Social Work Archives - Amelia Hall, MSW

Back to Basics

*This post was originally written in my journal, which will make more sense as you read, but I wanted to share it here too.*

The amount of unfinished journals I have lying in the crooks and crannies throughout my apartment is too numerous to count. Due to my love of writing, every year as a kid for Christmas or my birthday, I’d inevitably be given a journal from a family member or friend. I’d write in it for a day or two, and after a week went by, the journal got lost among the many books I wanted to read, never to be seen again.

Over time, as technology has evolved, so did the method of my writing. Gone were the days of pen and paper and in came the days of online journals and blogging. The fact that I can’t remember when I last wrote in a journal (except for now, obviously) is sad. Yet, here we are.

Over the past few months, I’ve been pretty stressed. But when you consider that I’ve been busy with wedding planning, starting a new job in October of last year, and the daily struggle of not only surviving, but thriving, the stress is understandable. Self-care needs to be a priority right now. I’ve told myself that and my therapist has told me that, but it doesn’t always stick.

I work in the helping profession, and in my case, “I love helping others” translates to “I help others long before I help myself.” However, I also know, thanks to my advanced education in counseling and social work, that in order to be of use to the people I’m helping, I have to make myself a priority. Easier said than done, right?

But, that’s where journaling comes in. A few days ago, I was mulling over my typical go-to self-care activities like taking a bath and listening to music, only to realize that those activities don’t get me out of my head enough to allow me to calm down, which I need these days. Then my therapist mentioned journaling, and I said, “But I only feel like I can write a blog post when I have something to say.” Then my therapist said, “What about writing in a journal that no one but you will read?” As crazy as it sounds, that hadn’t really crossed my mind.

For the past 7 years, blogging has been my go-to in terms of writing, which has been great. Along the way, I’ve become part of a wonderful community of fellow writers that I love. However, there is something to be said for writing with a pen and paper vs. typing. Honestly, I think part of it is because I’m at a computer most of the day at my job, so when I finally get home at the end of the day, sitting in front of the computer is the last thing I want to do, even if it is to write. The other part though is the environment. On my computer, there’s email, Facebook, YouTube, Pandora, and all sorts of other distractions. But with a pen and paper, it’s just me, my thoughts and a blank page. It’s quiet, serene. As I sit here writing longhand I am very mindful of the peace I feel internally. I’m not distracted, I’m not worried about what anyone will think or say…because the only person these words will benefit in this exact moment is me. For the first time in months, I feel at peace. I feel a sense of calm I haven’t felt in a long time.

And that, my friends, is what it’s all about. Getting back to writing because of the way it makes me FEEL…authentic, free, and the truest version of myself I’ve ever known. Not writing because of what other people want to read, but because it’s what I need in order to be the best version of myself that I can be. And if I have the option to be that person, shouldn’t I take it?

Categories: Mental Health3 Comments

My Writing Is Getting A Facelift!

Amelia Hall January 1, 2018May 1, 2021 #blogging #blogging community #books #Cerebral Palsy #College #employment #job #Life #Love #Master's Degree #music #Physical Disability #Psychology #Social Work #work #Writing

I’m typically not one for New Year’s resolutions. My stance has always been that if you want to change something in your life, you don’t need to wait for a specific day of the year to make those decisions. However, at the same time, I get it. It’s a new year. A chance to try new things, commit to things you’ve strayed from, or just make a commitment to treat yourself and the people you love better.

On November 1, 2011, I started my very first blog: Life In The Blue Ridges, and to put it simply, it was not only a smashing success, but one of the happiest times in my life. Back in 2011, I made the commitment to blog every single day for entire year, and I did it. It wasn’t always pretty. Sometimes I had something to say, other days I didn’t. Yet, I still posted every day. Even on the days when the words just wouldn’t come, I reflected. I posted the song lyrics to music that had been stuck in my head, I posted recent photographs I’d taken, or I talked about the book I was currently reading. Through a year of daily blogging, I found something I didn’t know I was searching for: my voice and a community. Simply put, I found myself.

