American refugees "humanized the problem" for many Americans. This comment stuck in my head for the rest of the day. I thought about it while I was waiting for the bus, while I was eating my PB&J sandwich, and even while I was supposed to be paying attention in my Gender Studies class. The wheels in my head kept on turning, thinking of how often times, a personal connection to an issue is what makes the problem seem real and pressing.

In many ways, my internship has humanized a lot of problems for me. Problems of drug addiction and substance use, problems of mental health and domestic violence. When I took on this internship, I was drawn by my passion for social change and contribution. After years of watching Law and Order, and all the Criminal Justice classes I had under my belt, I felt that I was more than prepared to handle anything that came my way. After all, I did read almost every Nancy Drew book (Spoiler Alert: the later books kind of lost substance for the narratives, so I made a decision to stop with the series), what couldn’t I handle?

Well, apparently Nancy Drew had some thick skin, and some serious emotional disengagement skills. As the weeks progress, I find myself becoming more and more emotionally overwhelmed with my internship. Turns out although classes can prepare you for the situations you may face, actually experiencing the situation is a lot different. It’s easy to strategize and see a clear solution from a textbook, but seeing a problem in front of your face changes your perspective completely. I have become extremely invested in the clients Centerstone helps—and leaving these emotions at my internship has been difficult. These emotions are having me question whether or not I can handle a career in the mental health and counseling field. Although I am passionate about the subject, and passionate about helping others, I’m worried the stress may become overwhelming…

Will these emotions subside with prolonged experience, or will I continue to feel emotionally overwhelmed?

Posted by Anne

Crunch Time

Thanksgiving break was a really nice time to spend with my family and friends. I really enjoyed seeing some of my best friends, and I was excited to see them for the first time since school had started. We had so much to catch up on, and it felt just like old times even though we had been away at school for months. My parents and I enjoyed some time together spent outside enjoying the nice weather we had one day, and indoors watching movies and Christmas shopping the rest of the time, when it was rainy and cold outside.

I realized when I was home that as much as I love being there, it is just a little too quiet for me and I really feel like Bloomington is my new home, where I am surrounded by so many of my friends all the time and always have somebody to study with or play guitar with; it’s never lonely here.

Coming back from break, however, was a transition back into the “real world,” which includes tons of homework and projects to finish out the semester. I am questioning whether I have enough hours in the day to finish all the projects, homework and studying I need to have done by Monday alone. I am getting a little worried, but I know that no matter what it takes I will get everything done, even if it means having a few late nights at the library.

In the midst of everything, I am beginning sorority rush this weekend and I’m really excited, although it puts a huge dent in my studying time! I definitely think it will be worth it though- I will just challenge myself to manage my time so I can finish everything I need to by Monday. I will check back in a week, see you then!

Posted by Rachel

Class Scheduling!

I have scheduled my classes, and I am satisfied with what I’m taking. I will be taking Business Presentations, Folklore, Finite Mathematics, Accounting and Psychology. I am most excited about Business Presentations and Psychology. I think Bus Pres will be a great opportunity for me to improve upon my public speaking skills. I have never taken a speech or public speaking course, nor had much experience in it, and I know it is very important to know so I am ready to learn how to do well in that. Psychology will be an interesting class because I have never had any experience in that, either, and a lot of my friends said it is a good course to take. I think it’s an interesting area to study.

I like next semester’s schedule a lot more than the classes I am in right now, because, for the most part, right now I am taking classes that are required but not really learning about anything new and interesting. It will be nice to have a change of pace and have a more varied schedule.

I have been enjoying my weekends a lot here at IU. Last weekend I volunteered at the Physics Open House on campus, which is an event that shows kids the fun in science (like a children’s museum.) A lot of little kids came and had a great time. They really enjoyed the station that I was working at- a demonstration of pulling out a tablecloth from underneath a table set with dishes and a lit candle. They had fun and also learned about friction within physics.

