Saturday, June 21, 2008
Summer Vacation #2: Becker Blast
For the first time since the Stephen & Joy wedding two and a half years ago, all members of my immediate family got together for the very first Becker Blast. I have three siblings, and they all have spouses coming in from Ohio, Colorado, and the Philippines. Add in my parents, and that's a total of ten. For extra fun, my first nephew was also there, five-week-old Elijah Samuel, and he is just about the cutest thing you've ever seen. We all were together in one big cabin in a state park in Missouri, nestled in the hills between the Ozarks and St. Louis. We did some hiking, mountain biking, swimming, and even a little cave exploring. Here are some of my favorite pictures:
Summer Vacation #1: Disney World
Joy and I just got back from back-to-back family vacations. With the Bellito clan we headed to Disney World, where I was quickly immersed in all four Kingdoms and all things magical. Here are a few pictures...
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
2008 Summer Reading List
Well, here it is . Back by popular demand (okay, just one person asked me), I thought I would share with you what I'm hoping to read this summer. This year has been an odd one when it comes to reading in that I haven't actually done that much. With my internship requiring me to work in the evenings, I found that I simply didn't do as much reading, which is definitely a disappointment. It also means I didn't buy as many books as usual, which Joy especially is rather thankful for. But summer is here, which hopefully will mean lazy days and even lazier nights.
1) "Wilderness and the American Mind" by Roderick Frazier Nash. Originally published in 1967, this book is currently in its fourth edition. Nash traces the concepts and attitudes of wilderness through history, particularly American history. I've heard about it for years as I've stumbled across its references while studying wilderness therapy, and thought it high time to find out for myself.
2) "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis. How does being a Christian interact with politics? I'm gonna find out more about that this summer, and this books comes with the highly coveted Drew Rundus Recommendation. It must be good.
3) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. I'm excited (and a little terrified) to dig into this mammoth of literary tales, with a new translation by the highly acclaimed Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky that is just beautifully published (I loved their "Anna Karenina" a few years back). There are several out there who doubt I'll actually ever read the entire 1215 pages, but I am determined to continue my pursuit of this literary Everest.
4) "Integrative Psychotherapy" by Mark McMinn and Clark Campbell. This book is making waves (good waves, I believe) in the world of Christian psychology. Seeking to serve as a truly integrative paradigm and tool for clinicians practicing psychology from a distinctively Christian worldview, this book is a necessity towards good integration.
5) "The Wilderness World of John Muir" edited by Edwin Way Teale. Yep, another book focused on nature (and there's another one below!). It's something I am thoroughly enjoying studying, and am even working on a little paper to which these books relate. Muir is of course one of the highly-regarded early conservationists, having camped with Teddy Roosevelt and founded the Sierra Club.
6) The Unfinished. I always have this problem where I start a book, get a quarter, half, or three-quarters through, and then stop reading. It's rarely because I don't enjoy the book, but my attentions move elsewhere and dust collects on the bookmark that continues to poke above the pages. Well, this summer is no different from others in that I am hoping to go back and finish several of The Unfinished. The ones at the top of my list include:
"Simply Christian" by N. T. Wright
"Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder" by Richard Louv
"Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide" by Kay Redfield Jamison.
So that's it. I think I'll be happy if I finish half of all that, but we'll see what pages have been turned when we get to September. So I simply must ask, what's on your reading list? What do you think I simply must add to my list? Do tell. Because I can always let my attentions drift with the summer breeze.
1) "Wilderness and the American Mind" by Roderick Frazier Nash. Originally published in 1967, this book is currently in its fourth edition. Nash traces the concepts and attitudes of wilderness through history, particularly American history. I've heard about it for years as I've stumbled across its references while studying wilderness therapy, and thought it high time to find out for myself.
2) "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis. How does being a Christian interact with politics? I'm gonna find out more about that this summer, and this books comes with the highly coveted Drew Rundus Recommendation. It must be good.
3) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. I'm excited (and a little terrified) to dig into this mammoth of literary tales, with a new translation by the highly acclaimed Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky that is just beautifully published (I loved their "Anna Karenina" a few years back). There are several out there who doubt I'll actually ever read the entire 1215 pages, but I am determined to continue my pursuit of this literary Everest.
4) "Integrative Psychotherapy" by Mark McMinn and Clark Campbell. This book is making waves (good waves, I believe) in the world of Christian psychology. Seeking to serve as a truly integrative paradigm and tool for clinicians practicing psychology from a distinctively Christian worldview, this book is a necessity towards good integration.
