tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52651775141696093172011-11-28T10:29:49.380+10:00Suddenly I find myself unemployed... but how can that be? I have a psychology degree. If only a uni degree meant instant qualification and employment. Follow my path from unemployment to success and everything in between. This is my rags to riches story!Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.comBlogger1421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-30819454759382237232009-08-12T13:12:00.002+10:002009-08-12T13:15:30.415+10:00

It's been forever since my last update. We have been in our new house for 3.5 months now. There were a lot of glitches initially, including the need for our our hot water system and oven to get fixed. But now all is going well. The house is still in a state of un pack in places, but looking more and more like a real house every day.We are yet to have a house warming party to celebrate our big

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-65259844092168152162009-04-17T12:23:00.001+10:002009-04-17T12:25:00.528+10:00

Still waiting on our first home buyers grant to be approved and this has caused a massive delay in our settlement date. We should have had keys to our house tuesday, but at this rate, we'll be lucky to get them by monday.We need to be out of our rental by Wednesday so I'm stressed beyond words right now. We might have to start transferring our stuff to one of our parents houses until we can get

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-25789268318619741052009-04-03T15:27:00.001+10:002009-04-03T15:28:11.856+10:00

We now have unconditional finance approved on our house. That means now it's all a matter of time. Settlement is due 14 April. Fingers crossed nothing delays it!

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-36203877167822156932009-04-02T08:13:00.000+10:002009-04-02T08:16:59.999+10:00

On further exciting news, my 2 year supervision program has come to an end. My supervisor signed off on my competencies and assessments on Tuesday and the paperwork has all been submitted to the Psychologist Board to determine if I am suitable for full registration as a psychologist. Finally big things are happening! The Board sits at their next meeting on 16 April, upon which they will go

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-24736118028577274502009-04-02T08:08:00.001+10:002009-04-02T08:09:24.762+10:00

Less than 2 weeks until we own our own home. Settlement date is 14 April and we move in that following weekend. Our finance has been approved so now it's waiting for that final paperwork to get signed off. It's all very exciting.Now I just have to pack!

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-90294336615387090902009-03-27T21:51:00.002+10:002009-03-27T21:55:13.601+10:00

Here in Australia, we have two alternative pathways for becoming a fully registered psychologist. One is to complete a masters post graduate degree and the other is through supervision. I chose the supervision path as I wanted some practical experience after so many years at university and really could not imagine another 2 or 3 years of study at that time.The supervision program runs for a

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-47911329992134948152009-03-25T08:27:00.003+10:002009-03-25T08:28:53.752+10:00

The house thing is coming along... slowly. Still waiting for the final stage. Finance approval. Which should be fine, but the cut off date is Friday and as yet, no answer from the bank. Our broker is chasing it up every day. It is so stressful all this waiting, however we are confident all will go fine. It's just a matter of time.I have also started packing, which is exciting but painful at the

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-69727001575541651372009-02-25T19:14:00.003+10:002009-02-25T19:27:08.386+10:00

At the moment here in Queensland, Australia, there is a bonus government incentive for first home buyers. If you build a home, you get a bonus $21k to use towards your home loan or set up costs, or if you buy an established home, you get a bonus $14k. Not only is this a massive incentive to buy a home, but our interest rates have started to drop after being at an extreme high for a long time.So

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-77221103562933224622008-08-13T21:51:00.002+10:002008-08-13T22:07:39.733+10:00

I have been very slack but that is largely due to the very lousy internet I have. It is one of those wireless ones that connects by USB and is supposed to be fast broadband speed etc. Yeah right! It is the slowest, must unreliable internet ever. And we're stuck with it for 24 months.However there is not much news to report at this point in time anyway. Work is much the same. Although I am

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-22569578666759370522008-06-25T07:37:00.002+10:002008-06-25T07:39:55.345+10:00

It has been a year today since I started my job at the prison. I can't believe that it was more than 12 months ago that I was unemployed and frantically seeking work.In that year I have gained so much valuable experience in the field of psychology, learnt so much and shown my ability. I have gone from a correctional counsellor with no experience, to holding down the fort, to now being second in

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-86191281685649777832008-06-15T17:27:00.002+10:002008-06-15T17:31:34.428+10:00

It seems it has been quite some time since I posted an update... so what is new? Well nothing too drastic. I am still waiting for my new contract and payrise to come to affect. That will be next pay onwards though so finally some extra cash. I have been extremely busy and had a few health issues so a huge workload teamed with a few early finishes due to doctors appointments has left me a wee bit

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-67009203929890204602008-05-28T07:22:00.002+10:002008-05-28T07:24:51.028+10:00

I have been at my current job at the prison long enough now that I too am now experiencing the pattern of the revolving door. It has now reached that point where even under a year I see the same faces coming in and out. Most of them are offenders who have breached their parole conditions or failed to comply with probation orders. But then you get the ones who stay out for a couple of months then

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-38501227892000356452008-05-27T07:00:00.002+10:002008-05-27T07:04:29.415+10:00

