Heads I'd Like to Get In To: 50Cent

A few years ago a new show came out on Oprah's channel in which a "celebrity life coach" was there to "fix" the lives of famous people dealing with setbacks.  I never watched it but it made me think about famous heads I'd like to get in to and the one that comes to mind most often is Mr. Curtis Jackson, aka 50Cent.

As Social Workers, we are fully aware of the benefits of therapy.  We understand how freeing it can be to talk about the hard parts of our lives and how therapy helps people move on from traumatic experiences. Therapy sessions provide a safe, caring environment where people can process their thoughts and experiences in a positive way.  I might be biased but I love therapy!  I really do.  In my opinion, the benefits of a therapeutic relationship with a qualified professional cannot be overstated.  

So, I realized a while ago that I have a soft spot for 50Cent.  Before you crucify me, hear me out.  If you can get past his disrespectful, misogynistic attitude and behavior; his quick, aggressive temper; his seeming lack of concern for the feelings of others and his blatant narcissistic tendencies you'd see what I see: a man deeply affected by unresolved childhood trauma.  Its like I can see his pain and how he masks it.

One of the things about being a social worker is our ability to see past outward behaviors down to the underlying issues.  We don't see "bad" kids, we see kids dealing with dysfunctional homes and families acting out in the only way they can.  We don't see "junkies" and "addicts", we see people struggling to cope with life problems and falling into traps they can't get out of.  Social workers are able to see past the exterior.  

I think part of the reason why his story resonates with me so much is my feelings for young boys growing up in the inner city.  I feel so strongly for them.  When I think about the problems young boys are facing, its hard to see a way out.  Neighborhoods like the one 50Cent grew up in are merciless in their ability to suck young boys in and spit them out right into jail or the grave.  Boys are losing their lives younger and younger and our communities are paralyzed by violence, fear and addiction.  It's no wonder why so many young boys turn to crime and violence, their neighborhood is truly a trap.

Knowing his story and reading about some of the things he does and says now, I'd be willing to bet there were some conduct issues in childhood along with some sort of learning difficulties as well.  Because of his childhood and his mother's murder when he was eight, I'm also thinking about symptoms of PTSD and maybe a mood disorder like depression.  He also seems to have issues relating to others which could be the result of broken attachments in childhood that affect his relationships to this day.  And there's probably much more.  Being exposed to drugs and violence in the home and community has profound impacts that can last forever.   Of course, I don't know him personally and I could be totally wrong, but I'd love to get in that head and really go deep to help him process his life experiences.    

Are there any famous people, living or dead, that you would love to get on the couch?  Why?

40 Years of Solitude

Over the years, I had heard only bits and pieces about the Angola 3; Robert King, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox; three Louisiana men who were serving time for a robbery when they were convicted of murdering a prison guard in April of 1972.  It wasn't until just recently that the case came back to my attention, when Mr. Woodfox was released last week after serving the longest sentence in solitary confinement in US history.  

Solitary confinement is a pretty self-explanatory term; "serious, predatory" offenders, are confined to a cell alone, for 22-24 hours per day, usually in an effort to protect the safety of themselves and others.  Prisoners who are considered to be at risk for violence (e.g. pedophiles, witnesses, children, etc) are also kept in isolation as well as prisoners, like the A3, who were "suspected of organizing illegal activities" inside prison walls.  The punishment was initially intended to allow prisoners to "reflect on their misdeeds and draw closer to God" through isolation and seclusion from others.

After their conviction in 1972, this was the fate of the Angola 3, who were kept in seclusion for fear that they would organize an uprising in the prison and spread "Black Pantherism" among the other inmates.  All three men were sent to solitary in 1972, King for 29 years before he was released, Wallace for 40 years until his release in 2013 and Woodfox, serving 43 of his 45 year sentence in isolation until his release on February 19.  

I won't even discuss the fact that Mr. Woodfox's case was overturned three times, how the prosecution's witnesses were discredited, how evidence was lost and racial discrimination was rampant throughout the trial.  I was more intrigued by the impact that spending that much time alone can have on a person's psyche and how Mr. Woodfox and the others seem to have emerged with their faculties intact. Its interesting that I didn't really think of keeping someone alone as a form of torture until I learned about the effect it has on people over the course of time.  

Prisoners who have spent time in solitary describe it as "spirit-killing," "mind-altering," saying that "people come in with a few minor problems and leave as sociopaths."  Many prisoners report that it only takes a few days for some to begin having hallucinations, talking to themselves and displaying early signs of psychosis such as paranoia, disorganized speech and bizarre behavior.  Mr. Woodfox says he was able to survive only through reading and trying to stay connected to the outside world, but still suffered severe panic attacks, hallucinations and insomnia for much of his time there.

