Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Unwritten: A Day in the Life (mine)

Let's face it... my job pretty much sucks: 

The very nature of being a crisis counselor, therapist, casemanager or any other kind of mental health professional requires that I respond with professionalism to kids who have been abused and basically fucked over for years; first by their families, and then by a system that fails to protect them. 

I get calls in the middle of the night from children, adolescents, and even my friends who are in vaiying stages of crises— some are suicidal psychotic, angry, and pretty much just all kinds of fucked up. 

But today, TODAY!!!! 

Today, a child rolled up her sleeves to show me that her set finflicted wounds (cutting) were beginning to heal. She threw out her last razor blade from her hidden collection the night 
before. 

Today, I won a small battle. 

Today, I saw a life change and the healing begin, Not just for her, but for aii of us. 

Today, I won a small battle. 

As one of my former clients told me, what I do is important— because even though I may not change hundreds or thousands of lives every day of my life, I make a difference one life at a time. 

At the time, I couldn't: stop the tears from my eyes now I can't stop the warm feeling that has taken hold of my body and me same instead of the tears.
 
I am so very proud of you. 


Elyssa D. Durant, Ed.M.