I have not yet received my updated contract at work to reflect my pay rise. I was told the contract started yesterday so it is concerning I have not yet signed it. I'm not sure if that means today's pay is higher or from next week. I would say from next week makes more sense. The thing I am happiest about is for a person still in training, there are few industries that allow you to break the 50k

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-16605550117774720232008-05-20T07:15:00.002+10:002008-05-20T07:21:17.562+10:00

Since February and for the second time since I started my job, almost a year ago, I have been covering two positions at work. Most of the time this is managable, by sharing a few tasks out, but sometimes it is insanely busy. I was wondering when they would hire a new psychologist for the other role, assuming they would of course do so eventually. However yesterday I got an unexpected call from

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-50103510131363278402008-05-08T11:37:00.002+10:002008-05-08T11:39:33.741+10:00

My assistant supervisor asked me to research empathy for a session in the future with the sex offender I have been working with. After completing a questionnaire on schemas, he ranked as having a very maladaptive view of empathy so by doing this it will be like real intervention for a change. I am quite excited but I will admit, also quite lazy. She told me to look it up about a week ago and I

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-64047332057831305112008-05-04T15:37:00.002+10:002008-05-04T15:41:25.906+10:00

The past few weeks, since the new senior psychologist started, things have started to feel really good in terms of my position at work. Suddenly I am able to do more psychologist related tasks, including conducting psych tests and individual sessions with offenders. My supervision is more relevant to my work finally and it just feels like I am learning so much.I am doing my fortnightly sessions,

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-50530900751054628952008-04-27T12:04:00.002+10:002008-04-27T12:08:22.248+10:00

I had my first session of supervision with my assistant supervisor. I can already tell she is going to be a far easier person to approach with concerns and for advice when I need it. She even said herself that supervision is more than a teacher-student relationship, and I can come to her with general stressors also like a counsellor. That is something I could not imagine doing with my other

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-42999315976949551232008-04-22T22:16:00.002+10:002008-04-22T22:19:24.222+10:00

Can you believe that even though my workload has not decreased in the slightest and we are still short staffed, suddenly I am back to being too far ahead of my work and ending up with big gaps with nothing to do. It is crazy. Is there not a job to keep me busy for a full 7.5 hours a day every day. I finally thought I'd found the position to do just that but no, boredom has struck again. Not in

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-55523606780655232972008-04-11T07:14:00.002+10:002008-04-11T07:19:27.386+10:00

Yesterday I got to complete my fourth VRS assessment. That is good because I am getting a lot of experience in it. The training is important as there are only 3 people in our centre who are able to conduct the assessment and one of those has to verify the work of myself and the other person able to conduct it.The assessment is recommended to any offender with a history of repeated violence and it

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-18947069280336642532008-04-08T07:24:00.002+10:002008-04-08T07:28:44.897+10:00

We now have a fully qualified psychologist to provide supervision on site at work. This is a first since I have worked there. While I could cancel my former supervision agreement entirely and save a lot of money, I am quite a few hours behind where I would like to be at this stage, so I have decided to take the supervisor at work on as an assistant supervisor.I will have my first session with her

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-36799654872432816922008-04-02T21:53:00.003+10:002008-04-02T22:01:47.236+10:00

Whenever I tell someone I work in a prison, their reaction is usually either 'Whoa that is really cool' or 'How can you do that?'. Either way it is extreme but I think I have adjusted to the whole thing quite well. Yeah it is a great conversation starter, but I rarely just think OMG about much that I hear, and yes I do hear some extreme things.However, every so often something happens that does

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-27923932667177356562008-04-01T07:14:00.001+10:002008-04-01T07:16:02.518+10:00

I tried to make that phone call yesterday but it either rang out or was engaged and I was too busy to keep trying. I sent the person an email to say I tried. Another day without having to make a decision. Today will probably be the day now.

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-51497829577723431502008-03-30T10:54:00.003+10:002008-03-30T10:59:03.347+10:00

On Friday afternoon, the general manager of my work called me to discuss the training I applied for. He heard I was leaving and had no plan to give me training if I would not be sticking around. I told him I had not been given an offer and had decided I would rather stay at my current work anyway. He told me he would approve and cover costs of this training if I agreed to sign a contract stating

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-52380640361182787842008-03-27T07:11:00.001+10:002008-03-27T07:16:34.395+10:00

I found a flyer at work on a training seminar for two days learning about managing and assessing at risk Indigenous people. As an Australian prison, we have about 20% Indigenous community and their risk is significantly higher than other offenders. Due to their spirituality, they are also often misdiagnosed with mental illness.The training sounds ideal for that part of my job and our Indigenous

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-11288356858462483432008-03-25T07:13:00.001+10:002008-03-25T07:17:29.305+10:00

There is nothing worse than returning to work after a long weekend. It just makes it that little bit harder than a typical return after the weekend. How I wish the Easter weekend was actually an Easter week!

