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In honor of disability pride month, I thought I would share a photo of these Disability inspired figurines that my mother got for me one Christmas growing up. I would get so mad because there weren’t any toys that represented Disability, and now, there is

Some, but as I say, every time, there is still much more work that needs to be done in order for people with disabilities to feel like they are equal to non-disabled people who are

 

 

 

[babyfreakdreamerwombat]

Why? I have a stethoscope

Why? I Have a stethoscope, recently my healthcare. attendant noticed that I had a  purplestethoscope on top of my desk, and when I explained the reasoning behind why? It was there she understood, and that reason is that between 2008 and 2009, I had health issues that basically Forced me to take a gap year to focus on my health instead of going right into College after high school, which was my original plan however I just before I graduated hi school I was diagnosed with A chronic pain condition called chronic regional pain syndrome or CRPS this was a result of baclofen pump revisions which affect my nerves, however, the doctors could not figure out why? I was in so much pain. This is a rare condition, and my doctors had not heard of CRPS before. It wasn’t until I was referred to a pain specialist that I received the diagnosis. This put a monkey wrench in my College plans because it would take a year for me to get on the right medication regimen two help with the pain symptoms. Which was unfortunate, so I needed a way to keep my eye on the prize, which was to eventually get into College, and so it was during a hospital stay during this challenging Time I said I needed a way to remind myself that I was going to get through this and go to school to become A psychologist and since there’s no tangible object four psychology or at least none that I could think of at the Time and because I knew I wanted to work in a hospital specifically children’s Hospital as a psychologist I knew that a stethoscope would be a good object to inspire me to keep going through the difficult time and College will be waiting after you get through this rough patch. Today I am in a master's program in rehabilitation counseling. Had it not been for a good support system and the stethoscope as the reminder that I needed to keep going I’m not sure I would’ve made it or if I did it would’ve been difficult for me to stay motivated   

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Grad Grad School journey

Grad school journey practicum part three

Well, a'fter having a nice holiday break on Wednesday next week, I will start my spring semester of the 2020 2023 academic year after taking an incomplete for the first attempt at practicum, I went back and tried a second time this fall to try and pass the practicum portion of my cores work, but after having students who were not interested in counseling, even after they had committed to the process and struggling with my own issues with anxiety and PTSD both of which I am being treated for now with the help of antidepressants and anxiety medication and psychological therapy. I still wasn’t able to pass the practicum this fall so I will attempt to again only this time instead of doing practicum remotely via zoom I will do it in person at the University and hopefully the third time is the charm, because like most instances in my life I have to prove to my practicum professor that I can pass the course and become A counselor he has already floated the idea that I Forget about GradSchool and just get a job in human services, but most of the jobs I would be able to get would be in case management and I’ve already held a position like that and I did not like it. I am used to the same song and dance in which people underestimate my abilities which is fine although it gets old, I just must prove individuals wrong I know I will become a counselor it will just take me a little longer to achieve the goal. I’ve already received feedback from my professor on what he is looking for me to pass . Which is allowing my clients the opportunity to Drive their own session instead of me, taking over their session by talking over them or interrupting their thought process which, according to my therapist, that is something that all therapist struggle with. It takes practice.

[babyfreakdreamerwombat]

Looking Looking for advice from psych professionals

I have a question for psych professionals and I don't particularly want to lose my train of thought by putting it in A Twitter thread so a Tumblr post is the next best option. I am   a CRC student at the university of Northern Colorado unc and in the practicum phase of the Processand so when I'm done with internship etc. I will be a certified rehabilitation counselor CRC and I want to take the therapeutic approach i.e. mental health counseling specifically working with children with Disabilities and I am wondering if I should get a certification such as a  LPC, because my Ultimate goal is to get a job at children's Hospital Colorado and I am wondering what the best approach is to achieve that goal? I should mention that the LPC would be an endorsement I would get in addition to the CRC because it would be the basis of my universities program .

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Why we should change the stigma surrounding mental health and just considerate a specialty of healthcare meaning it should take equal priority just as if we have the sniffles or other aches and pains. Too often we’ here or see a news headline or a post on social media saying that someone died unexpectedly he she or they were only 16 20 30 etc. Days go bye and the initial headline gets updated bye a love one and they say that the person they lost died by suicide often they say that they had no idea there Love one was hurting , unfortunately that scenario repeated itself again. This time Ellen generous knew this person really well and if you viewed her talk show and saw the opening segment where she would dance and she would ask the DJ to Play a song so she could dance, his name was Stephen he went bye the name 'twitch' Boss,

He levs behind a wife as well as three children ranging in age from three 14. It upsets me as a future counselor to know that people suffer with mental health issues often it’s too late , we need to make it OK, especially for a man to ask for help with their mental health I’ve adopted the philosophy that mental health is Health.