A lot has happened since I first began blogging a little over 6 years ago. I met the love of my life, I graduated from college (BA in Psychology), I got my Master’s in Social Work, and I’ve traversed the daily grind of living life with a physical disability. A lot has changed since I first began blogging, but one thing has stayed the same: my love of writing. However, I’ll be the first to tell you that my blog in it’s current state does not reflect my love of writing. Life happened. School was placed at the forefront of my life. I fell in love. My career was my priority.

As previously stated, the happiest time in my life was when I was blogging daily. I’ve come to that conclusion. And I’ve also realized that the joy of writing can only be felt by writing itself. I’ve tried getting myself wrapped up in my job, reading a lot of really good books, and just doing things that make me happy. However, none of those things have brought me close to the bliss and authenticity I feel when writing. So here I am….back in the blogging community…and making the resolution to myself to write every single day once again. How long that will go, I’m not sure. As of now, I want to set the goal of writing every day for a year. I did it once. I can do it again. I’m sure things will come up that may derail that a bit, but when that happens, I’ll come back to the blank page and type one word in front of the other. That’s all writing is anyway, right?

Happy writing, friends. Here’s to a new year, resolutions, and lots and lots of writing.

Categories: Disability, Education7 Comments

Disabilities within Social Work: The Road Less Traveled

Amelia Hall January 23, 2016 #Cerebral Palsy #Disability Advocate #Education #Life #Public Speaking #Social Work

Two weeks ago I wrote a blog post expressing my stress and confusion regarding not knowing what I population I wanted to work with following graduation from my MSW program in May. At the time, I was considering either mental health or disabilities.

After having time to weigh my options, talk with friends and professors, and receive feedback from a stranger, I’ve made my decision. The disabilities field is where I belong. Not only is it my passion; it’s my calling. As someone with a disability myself, I have the ability to offer a unique perspective as a social worker that not many others can provide. Not only do I possess the knowledge as a social worker to look at each individual from a systems perspective, I personally understand the struggles and frustrations of living with a physical disability. I know without a shadow of a doubt that there a very few social workers who can bring in that kind of experience to further empathize with and help their clients on an even deeper level.

You’d think that finally nailing down what population I want to work with would make things much easier. And it has. But there have also been some challenges. For instance, upon talking with the director of my MSW program, I was told something I already knew but didn’t necessarily want to be the case. I was told, “There aren’t social workers in the disabilities field. So, if you want to work in the disabilities field, you’ll have to create a job for yourself.” Even though I already knew that there is a very apparent lack of social workers in the disabilities field, it wasn’t any easier to hear. However, it did help me to put things in perspective and gave me an idea of what to do moving forward. My MSW program director mentioned that finding a job within the disabilities field will be all about networking (as is the case for most jobs, but I think it’ll be even more important in my case). He advised me to literally talk to everyone I know about my passion for working in disabilities and use every possible interaction to discuss my interests and goals.

Following my meeting with my program director, I knew I had to get to work. Therefore, I started by updating my LinkedIn profile to reflect my interest in the disabilities field. Secondly, I decided to make myself some business cards so that anytime I meet someone I want to network with more, I can provide them with my business card. And boy and boy, they sure make me feel professional! 🙂

For me, another important thing I wanted to be sure and market is my experience with public speaking on the topic of disabilities. Not only am I currently writing my memoir of living with Cerebral Palsy, I also love talking about my disability, especially in schools. When I lived in Asheville and was getting my bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I frequently spoke to groups of elementary and middle school students on the topic of disabilities and bullying. My experiences speaking to those children were some of the most meaningful moments in my life, and I definitely want to once again get involved as a public speaker within the school system to talk about disabilities. As of right now, I don’t have connections within the Charlotte Mecklenburg school system. However, my MSW program director notified me that he plans to reach out to someone he knows within CMS who would likely be very interested in having me come speak at some schools in Charlotte. So, I’m crossing my fingers.

My first speaking engagement in Asheville, NC at Haw Creek Elementary School. November 2013.

Though it is somewhat frustrating to know that I’ll need to create my own job (in a sense), I am no stranger to going after what I want, even if that may seem impossible. Due to having a disability, I have faced many barriers throughout my life. However, that has never stopped me from chasing my dreams. So, the idea that there are not social workers in the field of disabilities won’t be a deterrant for me. On the contrary, actually. Because there is a lack of social workers in the disabilities field is EXACTLY the reason I need to go into the field. At this point in my life, I’ve become a pro at adapting to seemingly impossible situations, and I’m more than willing to do whatever needs to be done to provide individuals with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities the advocate they deserve!