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-64362707766448333902008-03-24T12:22:00.000+10:002008-03-24T12:24:45.704+10:00

I have not yet heard anything of the new job as yet and for that I am somewhat relieved as I believe I have probably made up my mind to stay in my current job even if I am given an offer of employment. Unless they are offering maybe 7k more a year at least, then it is very unlikely that I will want to change jobs. And even then, the location for my current job is just ideal and I am likely to get

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-13500699339590347192008-03-19T07:18:00.001+10:002008-03-19T07:22:01.516+10:00

Yesterday was my job interview at the other prison. I have been stressing about this for about a week now. Not even about the interview as such, but definately about the drive. Well I managed to get home in one piece but the traffic is every bit as awful as I expected and it wasn't even peak hour yet when I finished. However the interview itself went really well. They skipped half the questions

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-38307571187845846012008-03-13T18:51:00.002+10:002008-03-13T18:56:54.428+10:00

I must say this has been one of those weeks I wish I could rewind or skip entirely. It has been nothing but bad luck and probably one of the worst in my entire working life, yet I am still kicking and keeping on top of things.I have been offered a chance to interview for the position at the other prison on Tuesday next week. That is great but in a stupid mistake where I emailed a work friend to

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-68217080600384970792008-03-11T16:51:00.002+10:002008-03-11T16:54:53.896+10:00

Today I had a chat with my manager and discussed yesterday's situation. I told her how I believe I was only rude after I was treated rudely and told her about the inappropriate and petty things my former manager said during the discussion. I also talked to her about needing more support in my current position, since I can't be two places at once. Overall it was what I hoped it would be. She was

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-9422389544588162102008-03-11T07:08:00.002+10:002008-03-11T07:15:50.189+10:00

Yesterday I had far too much work and too little hours to do it in again. There was an issue that had come up and had been forwarded around in an email about one of the new arrivals. I had never had this situation before so I just wanted a bit of a heads up on the procedure so I emailed my old manager who is in charge of that side of things. The position I am doing back up for until they hire a

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-39988232724884741892008-03-07T21:39:00.002+10:002008-03-07T21:44:28.079+10:00

Today was another typical friday in corrections. It was going great right up until the last minute, so I cannot complain as much as I normally could on a Friday. I got lots of preparation done in the morning and did my parole interview before lunch. After lunch I finished the report already for the parole. We have around a month to do this in so I am exceptionally far ahead. Then there was the

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-32262657202076475382008-03-06T20:36:00.001+10:002008-03-06T20:42:07.802+10:00

I was starting to worry that I had not heard back about the job I was asked if I would be interested in. I figured I must have asked for too much money. So I figured it would not hurt to send an email to see what was happening. I was told not to worry as they had not forgotten me but were still working on salary and other details. He said once it is worked out he'll let me know and I can work out

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-38578555600663671322008-03-04T14:24:00.001+10:002008-03-04T14:24:59.772+10:00

My new car was finally available for pick up today. My parents came along with me since my partner had an audit at work and could not get the day off. So finally it arrived. Only took a couple of months of painful waiting. And a birthday present from my parents two weeks delayed. That being my new personalised number plates.I just took the car for my first test drive. Just a wee bit scary

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-86625132820212088002008-02-29T07:59:00.003+10:002008-02-29T08:02:33.734+10:00

The resume has been sent. Now I just wait and see what happens.Today I have a huge day. I have to meet with the people from in the city from the Dangerous Prisoners Sex Offender team... can't remember specifically what the abbreviation stands for but its along those lines. I have to meet with them so we can put together a management plan for an offender under the act. Lucky me got stuck with the

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-81249739360013118962008-02-27T21:36:00.002+10:002008-02-27T21:42:13.598+10:00

The person asking if I was interested in a new position at another centre wants my resume by tomorrow. I had the dodgiest resume written up, from when I was at uni and had very little work experience. I am still amazed it got me an interview with my current job. I just completely remodelled the resume using an online website guide. Looks quite swish now and far more relevant. I actually have

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-65135267330146234442008-02-26T21:52:00.002+10:002008-02-26T21:58:51.666+10:00

Today I had an email to call a former collegue. He was a manager at the prison and moved to another local correctional centre prior to the new year. He was one of the many who moved on to bigger and better things beyond where I work. He is also the partner of my former manager. So I gave him a call thinking it was probably relating to some counsellor request which I planned to pass on to our new

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-33415372303024655912008-02-24T17:27:00.001+10:002008-02-24T17:30:13.885+10:00

Went back to work for a whole day on Friday before the weekend and it is a good thing too. I'm not sure I could have handled a whole week straight with all the changes. Firstly, I have a new office which means new computer (old crappy one), new desk and not all the things I need. Not even a working phone or a filing cabinent but I'll work on those things Monday.It also meant heaps of work to

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-4035388260589358742008-02-20T10:08:00.002+10:002008-02-20T10:30:22.339+10:00

At supervision this week my supervisor again tried to get me to do role play for counselling practice. I hate it so much. I don't like being on display. So he ended up just demonstrating for me instead after me intentionally doing a terrible job to avoid it. I know... I need to get over that. I am fine when i'm talking to an actual client at least.Then we covered a few other odds and ends, such