5) "The Wilderness World of John Muir" edited by Edwin Way Teale. Yep, another book focused on nature (and there's another one below!). It's something I am thoroughly enjoying studying, and am even working on a little paper to which these books relate. Muir is of course one of the highly-regarded early conservationists, having camped with Teddy Roosevelt and founded the Sierra Club. 6) The Unfinished. I always have this problem where I start a book, get a quarter, half, or three-quarters through, and then stop reading. It's rarely because I don't enjoy the book, but my attentions move elsewhere and dust collects on the bookmark that continues to poke above the pages. Well, this summer is no different from others in that I am hoping to go back and finish several of The Unfinished. The ones at the top of my list include:
"Simply Christian" by N. T. Wright
"Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder" by Richard Louv
"Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide" by Kay Redfield Jamison.
So that's it. I think I'll be happy if I finish half of all that, but we'll see what pages have been turned when we get to September. So I simply must ask, what's on your reading list? What do you think I simply must add to my list? Do tell. Because I can always let my attentions drift with the summer breeze.
Monday, June 02, 2008
1150 Hours
As of the end of May, I have officially completed my internship year at OMNI Youth Services. It's been a long nine months, and it's been a challenging and rewarding experience. When it's all counted up, I've completed a total of 1,150 hours, 525 of which have been direct client contact hours from doing either individual, family, or group treatment. That's a lot of hours. Especially when you're working for free.
There were four groups that I co-facilitated. The first was a Junior High group focusing on Anger Management and social skills. The second was an introductory multi-family group that introduced families to the agency. The third was a multi-family group for families working on communication, substance use, or any number of issues. And my fourth group was a school group at a local high school. It was a group for Latino males who were identified by the school as at-risk for substance abuse and gang involvement.
On top of the groups, I had my regular caseload of adolescents and families. Many made progress and left much healthier than they came in; some didn't and dropped out of treatment. All in all, though, I think I did alright, and I've worked with some really fascinating and great families. The highlight of my year was definitely when I was on staff for a wilderness therapy trip to Lake Powell, Utah over spring break. It was the best clinical epxerience thus far in my limited career, and it was a wonderful blending of my personal and professional skills and interests merging together. Thankfully, I'm planning on continuing to do trips with my internship site throughout the summers while I'm in school, and I've got two slated for this summer!
Of all the clients and families I worked with, I think I'll most miss the staff. Any type of work setting can present itself with interpersonal challenges, and I can say I was really blessed with the team of clinicians I was able to work with. They supported me, treated me more like a colleague than an intern, and allowed me to by myself. For that I am grateful.
On my last day in my school group, which was a highlight throughout my year, the kids were sharing about their experience in the group and how they felt the group helped them in high school. Some gave serious comments, some made jokes, and we all laughed and enjoyed our last few class periods together. But one kid said something that has stuck with me, and I think will stick with me for a long time. You see, being a caucasian leading a group of Latino males can present its own challnges, and my co-leader was African-American. The mix of races provided a great opportunity for us to use the group as a forum to discuss race in a safe and healthy setting. I loved it. But back to that comment during that last group that continues to make me smile and be glad I'm in the field I am. One of the kids remarked, "You know, we used to just call you 'White Guy,' but now we know your name and call you Stephen."
There were four groups that I co-facilitated. The first was a Junior High group focusing on Anger Management and social skills. The second was an introductory multi-family group that introduced families to the agency. The third was a multi-family group for families working on communication, substance use, or any number of issues. And my fourth group was a school group at a local high school. It was a group for Latino males who were identified by the school as at-risk for substance abuse and gang involvement.
On top of the groups, I had my regular caseload of adolescents and families. Many made progress and left much healthier than they came in; some didn't and dropped out of treatment. All in all, though, I think I did alright, and I've worked with some really fascinating and great families. The highlight of my year was definitely when I was on staff for a wilderness therapy trip to Lake Powell, Utah over spring break. It was the best clinical epxerience thus far in my limited career, and it was a wonderful blending of my personal and professional skills and interests merging together. Thankfully, I'm planning on continuing to do trips with my internship site throughout the summers while I'm in school, and I've got two slated for this summer!
Of all the clients and families I worked with, I think I'll most miss the staff. Any type of work setting can present itself with interpersonal challenges, and I can say I was really blessed with the team of clinicians I was able to work with. They supported me, treated me more like a colleague than an intern, and allowed me to by myself. For that I am grateful.
On my last day in my school group, which was a highlight throughout my year, the kids were sharing about their experience in the group and how they felt the group helped them in high school. Some gave serious comments, some made jokes, and we all laughed and enjoyed our last few class periods together. But one kid said something that has stuck with me, and I think will stick with me for a long time. You see, being a caucasian leading a group of Latino males can present its own challnges, and my co-leader was African-American. The mix of races provided a great opportunity for us to use the group as a forum to discuss race in a safe and healthy setting. I loved it. But back to that comment during that last group that continues to make me smile and be glad I'm in the field I am. One of the kids remarked, "You know, we used to just call you 'White Guy,' but now we know your name and call you Stephen."
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