Disorganized. This one is from Tuesday
Good morning. This is me. We are just sitting down up front and trying to let go of some of the extra flourish our one talkative client brings in. Her brother has a cold so she wants everyone to pray for him. I don't think anyone likes a cold, but then again it's not a life or death crisis as she's weighting it toward. She doesn't realize nor have I ever been able to make her realize that what is going on in the minds of all the other people in the room might be just as important as her personal concerns. Even in talking to her and trying to convey to her ... look at so and so or look at so and so ... that it's still going through her approval process in does my experience get YOUR approval for breathing space. It's really not supposed to be one person's choice. I don't know how to get over this.Now she's asking for prayers for one of the staff who is supposed to bring her to work, and when one of the other clients announced his birthday tomorrow she asked why are you saying that ... it just doesn't make any sense ... she's getting worse instead of better. We might have to confront her a bit today, but usually what we do there is to make certain true or false statements.
Hmm, ok that went ok ... we confronted her on a few things. She thought that she should talk to Cathy one of the other staff or sister because her watch didn't work. We backed her up in realizing this wasn't an issue that was of their concern. If her watch didn't work then she should talk it over with her mother. Then she made a comment about letting her brother come over. We discussed is he coming over because it's his mother's house, or was it because the client was letting him come over. She shifted around the conversation, but at least she slowed down for a few moments.
I was disappointed to learn yesterday that Sr. Florine had taken away the tape recorder to be used in another capacity. She should have at least let me know ... because it had been established as a goal. I had also brought in one of my earphones, and instead of giving me those back, she just placed them in a box under the small table. We learned that from one of the clients. It doesn't sound very responsible.
I know, I know ... who am I to talk about responsibility? I told one of the clients next to me after she asked if we were going to be busy today that we would be working with Group III for CIRCLES. So then the talkative client announced loudly that her Group 1 would have it the following day. Everything about me including not only the Group announcement, but that she should be in the middle of a conversation between me and another client. Now she is being quieter. I think it's important to confront her when necessary - falsehoods are made, but it's not worth stopping her every time she speaks.
The room is filling in nicely. There are 9 people here now. It is sometimes hard just watching them without interrupting. But, I feel it's important that they get their time to settle into the morning with as little disruption as possible. Hmm, so saying that ... is there anything I need to be doing or thinking? We're still in a monitoring mode. When the client with too much on her mind spoke the last time she was telling me that I had to get her a notebook because she'd run out of paper. We again reminded her that wasn't our business, but that her mother should get her some more paper she was at the drug or grocery store. She then announced that she would ask Sr. Florine for the paper. Well, that's half the battle.
I could say it in a million different ways how this client expresses herself, but it's all pretty much the same thing. She's just on her own agenda ... I would go as far to say that it's a narcissi personality - and in so being she's got limited ability to be thinking of anything different.
Hmm, Margarita is back. I think that's a good thing for the client, but not ... ok ok ... I know we've been here. The phenomena still floors me. It shouldn't, but it does.
I don't know where I picked up such high expectations for this person. I know she's capable of conversations and thoughts, it's just her domination of her ideas and needs over everyone else. This probably tells me something as a professional that I lack in many respects. I feel some empathy, but I also feel put upon. I think this is a selfishness about me that might not be too different than the other. The only difference is that I am important to just me where she needs to be important to everyone.
I can't imagine Dr. Marvin complaining about one of his client's problems, so I'm thinking I'm off-base here.
*Sigh* Ok, we’re back in the office. We had to face-up to acknowledging a mistake … we thought it was the 28th today and it’s turned out to be the 27th. Sister was the one who knew the correct date … so we gave her a hug for showing her a bad time Hehehe and we admitted to the group that we were wrong. Yay Ann!
We also before sister had gotten back talked to the talkative client about being in the middle of everyone’s world. We drew her a picture where she was big (a smiley face) and how everyone else was small. She did reasonably well in trying to get through that discussion without becoming defensive. I don’t believe we made a strong headway, but there’s an indentation as to being ready for the next conversation. She repeated her egocentrism during the next conversation too so we said … see this is what we’re talking about.
I don’t know how much control she has over it, but we need to be doing something with it. But, then she used having my ear to go over a half dozen other things – still taking up everyone’s time to be listening to her. So then we ended the conversation when she brought up the tape recorder. I told her that Sr. should have done something else besides just taking it away and that I would talk to her and try to resolve a different path.
posted by Ann Marie @ 1/28/2009 11:45:00 AM
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