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-67800978422562099742008-02-16T00:08:00.000+10:002008-02-16T00:11:15.078+10:00

I've taken a week off work for what was meant to be for several different reasons. An interstate trip that never happened then to pick up the new car I ordered for my birthday. Really I should be picking that car up first thing tomorrow morning but instead it has been delayed. So now I have pointless holidays, but I'm not really complaining. I needed a holiday.Since my car was delayed I

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-64372454450719268202008-02-12T07:33:00.000+10:002008-02-12T07:36:37.592+10:00

The girl who I used to work with who was a big factor in the reason I changed departments told me yesterday she has resigned and her last day is the day before I finish my holidays. Just under two weeks time. At first I thought that was great news, but then the reality of it sank in.The last time the person in that position resigned, I was left to do both mine and that job for around 2 months.

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-45600294464217015302008-02-07T18:22:00.000+10:002008-02-07T18:25:30.233+10:00

Partner is out of town for the next few days and thankfully work is so insanely busy that I didn't even have a chance to miss him today. That does not solve the lonely nights, but is certainly better than nothing.I have a massive workload, trying to get everything prepped and ready before I go on holidays next Friday. I could just hand some of it over to the people who will be at work, but that

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-57887557165406877942008-02-04T07:32:00.000+10:002008-02-04T07:35:53.335+10:00

During my supervision session on the weekend, we spent a great deal of time working on Genograms. Of course I had heard of them before, but never in the context of a therapy session. Apparently they are extremely well used in family and relationship therapy, or just in general private practice counselling. By having a client describe the family connections between themselves and the rest of the

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-34735887175230570402008-02-01T20:07:00.000+10:002008-02-01T20:13:09.357+10:00

My supervisor gave me a Christmas present out of his own assessment collection. We were discussing the different competencies I needed to meet for my supervision in psychology requirements and got on to the topic of the Myers Briggs personality test. He just happened to have a spare assessment book, so he gave it to me as a way of practicing my assessing skills, meeting a competency and just

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-70049201245448767142008-01-31T21:54:00.000+10:002008-01-31T21:57:36.557+10:00

I'm not sure if perhaps it is the normal procedure in my new department, or if it is true the rumours I have heard that certain people like to palm off and delegate tasks to others to reduce their own workload. I certainly have been given an excessive amount of work to do since swapping departments, all while holding down my other job until a replacement is found too. However, I'm not complaining

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-1871904747081659032008-01-26T10:30:00.000+10:002008-01-26T10:33:28.175+10:00

I cannot believe how tired I am after a week in my new position. I suppose that is probably because I am still doing my other job completely as well as starting to share the workload in my new one. They have thrown me in the deep end big time and I have already sat in on my first parole panel but thankfully one of the other girls was nice enough to chair it for me this time. Tuesday I have 4

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-21553065338906861902008-01-22T17:26:00.001+10:002008-01-22T17:28:13.030+10:00

I have started my new position officially today, complete with meetings about my new role and all the other bits and pieces. In some ways I am very excited, but I can already see the few things that might start to annoy me fairly quickly. Like some of the not very psychological tasks that I will have, but that was the same with my other role. Either way, it means I'll be able to expand my

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-51163460885777574552008-01-18T21:11:00.000+10:002008-01-18T21:17:51.018+10:00

Well I got my wish. When things got too much at work, I emailed the new management and asked for a department change. The conflict with the other girl I work with was just too much and also the fact that I was lacking stimulation a lot of the time as well. I thought it would not only get me away from the conflict but also give me a chance to develop new skills and keep me busier overall.My

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-67953809504199314012008-01-11T07:41:00.000+10:002008-01-11T07:48:25.266+10:00

While I am working now and don't really need extra cash to survive like I did between jobs all those months ago, it never hurts to earn a little more. Every so often when I do get a bit of time, I still participate in online surveys and other various money makers. They do not earn a person lots of cash generally, because there is little time devoted to these activites, but it can be a fun and

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-24271641991503542942008-01-09T20:50:00.000+10:002008-01-09T20:59:20.544+10:00

Today I received verification that I am officially qualified to conduct an ORNI-R assessment (Offender Risk Need Inventory - Revised). Big assessment in Australian prisons so it is quite a good skill to have. The assessment involved a self-paced training module which is sent into head quarters for approval and now I am on the registry as being qualified. It is only a baby step for my future but

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-15600425322747542302008-01-08T16:39:00.000+10:002008-01-08T16:44:36.543+10:00

It is often believed that people measure success by possessions. Right now I don't look overly successful. I drive a 20 year old rust bucket of a car and live in an old, small rental house. However, I am just starting out and am definatly already on my way to moving up in this world when it comes to material possessions. As mentioned previously I have already ordered and organised a loan for my

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-43234661593766368352008-01-08T16:35:00.000+10:002008-01-08T16:39:15.189+10:00