Research shows that prolonged periods of seclusion can lead to a condition called "isolation panic"- with symptoms such as severe anxiety, insomnia, aggression, depression, delusions and self-harm. The psychological effects of forced seclusion are often irreversible and can present themselves in as little as 15 days.  This punishment is especially harmful to those already dealing with mental illness, as being placed in isolation exacerbates their conditions and limits access to medical and mental health care.

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I've read that the goal of isolation is to keep prisoners and guards safe from the most aggressive inmates, but it seems that prolonged isolation from others actually contributes to the high rates of recidivism among those who spend time there.  Many of those held in "super max" prisons need to be "re-socialized" before they can be released into society, and rates of recidivism among this group are as high as 20% in some states.

We don't have to debate the fact that people who commit crimes deserve to be punished.  I get it.  But, where are the limits?  Since we know human beings are social creatures what is the real goal here?  Are we trying to break people's minds?  Are we punishing them for their crimes by slowly driving them insane using methods we know for sure will work?  It just doesn't seem right.


So after 45 years, Mr. Woodfox is finally free.  Finally out of the 6x9 box he has spent the last half-century of his life in. As I said, I'm not here to debate his guilt or innocence, I'm just amazed that he survived this long in a room by himself and a little shocked that our system of justice relies on a form of psychological torture as punishment.
How do you feel about it?  Find out more about it here and let me know what you think.

I Don't Want to be a Case Study

I had a patient tell me that last week and at first, I thought he was joking. Then I thought about how many people in his position probably feel the same way and I realized it wasn't a joke at all.

The patient is what we call "Priority" here at my clinic, which means that he is HIV positive.  He moved back here from Chicago, came to my clinic to have a form filled out and casually mentioned that he has been positive since 2011.

That's where I come in.

As soon as I sat down with him, he hung his head low, taking long deep breaths, readying himself for what he thought was to come.  The first thing he said was:

"I'll come in for care, I just don't want to be a case study, you know?  

That's why I stopped going to the doctor in the first place.

They do that...study people.  Measuring the incidence of this and the occurrence of that.  

Every time I went to an appointment, there was a new person asking me questions.  

People that I never met before.  I hate feeling like I'm being studied. I'll stay home before I feel like that again."  

As he explained, I thought about it and the truth is he's kinda right.  When patients come in for appointments, they don't just see the doctor, there are at least 5 other people waiting to see them each and every time; each new person asking the same basic questions, checking the answers off on forms, paying them to take surveys and give up personal information.  I can totally see how he feels.

Most patients are thrilled to answer questions and a $50 gift card definitely sweetens the deal.  And then there are others, who couldn't care less about a gift card to Target and resent our intrusions into their personal lives.

So, to us, the surveys and questions make sense - we need the information.  We do need to know the incidence and occurrence of things because its our job to have that information and it helps us help our patients.  But, there has to be a way to make people feel better about things. I'd rather patients get and stay healthy than refuse to come in simply because of the questions on a form.  They are much more than that.

Flint Crisis A Byproduct of Poverty

"If there was even a whiff of lead in Grosse Pointe, better believe they'd be pumping in Perrier by the end of the day." ~Ron Fournier on NPR 


I caught a piece on NPR about the Flint issue, where the guest speaker mentioned how strongly poverty impacts the problem, stating plainly that this would not have happened if poverty weren't a factor.  It sounds obvious but when you sit and really think about it, its quite disgusting how the whole thing unfolded.  (See timeline of events here)

LeeAnne Walters: One of the first Flint residents to speak out 

As social workers, we are all too aware of the role being poor plays in a person's quality of life. Everything is impacted from birth to death and every moment in between.  Poor people are less healthy, less happy and they die younger from preventable causes.  This wouldn't have been an issue in the suburbs of Anytown, USA as its residents would have marched down to City Hall as soon as they noticed even the slightest twinge of a problem and the government would have responded posthaste providing remedies and follow up to make sure that everything was peachy-keen.

This could only happen in a place like Flint, where 40% of its residents live in poverty.  Poverty leads to lack of options, lack of options creates dependence and dependence can lead to a fear of standing up for oneself and a realization that nothing will change even if you do.

In some cases, there is that one resident who cries out and rallies the community behind their shared cause; but in many communities no one stands up because they are so used to being beaten down they feel there is no point.  When poor people speak out they are told to "stop complaining;" they are berated for having the audacity to expect that they deserve the same treatment as others.  Many of the children of Flint were continuously affected since birth, when their mothers made their bottles with lead-laced drinking water.  When they started to notice their water was turning brown, they were lied to, rather blatantly for over a year while politicians slept soundly at night, their children safe from the poison being funneled into homes a few towns over.