Categories: Disability5 Comments

Jobs, Money, My Future…Oh My!

Amelia Hall January 9, 2016 #Aspirations #Career #Future #Helping #Helping Profession #Jobs #Life #Money #Social Work #Working #Writing

To say it has been a long time since I’ve blogged is an understatement. Between being in my final semester of graduate school (which starts back on Monday), stressing about jobs, money, and my future, and fitting in time with my boyfriend and my cat, there hasn’t been time for much else. However, as usual, this blog/writing has been in the back of my mind. So, here I am.

When I first began my MSW (Master’s in Social Work) program in August of 2014, I thought I knew what I was in for. I thought I knew the population I wanted to work with. I thought I had the hard parts figured out already. However, I’m beginning to realize that starting my MSW program was just the start. As it turns out, the hard decisions have yet to be made. People ask what population do you want to work with and what kind of work do you gravitate towards within social work…and my expression is completely blank. Because you know what? I don’t know. I don’t know, and that’s scaring me.

As part of my MSW program, each year students are required to complete an internship/field placement for each of the two years of the program. During my first year, I began by interning with an organization that works with individuals with disabilities. However, after a big personality clash between my supervisor and I, I made a quick switch after a few weeks. I then interned for the rest of the year at an adult day health center for individuals with dementia. While I enjoyed that, the pace was somewhat slow for my taste and I didn’t really like working with the elderly population, so I knew that during my second year, I wanted to do something completely different. Therefore, this year, my field placement has been in the case management department of a local hospital. While I enjoyed it at first and I’m able to do the work, I’ve recently realized that it’s not where I want to work following graduation.

Here’s what I do know as of now: I’m interested in mental health (but don’t have any experience with it), I’m interested in disabilities (but know that I want to directly work with clients as opposed to doing a lot of behind the scenes work) and I want to do clinical work. I also know that I love working with kids, but don’t necessarily know if I’d like working with them in a mental health capacity.

And here’s where all the frustration comes in. While I realize that it is just as good to know where you don’t want to work as well as where you do, I thought I’d have a better idea at this point. I thought I’d have it figured out, and I don’t. I thought graduate school would help me figure out what the hell I want to do with my life, but it hasn’t. Other than knowing I want to be a social worker, obviously. Which is good, I guess. But it doesn’t feel like enough.

I’m hoping that I have a better idea of what direction I want to move in following graduation, but what if don’t? What if I’m just as clueless then as I am now? The hard part is that I know I’ll need to get a job following graduation in order to pay for rent, bills, and living. At the same time, I’m just as scared to take a job working with a population I don’t have experience working with. To be honest, that terrifies me….to get in a job and realize the learning curve is way more than I bargained for. Therefore, the obvious result would be to take a job in an area of social work that I already have worked in (like in gerentology or the hospital)…except for the fact that I know I don’t enjoy working with those populations/in those settings. Agh! I’m frustrated, to say the least.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to talk to multiple people about all this. And all of them have told me that it’ll all work out and that I’ll find a job. However, what many of them have also said that it may not be a job I really like right out of graduate school. And I guess that’s what’s so hard. The uncertainty. The not knowing where I’ll be working. And the likelihood that even once I find a job, I might not even like it. How crappy is that? I thought the whole point of going to graduate school was so that I could work in a field I love and enjoy going to work every day?

And when I get in this kind of funk, the ever looming question emerges: Am I cut out for this work…Do I really even want to be a social worker? At this point, I know one thing: I know I want to help people. I want to help people more than anything in the world. And hopefully, when the time comes and I’m sweating my way through all sorts of job interviews, that will be enough.