Today I was having a chat with my boss after lunch. Just a casual sort of thing, rather than a meeting of any sort and she expressed an idea she had that sounded fantastic. She told me that she felt that I am not 100% happy in my position right now and that she understood that being employed as counsellor could be frustrating at times since I am in training to be a psychologist and do need that

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-65716184792166335762008-01-08T07:30:00.000+10:002008-01-08T07:35:04.252+10:00

Yesterday was a combination of really crap and really awesome. Mostly crap unfortunately. My boss seems to have changed for the worse and instead of allowing me to manage my own workload, which I do damn well, she is suddenly questioning what tasks I can and can't assist with in other departments. So I had to start late yesterday to help the evil one, but didn't end up having to. Had a Risk

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-26093827393078248152008-01-05T10:53:00.000+10:002008-01-05T11:14:09.920+10:00

So on Wednesday, first day back at work for the year and first thing in the morning, my boss called a meeting between herself, the evil one and me. By this point it was so long after the initial angry email and the actual email conflict between myself and the evil one that I actually could not even really be bothered having the conflict. I had already resolved to the idea of moving into a

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-57485271085418869822008-01-01T21:25:00.000+10:002008-01-01T21:35:20.927+10:00

Here it is... the new year! Day one of 2008 in fact. Day one should be the day of much hope and high expectation for the year to come. The day when everyone thinks 'This is going to be a good year... I just know it' but so typical of me that instead of thinking in this positive and optimistic manner, I must instead let the possibility of it not being so great cloud my view.I am caught somewhere

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-54740903353082975212007-12-21T22:13:00.000+10:002007-12-21T22:24:08.616+10:00

It has been 5 months since I had my own internet. Finally we have it back on in our new house. Since then there has been so much happening with work and all things related. Unforutnately without having been blogging reguarly, there will be quite a chunk of my story missing, but I will do my best to give a quick fill in for the past 5 months.I am still working at the prison and all is going well.

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-48435741643924241092007-10-24T10:34:00.000+10:002007-10-24T10:39:08.023+10:00

I have had no internet since I moved house and everytime I have tried to use my parent's computer, it never loads my blog. So finally here is the update.I have been at my job for over 3 months now. For about 2 months of that time I was doing two jobs. The counsellor, which I am employed as and the Senior Psychologist role. We finally have a new senior psychologist and I must say, I am not much of

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-34802701825744121292007-09-01T10:22:00.000+10:002007-09-01T10:28:54.662+10:00

Still no internet so updates are few and far between. That will change soon!I finally received news this week that they have hired a new senior psychologist at work again. I have been doing both jobs for about a month now. However the bad news is I will be doing it again for another month too because she does not start until October 1st. But at least we are a step closer!Last night I was

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-90602571973575755782007-08-25T14:35:00.001+10:002007-08-25T14:40:57.209+10:00

We recently moved house so I haven't had the internet for a couple of weeks now. Hence the lack of updates on my blogs. But I am still alive and well and haven't totally fallen off the blog planet.I have been doing my counsellor job at the prison as well as the senior psychologist position for the past several weeks. They have still not replaced the psychologist so I am left to handle both roles.

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-783619343752074792007-08-10T22:14:00.000+10:002007-08-10T22:23:09.040+10:00

Doing two peoples jobs at once is not much fun. Not only am I meant to be the Assessment officer/Counsellor, but now I'm the senior psych temporarily as well. There isn't a lot of difference between the two roles, other than the fact that I have to interview the new inmates each afternoon. That would be okay if they came early enough. Instead I need to sit around waiting, and waiting until they

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-79170053802232146022007-08-01T19:48:00.000+10:002007-08-01T19:53:25.476+10:00

Obviously my plan is for hopefully my next position to be an actual psychologists position, however until I am fully qualified, I am happy to perform the role of a counsellor in the mean time. I do much of the same stuff, but a little less assessing and a little more fiddly bits, like report writing and facilitating phonecalls.However, the senior assessment officer/psychologist who started with

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-51572009385471135102007-07-30T17:00:00.000+10:002007-07-30T17:04:54.216+10:00

Work has sent me on two days of training for the VRS which is the Violence Risk Scale. It is a commonly used assessment measurement in prisons for the risk of offenders re-offending with violent crimes and to help identify their needs to prevent the re-offending. It is quite extensive and requires 2 full days training to learn the administration.The best part is that it now means I can count the

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-25380338974241288712007-07-30T16:56:00.000+10:002007-07-30T16:59:47.525+10:00

On Friday my manager asked if I had planned on getting some different shoes yet because the red shoes just had to go. She said they do not look professional enough. Whoa... I didn't think I had to impress prisoners! And if anything, those shoes were helping develop that initial down-to-earth bond!So now I will be stipped of all parts of my personality, left to fit the mould of everyone else in

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-86241692075395989192007-07-24T20:50:00.000+10:002007-07-24T20:57:46.961+10:00

When I first started work at the prison, I started with what were slightly more conservative shoes, however it only took a couple of days for me to revert back to comfort. Realistically, I cannot be in heels all day in a prison. Flat shoes make more sense because I do a lot of walking from one end of the prison to the other. And I have always been a bit of a sneaker fan when it comes to