One of our basic tenets as social workers is to challenge social injustice "on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people."  We must advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves.  We must mobilize citizens and let them know how powerful their voices can be when everyone is on the same page.

On The Way to Slaughter

I work in a medical office, what used to be called the "Free Clinic," a facility in a system of city-run health centers that provide medical care to city residents, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. My office is outside of the lab, the place where patients come to have their blood drawn; a terrifying concept for some, especially the children who scream, kick and cry, often having to be held down in order to get the samples.

The waiting area for the lab is directly outside of it and over the years I've wondered how the experience of seeing and hearing other children having their blood drawn affects the children waiting in line for their turn.    

Dr. Grandin and her Bovine buddies.  

It made me think about Dr. Temple Grandin and her famous research into a more humane process for animal slaughtering. As an "Animal Welfare" expert, Dr. Grandin led the charge for new designs in slaughterhouses that prevent cows from hearing and seeing what happens to the cow in front of the line.  She found that when cows can see and hear what's waiting for them, they became panicked and stressed, thrashing around in an attempt to get away, often injuring themselves and setting off a domino effect of fear among the other cows.

Its the exact same thing with the kids.  While they wait for their turn, the sounds coming from the lab are clear; something bad happens to children in there.  I see kids waiting for their turn, their eyes wide with fear and wonder. When their number is called, I can only imagine what they think will happen to them. Sometimes, they run away and have to be caught and strapped down; and for those who have been in there before, the visit is even more terrifying, because they remember the ordeal from the last time.  All of it leads to a horrible experience for children and an anxiety-inducing trip to the clinic for the parents.  And all of it happens in clear view of the waiting area, leaving children terrified before they even walk through the door.

What can we do?  

Because of Dr. Grandin's research, slaughterhouses are now outfitted with curved loading chutes which control how much a cow sees and hears, and other mechanisms that provide a more comforting experience in the animal's last hours.

I'm not sure how we could fix this for the children.  Revamping the placement of the waiting area would require a re-design of the entire building, which will probably not happen. There has to be something we can do.  Having blood drawn is something that most of us will have to do many times over the course of our lives. It will probably never be fun, but it doesn't have to be traumatic either.

Any ideas?

I Can't Be Your Mom

Everyone has a population that they prefer.  Whether its seniors, teens, women or boys, for most social workers there is one specific group that we feel we have the most impact on and for me, its teenage girls.  I have a real soft spot for them.  I know what its like to face the trials of being a girl, the pressures of sex and relationships, trying to learn how to be a woman in a society that devalues womanhood and how to be the best version of yourself when you still don't even know who you are. Its a wild ride and its also the time when girls can make choices that stay with them for the rest of their lives.

One of my clients, a 15 year old pregnant girl who nae-nae'd into my life last year had a meltdown last night; crying and screaming my name in the clinic lobby.  Last year, she and her girlfriend came to the clinic after said girlfriend missed her period following a threesome at a friends house the week before.

She was 12.

The girlfriend has since been shipped out of state, after a three month stay in the local psych hospital, leaving my client to walk the streets alone, one more person taken out of her life.

She doesn't know her mother and lives with her father who is an alcoholic.   Before the pregnancy, she fought all the time, landing her in a disciplinary school and in and out of court.  Everything that can be crazy in a teenager's life is happening to her everyday but the thing about it is that she is SMART.  She communicates her feelings well, understands how to navigate the system and seems like she really wants her life to be different, to be better.

Since the day we met, I can feel how she feels about me.  I can see it when she looks at me, when she tells me how much I mean to her.  She shines when she is with me.  The trouble is that I can only do so much.

Its understandable how she feels.  When no one seems to care about you and you meet someone who does, its a natural reaction to cling to them.   I can tell that around me she can be different than she has ever been.  She can let her guard down.  She doesn't have to be hard or tough, she can be who she really is: a scared 15 year old girl, with no one to care about her and her life.  I can't imagine what it must feel like to be alone in this world at her age.  For the hour or so that she's with me, she can laugh and relax and hope and just...be.

We all know that social work is not easy.  Not just because of the paperwork, or the long hours, or all the other stuff we might complain about.  Its tough because these are people with problems and we can only do so much.  I can't be her mother.  I wish her life were different.  I wish her mothers life had been different.  I wish all the mothers out there had different lives so they could step up and do what their daughters need them to do.  But I can only do so much and sometimes I wonder if its enough.