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5 Things a Year of Graduate School Taught Me

Amelia Hall April 16, 2015 #Academics #Achievement #Confidence #Empathy #Master's Degree #Medical Social Work #Self-Care #Sensitivity #Social Work

It’s hard to believe that my first year of graduate school in social work will be over in just a few short weeks. It has been quite a journey thus far, one that I never could have predicted, but also one that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

When I first began this journey in August of last year, I was excited, but also nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. With just a bachelor’s in psychology under my belt, I hadn’t had much exposure to social work. Therefore, the thought of jumping into a field placement during my first year in the program was terrifying. Not to mention, I had just moved to a new city and knew no one, so the weeks leading up to the start of my master’s program were filled with uncertainty.

However, now having a year under my belt, I can proudly say: I made it. Don’t get me wrong. All the anxiety and uncertainty I had in the beginning lasted quite a while, and I spent many months of this past year wondering if I had made a horrible mistake. There were nights when I wondered if I was cut out for this work, and times in which I wondered if I should knowingly set myself up for such an emotionally difficult career. However, there were also good days too: the day when it finally hit me that I am destined to be working at a children’s hospital as a medical social worker, and the day when I began to trust myself and the knowledge I was gaining as a social worker.

Needless to say, I have learned so much throughout this past year, about myself and about the profession of school work as a whole. So, here are the five main things my first year of graduate school in social work has taught me:

Self-care is incredibly important. Many of us enter the field of social work because we have a strong desire to help vulnerable populations. Some of us may have even been one of the vulnerable populations at one time. In my case, living with a disability has been challenging, but has helped me to recognize the barriers individuals with disabilities still face today. Despite that passion to help others and cultivate change, we still need to remember to take care of ourselves, both mentally and physically. Personally, I’ve found that what helps me most is listening to music, writing, and a massage every month.
Sensitivity is just as important as assertiveness, if not more so. One of my biggest struggles this year has been reaching a point where I feel confident in myself and in my abilities as a social worker. Early on, I was under the impression that social workers had to be really assertive, and that was something that worried me because I’ve always been very sensitive and have had a difficult time asserting myself. After all, how was any kind of change ever going to occur if there wasn’t a social worker who was assertive enough to make that change happen? However, I’ve come to realize that sensitivity is just as important, if not more so! Because if you can’t be sensitive enough to empathize with your clients and meet them where they are, then change definitely won’t happen.
Confidence comes with time and PRACTICE. Since I came into my MSW program with a bachelor’s in psychology as opposed to a bachelor’s in social work, I was worried that I wouldn’t be cut out for jumping right into a social work field placement, and I was concerned that the courses would be too new and overwhelming. My first semester was definitely challenging, mainly in terms of getting accustomed to a new discipline and trying to take off my psychology-focused hat. Additionally, my first semester was also the time in which I wondered if social work was really for me (since the courses affected me more emotionally than I thought they would). However, now that I almost have two semesters under my belt, I know that the emotional piece is what I love. It’s what drew me to social work in the first place.
I’m becoming the person I’m meant to be. It’s safe to say graduate school has changed me. I am definitely not the person I was when I started my MSW program. Over the past year, I’ve been forced to be critically introspective and to examine my own reasoning behind certain beliefs, values, and opinions that I’ve had for much of my life. Even though it’s been difficult, it’s been even more rewarding. I’m happy to say I’ve addressed many different internal attitudes I’ve wanted to work on for quite some time, and I think it just took some poking and prodding from professors as well as support from my fellow graduate students who are going through the same thing. And honestly, the thought that I am finally moving towards the kind of person I’ve always wanted to be is incredibly satisfying!
Helping myself will increase my ability to help others. You know how the saying goes: you can’t adequately help someone through something until you’ve dealt with your own issues, and while I don’t necessarily believe that, I do know that working through your own issues will definitely allow you to connect with your clients on a deeper level than you could before. Personally, I know I have tons to still work through, but the wonderful thing is that now I have fellow students and professors to lean on for support when I need guidance.

Categories: Disability2 Comments

Why I’m Participating in Relay for Life

Amelia Hall April 9, 2015 #Cancer #Children #Disabilities #Fundraiser #Relay for LIfe #Social Work #Special Needs

Though I have never participated in Relay for Life previously, this year I felt a particular need to do so. As a current Master’s of Social Work (MSW) student, my fellow classmates and I are studying to become social workers who are able to best support the most vulnerable and oppressed populations, and my population of choice is children with special needs and children undergoing treatment for cancer.