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-44317323875108115942007-07-19T18:14:00.000+10:002007-07-19T18:26:08.954+10:00

Isn't it funny when something new happens in your life, suddenly you find yourself wanting to see and do more activities that involve this new change. For example, you take up a sport and suddenly you start watching it on television heaps and even start hiring out movies that relate to that sport.A month ago I started a job at a prison and while I am in Australia and this specific High Security

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-51422146580145615892007-07-17T17:23:00.000+10:002007-07-17T17:30:32.180+10:00

This morning the senior assessment officer and I were sitting in our office typing up reports from the morning Risk Assessment meetings when the Indigenous elder who was a major part of organising NAIDOC and the first of the Indigenous offenders I met at the prison came in to give us both a gift. For the visitors of NAIDOC, a few of the offenders created necklaces with small wooden, hand painted

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-56042388162748690752007-07-16T17:25:00.000+10:002007-07-16T17:31:45.253+10:00

Today was day one of the prison NAIDOC week celebrations and it begun with the traditional flag raising and opening ceremony. It is interesting to know that as an Australian, I really have very little idea about the traditions involved for these cultures and actually had no idea what NAIDOC even stood for, despite knowing it existed and having seen traditional celebrations in the past during

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-33900281231162628012007-07-15T21:24:00.000+10:002007-07-15T21:30:37.800+10:00

On my way out of my office on Friday, an Indigenous offender stopped me and introduced himself. He knew who I was and that I was the new counsellor. He asked if one of the Elders had offered to take me on a meet and greet with all the "Brothers" yet and I said no but it would be good and he asked if I would like one of them to do that soon. I told him that would be a great oppurtunity and he said

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-44957891236335380282007-07-12T18:17:00.000+10:002007-07-12T18:29:51.651+10:00

As I mentioned previously, my first 3 days on the job were spent shadowing the Indigenous counsellor and making contacts with some of the indigenous offenders at the prison. This was a great start to my career at Borallon because due to cultural differences between ourselves and the Aboriginal offenders, they rarely come to a non-Indigenous staff member for help. Nor do they disclose personal

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-26365728091542129232007-07-12T07:37:00.000+10:002007-07-12T07:41:45.294+10:00

Sounds a bit strange... but apparently that is what I now am. At least that is what my ID Card is abreviated to. Lovely isn't it? Instead of using smaller font and including the entire Assessment Officer title, instead I just get Ass. Officer. And the other lady who started at the same time gets Snr. Ass. Officer. Nice way to make us feel right at home! At least the photo wasn't a total disaster.

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-13763403741481300652007-07-10T17:46:00.000+10:002007-07-10T17:50:57.962+10:00

Today I got to work to receive the immediate news that we finally had out security clearances back and we were now eligable to perform our roles properly. This was a relief after so long waiting and so much time spent doing not much the past week. However, scary also because it meant we got thrown in the deep end big time today. It is okay for the Senior Assessment Officer because obviously she

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-77744172522454978522007-07-09T21:45:00.000+10:002007-07-09T21:47:39.290+10:00

I have had this annoying pesistant cough since the beginning of winter and in the past couple of days it has gone from infrequent, to downright constant and annoying. It has left me totally over it tonight with every 5 minutes bringing on another coughing fit.At this rate I will probably need a day off work because it looks to be turning into something serious. Better now than in a week or two

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-21618524290999122092007-07-09T18:34:00.000+10:002007-07-09T18:43:23.535+10:00

As planned, I had a relatively relaxing weekend. On Saturday I stayed in bed, vegging out until around lunch time while my boyfriend was at band practice. Then I crawled out of bed to pamper myself before going to the movies and coming home for a romantic dinner with him. Sunday was another lazy day, with a sleep in and shopping. It was exactly what I needed after such a draining 2 weeks at work.

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-28491607584714814752007-07-07T12:56:00.000+10:002007-07-07T13:04:25.659+10:00

One thing that is going to end up being a negative in my new job is the fact that we get lunch cooked for us for free everyday as part of our position. It is cooked up like a bulk version of the sort of food you would cook for dinner at night so it is not exactly a small, healthy serving. But it is really good food... even if it is served by inmates (that is something I am trying not to focus on

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-10903808982468921322007-07-07T12:50:00.000+10:002007-07-07T12:56:32.657+10:00

I am hoping that it is just because my new job is so different to anything I have ever done before and that it is the initial absorbing of so much information that is leaving me so drained every day, however I cannot express how grateful I am that the weekend has arrived. All I want to do this weekend is stay in bed and vege out, maybe with a little bit of shopping and a movie thrown in there

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-16198490832153751492007-07-05T21:52:00.000+10:002007-07-05T21:56:10.827+10:00

Yay... I reached my first payout on Helium.com this week. Well actually, I reached it after about 2 weeks of membership. I've now been a member about 6 weeks but after 2 contest wins, I had enough for two cashouts. So I cashed out a lovely:$53.10 Its so great getting paid to do something fun such as writing articles on Helium. It's not even something you do to get paid. Its something you do

