An update on my job.

The Momma mentioned in a "recent" post that I needed to comment a little bit on my new job.

I am working for Metrocare Services in Dallas. They are basically Dallas county's mental health provider. I work for their Family Preservation Program. My basic job is to work with kids who have some sort of mental health diagnosis and who are having problems at home, at school, or with the law (most of the time its all three).

I can't really call what I'm doing counseling or therapy. I teach the kids and their parents skills that they can use, stuff like communication skills, anger management skills, and social behavior skills. I also do case management, which means I help the family link up with community resources they might need. I do stuff like help families find a doctor, or locate some possible places to live, or help parents navigate the educational system to get their kids the attention they need.

I go out and visit with the kids and their families in their homes or at their schools. I have no office of my own, I work at home or out of the car. I do get to determine my own work hours, but I'm finding that to be more challenging than I imagined it would be.

I am finding this job to be a great challenge. This job is really a social work job more than a counseling job, but I'm going to gain some great experience, and I'm really excited to be working with kids. I am so very grateful to have any job at this point. Even when the job is tough, it feels good to have a purpose everyday. It feels even better to see that some of my efforts are making a direct impact for good in others' lives.