It’s time for Thanksgiving, and I am really looking forward to spending some time with my family at home, and just relaxing. I love IUB, but it will be nice to be surrounded by my family again, and my pets of course! I am also looking forward to spending time with my best friends back home. I will check back after a week of relaxation and fun. See you soon! (:

Posted by Rachel

Quality Over Quantity

One of the most stressful and exciting times in the semester for me is class registration. Like many students, after midterms I start to get restless with my schedule. The routine of class, work, internships, and social activities begins to drag on, and I am ready for a change of pace. This semester more than ever, I have been giving a lot of thought to my work, education, and social life balance. By balance, I’m really referring to lack of balance. This semester I have taken on too many responsibilities—15 credit hours, 2 jobs, 1 internship, organizations, and when I have time, rushed social activities with my friends. As a result, I have let my physical health fall to the side, ‘me’ time has vanished, and I have a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. Despite acknowledging my need for balance adjustment, as I look at the possibilities for next semester, I am reluctant to change my plate of responsibilities. It’s like the feeling of decreasing your speed when you’re driving on the interstate. When you’ve been speeding along for the past hour at 80 mph, decreasing to 70mph because you see a cop makes you feel like you’re crawling.

It’s easy to diagnosis my lack of balance as an over commitment issue; however, I think the problem is my focus on quantity of work over quality of work. I’m definitely not alone in this mentality either. Within my generation, and society, there is an extremely strong emphasis on accumulation. The amount of experiences and opportunities acquired can be perceived as more important than the quality of the experience or opportunity.

I was discussing this idea with Katie, a professional staff member here at the Center. She related this mentality to a common job search strategy she observes with students. Often students apply for job after job after job, churning out their resume and cover letters like an assembly line. They fail to focus on the quality of the application, or resume they are submitting—however, taking the time to tailor these materials for employers is what contributes to a successful candidate. The same could be said for positions on campus—it stands out more having a leadership role than being a ‘member’ of several organizations. I think that making this mental shift, focusing more on quality over quantity, will allow me to prioritize next semester more efficiently.

Posted by Anne

Going to Jail

This week at my internship, I went to jail. We had a six month follow up interview with one of our clients. The county we traveled to was about two hours away, in rural Southern Indiana. The town was just a dot on the map, off of a small state highway, away from any major metropolitan areas or interstate highways. Although I went to the federal penitentiary for a field trip my freshman year, this was my first time visiting a county jail. Jail is interesting; if you have never been, it’s worth experiencing from the outside of the bars. It’s easy to make the argument imprisonment is a good method of deterrence if you have never examined the environment of jail or prison. This particular jail fascinated me, due to its’ size and limited resources.

When I visited the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, not only was there more security, but there was also more opportunities for inmates to learn new skills, or better themselves. They could hold janitorial jobs, or work in the factory attached. There was an art room, a religious worship room, a psychiatric ward, and even a special Christian affiliated community corrections program. Compared to the federal penitentiary, the county jail had limited things to occupy an inmate’s sentence- it was a solitary, confined place. Sparse visitors and a once a week library cart appeared to be the only thing inmates could interact with. There were no major programs, job opportunities, or educational opportunities available. After our interview, and experiencing the environment of this particular jail, I had a lot to think about on the ride home.

In my Criminal Justice classes, I have learned a lot about the US prison system. The US has the highest prison population in the world, as well as an extremely high recidivism rate. (Recidivism, in the simplest terms, is re-offending and returning to prison after being released.) After visiting the county jail, our country’s high recidivism rate makes complete and total sense to me. The system confines inmates, giving them limited opportunities and resources to better themselves. It then releases them back into the world, without adequately preparing them to get jobs, seek education, build healthy relationships, or cope with addictions.

Visiting jail made me realize the importance of the grants and correctional programs I work on for my internship. It made me realize why community corrections exists; and why the people I intern with are so passionate about the work that they do. I’m really happy that I’m gaining the experience of this internship. Even if I don’t decide to pursue a career or course of study relating to community corrections, I’m glad I had the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself.

Posted by Anne