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-59463611821167973522007-07-04T17:01:00.000+10:002007-07-04T17:05:00.576+10:00

I've been at my new job for a week and a half now and its going well. Today was my last day to spend with the Indigenous Counsellor and again she was great, showing me as much as she can. It is strange that after only 3 days with her, I already feel like I will miss her. She is such a nice person and so helpful and truely goes out of her way to help people. We will stay in contact and she will be

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-49190771095414722902007-07-03T16:56:00.000+10:002007-07-03T17:04:52.486+10:00

Today I again spent the day as the Indigenous counsellor's shadow. Again it was very good experience. In the morning we went to do what was meant to be a simple process of helping write a parole letter for an indigenous offender. The talk of parole turned to the admitting of him doing drugs in the prison, which he was reluctant to disclose but then he opened up about how other offenders were

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-65501066115521828942007-07-02T21:16:00.000+10:002007-07-02T21:23:27.300+10:00

Today I had the chance to shadow another counsellor at the prison. She is actually the Indigenous counsellor, mostly working with the Aboriginal prisnors, however at the moment she has been doing bits of my job since the other counsellor left. It was fantastic to finally see the job in practice, with actual assessment interviews and then the writing of the reports and the presentation at the

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-70891742580417696582007-07-01T21:34:00.001+10:002007-07-01T21:39:42.552+10:00

Last week took so much out of me that I was left totally exhausted and overwhelmed. It was a great week, full of insight into my new workplace and very helpful when starting a new role, but it was a total information overload. So Friday night I was in bed fairly early but had an early morning Saturday and a huge day, including the climbing of the Brisbane Storey Bridge which was a Christmas

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-82119549895456494482007-06-29T17:51:00.000+10:002007-06-29T17:54:07.030+10:00

Finally, I have completed my first week and induction at my new job. It has been a great experience in learning who everyone is and what they do at the prison and where to find them and has certainly helped me feel more comfortable with my surroundings than I would otherwise.However, next week I guess is when it all begins. I am nervous about starting out because obviously I have never done this

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-30810136355173048442007-06-28T18:07:00.000+10:002007-06-28T18:12:57.999+10:00

Today we got a bit more of a look at our job expectations and the type of inmate assessments and interviews we would be doing. Yesterday we worked out that the girl previously in the counsellor job, my job, did not have a psychology degree like I do and she was unable to conduct the inital arrival interview that must be done by a psychologist. However, since I have the degree, probationary but

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-86802551936020321752007-06-27T18:17:00.000+10:002007-06-27T18:24:34.242+10:00

Day three has finished and again I am home feeling wrecked. It is great though. I am stimulated pretty much constantly during the induction process and there is so much to learn. I am excited about having this job. It is unlike any job most people ever have the chance to experience so I am grateful to know I will experience it. But scared still at the actual beginning of when I start practicing

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-67375219676449958362007-06-26T18:11:00.000+10:002007-06-26T18:24:24.255+10:00

After a very unpleasent night of arguments with my boyfriend, I went to work today not feeling as great as I could have. And it was pouring down rain when I left (which is good because we are in a drought but bad because of my driving experience). However, the day went well and provided a lot more interesting insights into the company of which I now belong.As part of our day 2 induction, we met

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-17872015137369969852007-06-25T18:13:00.000+10:002007-06-25T18:17:15.865+10:00

Well I made it too and from my new job with relative ease. Thankfully I finished early and missed some of the peak hour traffic and avoided being home after dark.This entire week is an induction week for my new job. There are 3 of us starting new this week, with one of them being the new senior assessment officer who I will work with each day. Its good learning together because we can get our

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-39802760948158620492007-06-24T21:33:00.000+10:002007-06-24T21:37:15.876+10:00

Tomorrow is my first day at the new job as Risk Assessment Officer at a prison. I am so nervous... but its funny, because mostly I am nervous about getting there. I have had my license for about 5 and a half months and driven no further than about 15 minutes from home in that time and now I have a half an hour drive to and from work each day, along 3 major highways. The worst thing is, one of

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-30487641378680372032007-06-22T15:32:00.000+10:002007-06-22T15:36:54.557+10:00

I was at the height of my excitment a few minutes ago, then I a message from my sister congratulating me. I haven't seen her for a while because she owes mum money and probably is struggling to get that cash, so we didn't expect to see her until then.I thanked her and she asked what I was doing this weekend. I said nothing tomorrow and she asked if we could meet up because she really needs to

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-269731046784612832007-06-22T15:23:00.000+10:002007-06-22T15:26:11.928+10:00

So here I was only 2 hours ago feeling anxious because I would not hear anything until maybe Monday, but now I start work on Monday!I got the call to say they were offering me the position and if I would like to take it. OF COURSE! And when I could start. I said Monday and since the psychologist is starting that day too that worked out well.I am so excited yet nervous as well. So much to learn

