reflection blog

I read the article on the 17 year olds. I think one of the most interesting things I read was that most of these kids that are committed, go on to commit more crimes. It would seem to me that trying them as adults doesn't seem to help anything. I do think that there are some cases where 17 year olds need to be tried as adults. Those would be in cases of murder or rape. Another interesting thing I learned was that there are little or no educational services for these teens. At age 17, they should still be in high school and should be getting the eduacation they are required.

I don't have any questions at this time!

Reflection Blog

Wow, what a powerful song and video to go with it. It made me cry. It's so sad that people don't take these children seriously when they are talking about things that happen to them at home. How hard it must be for another child to have to hear things like that. A child that comes from a loving home where things like that don't happen and to hear your friend tell you these things. As a child you don't want to believe it.

As a parent who hears these things from their children you are put in a tough position. Is your child just having issues with their friend or are things really happening that could be stopped if people stepped forward? I would rather be safe than sorry and just report it. If I were that father only to find out I was too late in making a decision to do something, I would feel so guilty.

It reminds me of a situation a couple of years back when my husband came home from work on a Friday and said that he was worried about one of his friends from work. He said he was afraid he was going to do what Bill did, and that was commit suicide. He figured he would talk to the guy on Monday and see if there was something he could do, but when he got to work on Monday he found his friend had already taken his own life. It was hard for him to deal with the fact that maybe he could have done something. That's why I would just do something as soon as I knew anything because I wouldn't want to be faced with that feeling. I am glad people from that class were able to come forward and get help.

Journal number 5

I read the article on "Task Force Finds Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Effective for Children and Adolescents Exposed to Trauma". I would have to say that the two most disturbing things I learned from that article were one: National survey data from 2002 to 2003 on children ages 12 to 17 indicate that one in eight children experienced a form of child maltreatment, such as abuse or neglect; one in 12 experienced sexual victimization; and one in three witnessed or indirectly experienced violence or victimization, including rioting, assault, and theft. Another thing that disturbed me was the psychological harm that can result from exposure of children to trauma includes post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide, risk-taking and aggressive behavior, and substance abuse. It's very scary to think about. I have 5 children and my best friend has three. According to those statistics one of our children will experience some form of child maltreatment. And I sure as heck know it won't be from me or her.

A question I ask myself often is "how can I protect my children from this sort of thing happening?" The answer I get scares me because I don't think that I can fully protect them. Unless of course I sheltered them constantly and didn't let them have a life, but then I would go insane so that is out of the question.

Agency Reflection Paper

I talked to Dr. Jill Wollenzin PhD director of Mental Health services at the Marathon County Health Care Center. She wasn't able to give me exact numbers on the population served, but I did get an estimate. She estimated that they served about 400 people in the community with all the services they provide and between 40-60/day outpatient.

They have a few services that provide help to children and adolescents. They have 2 therapists that do one on one counsenling. They also have a group cognitive intervention and group therapy. These are for adolescents that are referred to the HCC by social services with AODA problems.

There is a Northwoods Aliance program which is a recovery-based program that assists families with children who have a mental health diagnosis. They help families find and access the tools that they need to successfully raise their children with special needs. They help families to build partnerships in the community. Families and service facilitators work together to identify supports and involve them in a child and family team.

There are Comprehensive Community services. They have case managers that do intensive in home services.

Anyone, adolescent or adult, can use the services of the crisis center. Anyone can call there with any sort of problems, such as contemplating suicide, and they can get advice from nurses. They can go through detox and are then referred to social services so they can get into a program or group home. They can also get them into one on one counseling if needed. If children need it, they can get sent to Mendota or Winnebago for inpatient care.

There are a lot more services available, but unfortunatly they are unfunded in Marathon County.

Module 6 analysis blog

So we are supposed to write about what we know already about local, state, and federal intervention strategies for youth and families. I know that locally we have many agencies that offer everything from one on one counseling to parenting classes. On a state level, we also have many of these same programs. There are also individual education plans available for students in school that need it along with group counseling and AODA counseling. Federally we have such things such as medications to manage symptoms of disorders along with physician monitoring and evaluation.

Right now all of my skills are book skills. I have not yet had to use any of these skills in a professional manner.

Journal number 4

This weeks readings hit pretty close to home for me. Something disturbing I learned this week had to do with teens and bipolar disorder. The warning signs for it sounded a lot like my son and the other disturbing thing had to do with depressive disorders and that sounded a lot like my daughter. Questions I still ask myself are "What can I do as a parent to ensure that my children will not endure these things?" The other question is "Is it already too late?"

I really could relate to the article on autism because my best friends daughter has an autistic child and I have seen the struggles she goes through daily with her. That is all I have for now.

Analysis blog post

I am not really sure that I understand what this assignment is asking for, so I will just do my best. I read the article on bipolar disorder in teens. The stuff they were saying about the signs of bipolar disorder were compelling to me. My son shows a few of these symptoms. Actually 3. My daughter shows some symptoms of a depressive episode. Knowing these things makes me more apt to watch out for side effects so to speak. Substance abuse, ADHD, and depression.

It is good to know that there are therapies and medications out there that can help children with these disorders. It is important to be patient and understanding when dealing with children with bipolar disorder and depressive disorders. It is also important to be understanding. These things are good to know if you are a parent or case worker or nurse or anyone who has dealings with these children.

I hope this is what you were looking for. If not, just let me know.