After the celebrations.

"Let the work begin!" or something along those lines. Christmas followed by new year, closely followed by my birthday and then the first day of work that earns me an income. The beginning of 2012 has been punctuated by celebrations, get together's with friends not seen in many months, catching up with friends who are no longer in the country but having holidays and of course daring to look at the study schedule for the year ahead. Reality bites and really hard at that. While I do not have a full course load - discretion got the better part of valour on that one as well as financial constraints - it does seem as if I have a full time study schedule! Besides 5 exams there are 13 contact sessions with lecturer's and supervisors for 3rd level social work. For me this is a sure indicator of the practical nature of social work studies and something that a distance learning university has taken to heart in finding ways for their students to get to grips with the practical nature of applying the theoretical knowledge. I am fortunate enough to live within driving distance of a learning centre, but I imagine that other students will either have to make use of public transport or even get to the city to stay with friends and family to attend the compulsory workshops and supervision sessions. For me this year is definitely a shift from the reading of texts and writing essays to the actual implementation of the social work skills and being able to effectively show these skills during the sessions. So, roll on process notes, genograms, putting feelings into words, justifying certain ways of being or interacting in role plays and workshops.

"A genogram (also known as a McGoldrick-Gerson study^[1] or a Lapidus Schematic^[1]) is a pictorial display of a person's family relationships and medical history. It goes beyond a traditional family tree by allowing the user to visualize hereditary patterns and psychological factors that punctuate relationships.^[1] It can be used to identify repetitive patterns of behavior and to recognize hereditary tendencies.^[2]

Genograms were first developed and popularized in clinical settings by Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson through the publication of a book titled Genograms: Assessment and Intervention in 1985. Genograms are now used by various groups of people in a variety of fields such as medicine, psychiatry, psychology, social work, genetic research, education, and many more. Some practitioners in personal and family therapy use genograms for personal records and/ or to explain family dynamics to the client. Few if any genealogists use them.^{[3] "}

 ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genogram}

A New Year and New Challenges

With the beginning of a new year and looking back at the challenges that were taken up during 2011, I am both grateful and amazed. Grateful for the opportunity to work and study and amazed that despite financial difficulties and some health problems, 2011 has been a successful year.

Usually my position economically is starkly contrasted with the 40% of South Africans who have no formal work opportunities and for who everyday is a matter of getting food on the table. But 2011 certainly brought the rest of the world and especially Europe and North America into the limelight with financial woes and crises of their own. The impact of higher joblessness on these continents is already being seen with reports of higher numbers of homeless making the news. I would imagine that this crisis might see an increased need for social services at these troubled times and have lasting impact on families and individuals around the world.

Going into 2012, my wish is for those in the helping profession to continue to practise the values that form the basis of this work and to keep the faith in a world that at times may seem too much to bear with the pain and the suffering encountered everyday.

To end is a poem on the change of year:

"How beautiful the turning of the year!
A moment artificial yet profound:
Point upon an arbitrary chart
Passing like a breath upon the heart,
Yearning with anticipation wound,
New hope new harbored in old-fashioned cheer.
Even when the boundary line is clear,
We recognize the oneness of the ground.
Years, like circles, do not end or start
Except we lay across their truth our art,
Adjusting dates as they go round and round
Revolving to a tune long sung and dear." 

Turlough O'Carolan