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-85783707446718336452007-06-22T13:29:00.000+10:002007-06-22T13:42:54.426+10:00

I received an email this morning from the lady who interviewed me at the prison and took me on the tour. She said that I will hear from them early next week and today they will be doing reference checks and making a recommendation to the general manager. This means I have to wait all through the weekend until at least Monday for any news. How stressful!With waiting all that time, knowing that its

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-6117337714928850922007-06-21T15:23:00.000+10:002007-06-21T15:29:28.673+10:00

Today I had the tour of the prison for the job I interviewed for. Unfortunately when I arrived, all the prisoners were in lock down after an assult had taken place. So I did not get to see them going about their everyday business as they normally would. However, I got the chance to see most of the prison, which looks somewhat like a university campus, with more high fences and security guards. I

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-82382136991537416002007-06-21T00:34:00.001+10:002007-06-21T00:37:53.893+10:00

So maybe this isn't such a huge achievement, since it's my second front page article in a month of membership, but I am still going to be proud anyway. The only problem is that this time it is on a totally silly topic: the possibility of a Spice Girls reunion. I went for the No side of the debate, even though it is quite possible that it may happen. I just think their personal differences would

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-69697835214498528902007-06-20T21:33:00.000+10:002007-06-21T21:25:36.781+10:00

During my unemployment, I have been trying out many online money making oppurtunities. Some of these have earnt me a little bit of extra cash, but most take a lot of time to earn. The latest of these is Smorty.Smorty is an online service which connects advertisers with bloggers, so that bloggers are paid to write their opinions on certain things and are then paid by the advertiser once their

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-5371418840811569542007-06-20T13:10:00.000+10:002007-06-20T13:11:14.870+10:00

Is it good or bad? I wanted one where the text stretched across more of the page instead of being squashed in the middle.

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-30081746981030997662007-06-20T11:55:00.000+10:002007-06-20T12:03:18.990+10:00

I have two jobs that I am interviewing for this week. Obviously the prison one and also a psychologist in disability services on Friday if I do not get an offer before then. I know it is unlikely to get both, if I even get one offer this week but I was thinking about what I would do if I did.The prison job is only as a counsellor. I don't know how well they pay. I am assuming a prison would pay

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-49349101585593682322007-06-19T22:17:00.000+10:002007-06-19T22:29:19.565+10:00

I cannot stop thinking about the possibility that I may have a fantastic job in a few days time. I wonder how long before I know for sure. How I hope it will be mine. My main area of thought is mostly focused on how many people I may be competing against at this stage of the interviewing process, if there is perhaps 2 of us or if maybe I am the only one they have called back for the counsellor

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-78992350075121088292007-06-18T18:35:00.002+10:002007-06-18T18:36:25.037+10:00

I just recieved a phonecall asking me back to the prison on Thursday for a tour. This is the next step for the short-listed candidates. I cannot believe it. I am almost jumping up and down right now.While it still isn't a guarentee, it is certainly very close to securing myself a first real job. There were actually two positions that I went for today and the actual psychologist position is one

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-6747911269095786692007-06-18T13:21:00.000+10:002007-06-18T13:29:04.219+10:00

I just got home from my interview at the prison. I am sort of in two minds about how I will go. On one hand, I feel like I did fairly well in my interview considering I am only a new graduate with very little experience. But on the other hand, I am quite certain that I am far too under qualified and regardless of how much they would like to give me a job, they probably would be better off having

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-13886953709113129922007-06-17T21:37:00.000+10:002007-06-17T21:41:11.417+10:00

My job interview is at 11am tomorrow morning and I went from being excited since Thursday to being completely nervous today. I am suddenly thinking why on earth did they ask me for an interview. I have no experience yet. I am a new graduate with no actual professional skills as yet, and theory only gets you so far. The person I spoke to on the phone said they often take on new graduates, but

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-15377098384360509872007-06-15T15:08:00.000+10:002007-06-15T15:14:46.722+10:00

Okay... so Mum's friend to be accurate. She is the receptionist for a local prison and has worked there for years. I never really thought she would have a lot of interaction with all departments but apparently she does. Mum was telling her about my job interview on Monday and she told her that she could have asked at her work.The friend asked what I am qualified as and I told her I am a

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-64415301961443820542007-06-15T14:13:00.000+10:002007-06-15T14:21:04.946+10:00

I have spent the past few hours putting together all the neccessary paperwork for my psychology supervision as tomorrow is my last session with my current supervisor. The registration board here in Australia has changed the supervision requirements so that all supervisors wishing to continue must complete a compulsary skills update course before June 22nd. My supervisor only works part time so it

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5265177514169609317.post-73664902205181073072007-06-14T17:22:00.000+10:002007-06-14T17:27:21.226+10:00

On Monday I looked through our local job vacancy guide and found a job that looked perfect in every possible way, except that I seemed to be a little underqualified. The job was at a local private prison as a psychologist to provide offender assessments, working largely with the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy approach and the Relapse Prevention Model. CBT is one of my main areas of interest in

Harmony Sweetpeanoreply@blogger.com2