Welllllll, I Went Back To Contract Work...
 
I like to believe it's because I'm all conscentious about my clients.  You know, that I just can't crowd my week with a lot of supervisions and expect to be fully 'there' for my therapy sessions.  And in truth, that's what did give me the belly cramps and sleeplessness. 
 
But too, supervisions and care plans are easier than therapy.  So in going back to contracting, I can decrease the number of therapy hours I do per week and not have my supervision pressure me to keep my weekly face-to-face hours up.  Now if a client cancels, I don't have to fight for rescheduling--the only person who feels the financial pinch is me, not the company (well to a degree yes, but at least they won't pressure me as much).
 
Funny, but when I finalized my return back to contracting, my supervisor asked me if I had felt too pressured before.  Well, obviously I did, or else I'd not have changed my status, but actually, I didn't feel TOO pressured.  Her presentation of what I needed to do was never TOO much.  In other words, I like my supervisor.  She presented the job requirements just fine.  I just don't feel capable of doing that much therapy and the other things too.
 
I'm hoping it'll be different when I work out of an office and the client are coming to therapy beacuse they feel a need.  Most of the kids I work with now present with resistance and some resentment.  They HATE to hear their parent(s) rail on them with accusations--Johnny always does THIS wrong, Johnny never does THAT right, blah blah blah--and I'm on the kid's side when that starts to go down.  Because, hello, who's going to be motivated to change when all they hear is criticism?  Especially when they really do have a habit of doing badly?  Habits are hard enough to break as it is.
 
Anyway, that's the skinny, recently.  I feel good about it, and it will remain to be seen how much money I'll still be able to make now.  They are asking for me to do A LOT of supervisions.  I'll have to do a lot of phone work in order to get all my supervisees to comply--but again, with decreased therapy hours, it's more doable than before.

Me at 7/22/2004 10:14:00 AM

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