Helping profession with a history of MI and trauma

[creative_writer]

@RiverSeal, trusting is hard, especially if one has had a lot of bad experiences with others. I stated off feeling very isolated too, it’s gotten a bit easier to talk to my peers with time, I know ultimately many social work students are very empathetic and deeply care about others.

I know that when I go into the social work profession, having a trusting supportive relationship with supervisor is important too, which is scary.

I think the beauty of uni is, you can start at a later point in life. Taking a break can be really good for you too, both emotionally, even in terms of building skills

[RiverSeal]

Sounds like we've had some similar experiences and have similar thoughts about our work environments. Working in the mental health sector has been the biggest and most effective part of my recovery. I hope you can get that when you are ready to work or maybe you are already @creative_writer? I'm a bit older and I think that makes a different experience compared to the younger generations who start straight after VCE.

[creative_writer]

@RiverSeal, I do feel lived experiences do affect our career choice. My intention for going into mental health was to help others, but it has helped me too. I think studying does provide insight. You also have to develop skills to cope with your own stresses to be in the headspace to help others. They emphasise the importance of self care in my course, both when going through confronting content and on placement. Starting off when you’re a bit older can have it’s perks, I was a complete mess when starting off my undergrad at uni, 18 year olds aren’t always the best at managing stressful situations