In August of 2013, I began a year-long internship with Arts For Life in Asheville, NC that changed my life. Arts For Life is a non-profit organization in North Carolina that teaches art projects to children in the hospital. Specifically, I taught art projects to children with special needs and children undergoing treatment for cancer. Early on, I felt particularly drawn to the children I worked with because like them, I spent extensive amounts of time in the hospital as a child because of my Cerebral Palsy. While I was a patient at Greenville Shriner’s Hospital as a child, doing art projects was the highlight of my hospital stays. Therefore, to have the chance to provide the same happiness to other children was incredibly rewarding. I worked with many children and families throughout my internship who commented that I had changed their lives because of the joy I was bringing to them and their families. But truly, they were the ones who changed my life.

Please join me in raising money for anyone who is fighting or has fought cancer. No one should face such a hard battle, especially children!

Click the following link to donate and support me at Relay for Life: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ameliacoonrod

Categories: Advocacy, Cerebral PalsyLeave a comment

On The Right Road

Amelia Hall May 13, 2014 #Academics #Accomplishments #Achievement #Arthur Levine #Bachelor's Degree #Bullying #Cerebral Palsy #College #Commencement #Disability Awareness #Graduation #Helping Others #Helping Profession #Higher Education #Keynote Speaker #Psychology #Social Work

This past Saturday, I graduated from college with a Bachelors in Psychology. As I sat in the third row among my classmates, barely viewable among a sea of blue, I was happy. I wasn’t the girl a few seats over who kept having to wipe away her tears. I wasn’t the guy one row in front of me who looked bored, as if he’d rather be any other place than seated among his classmates. I was the girl in the third row whose gaze kept moving back and forth between the keynote speaker and section 4 of the arena where my friends and family were sitting. I was the girl who was soaking up every moment.

Author and higher education expert, Arthur Levine, was the keynote speaker at my graduation ceremony. At first, when he began discussing the current state of our economy and the degree of technological change within our society, I became bored. These were things I had heard countless times, especially within the bubble of a liberal arts university. However, what he said later made me perk up my ears.

“We need your help as part of the most diverse generation in U.S. history – we need your help to knit together a deeply divided nation,” said Levine. “We need your help in dreaming, designing and developing a new world tied together by technology. … We need your abilities and imaginations to create the first global society in history. … Tomorrow’s going to require leaders who want to help heal a pained nation and a troubled world – you can make a difference. … Making a difference is your birthright.” (courtesy of the UNC Asheville website)

Specifically, the last part of this passage touched me, most importantly the idea of helping to heal and make a difference. In many ways, since I have chosen to pursue my master’s degree in social work beginning in August, I felt as if Arthur Levine was speaking only to me. There were moments in which it felt like he was looking right at me. It was as if he was simply reassuring me that I am moving into the right field, while also moving into a profession that I have a true passion for. Receiving this kind of reassurance, which I assume was not his intention, was one of the greatest graduation gifts I could hope to have been given. It was as if the universe was saying, Yep, you’re doing exactly what you need to be doing, so keep going.

Therefore, rather than processing out of my graduation ceremony with a sense of worry and dread, I held my head high. I smiled because for the first time in my life, I truly felt like I was on the right road to start doing what I’m meant to do. What I also realized was that I’ve been doing just that for the past few years. I have been following my passion of helping others ever since I decided to open up about my experiences with Cerebral Palsy in January of 2012, and that passion has only increased since I have started speaking to elementary and middle schools on the topic of bullying as it relates to my CP experiences. So, though I haven’t started my master’s program yet, I do feel like I have been on the right road for a while now. Truthfully, I think I knew that the first time someone contacted me after reading a blog post of mine to tell me how opening up about my experiences has helped them to better understand what their son, their daughter, or they themselves are going through.

As I continue to enjoy my summer, and specifically focus more strongly on writing my memoir, I’ll push myself forward by knowing that I am helping others. Even if it’s just one person, I am helping that person to become more aware of disabilities. I am helping them to see the one thing that I myself still struggle to see sometimes: Different is beautiful.

Categories: Disability, Education, Writing6 Comments

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