References

https://www.tmz.com/2022/12/14/stephen-twitch-boss-dead-dies-dj-ellen-degeneres-so-you-think-you-can-dance/

https://people.com/tv/stephen-twitch-boss-dead-at-40/

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Another Grad School update

Another semester has come and gone in my grad school journey. unfortunately I have to take practicum for a third time because number one-I only had two out of my four clients stick with me through there mandatory five sessions for extra credit#2 i’m still struggling with anxiety and it’s interfering with practicum which is unfortunate because I know I have the skills to be a good counselor, But it’s hard to get my professor to see that when I am just a ball of anxiety when I am counseling people unfortunately practicum is also in person so I have another challenge to overcome which is transportation to and from campus. I hope The saying is true third time is a charm in terms of passing practicum in the spring.I already have my professor thanking that I won’t be a good counselor he has suggested I Forget about becoming a counselor and look for a job in human services but most of the jobs are in case management and case management has to do with a lot of documentation which I have already done too an extant and that’s why I left advocacy to begin with. i’m not gonna give up. Onward we go.

Victor Betancourt

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Things I don’t particularly care for when attending college I don’t like the fact that in order to graduate you have to take classes that you know you won’t necessarily use case in point right now I am in a class called introduction to assessments for adults with disabilities, and I don’t want to become a vocational rehabilitation counselor and those counselors have to look at assessments such as educational employment etc. I want to focus on mental health for people with disabilities and if I need to look at specific reports from professionals usually all the info I would need is in the professional narrative in regards to issues with a specific client with the disability.

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My brain needs to match my heart. Last week in therapy my therapist printed off my diplomas as well as a picture of the teacher who change my life and told me I could go to college side-by-side she said what do you feel when you see these pictures I said intellectually I feel good but in my heart I still feel a sense of disbelief like it was just a fluke that I graduated with a associates degree in psychology and then I went on and got a BS in psychology So I read proved those who doubted me wrong but my heart still doesn’t believe what my brain does or has it recovered from the trauma that he suffered from in school The moral of the story is even though psychological therapy can be difficult and painful I’m glad I am partaking in this recovery process. No child or anyone for that matter should be told that they can’t do some thing without trying to accomplish the goal themselves. No matter if they have a disability or not.

Even if they have a disability often times accommodations can be made to accomplish a goal case in point the journey I just described

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How EMDR works

Hello it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post I’ve been undergoing EMDR therapy for past trauma specifically dealing with my educational experiences in high school I know it may seem backwards why I have educational trauma and yet I am working on my masters but I had people in my life including teachers paraprofessionals etc. that encourage me to pursue my educational goals despite receiving negative feedback I’ve done well with my education however that trauma has always been there and it’s caused anxiety also because of the anxiety it has affected my concentration because the negative feedback I received sneaks back into my head and even though Thousand times I do well on the assignment the anxiety it’s overwhelming that I get sick to my stomach moral of the story is EMDR does work my psychologist says I am making progress even though it may not feel like it I have attach an article about how EMDR works you can use Tapping or rapid eye-movement as a method for EMDR to make the trauma lesson I believe mental health is Health because trauma cannot only affect us emotionally but it also can affect us physically as well signing off for today Victor Betancourt

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/emdr-what-is-it

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Just found out that the department of vocational rehabilitation no longer has an office in Greeley Colorado The closest office to Greeley is now the Loveland office in a way I’m kind of glad I’m not seeking employment services because I’m in grad school and I can fill out the application online If I needed to . But I can’t help but think about the individuals with disabilities who have cognitive issues and need help filling out there lengthy application for employment what would DVR do in this particular situation there is no available transportation from here to Loveland unless they receive transportation



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This post is about a really close friend

 Hey Zac I apologize in advance for stealing a photo from your Facebook page I exchanged A few text back-and-forth with you this evening and it’s like we never lost touch you I wan of my best friends and I will never forget what you did for me in high school you took on the school with me and encouraged me to pursue my college dreams even though the school didn’t think that it was possible you even rest your job in order to prove a point to the school that I could do more than they said you even accompanying me to prom so that I could go on a date with someone who asked me too the big dance and you didn’t take no for an answer even though I was on the fence about going even though I really wanted to and even though I am still struggling with those evil episodes to this day you’re reminding me this evening that I am a really strong person and they can’t take my dreams away from me thank you for always being there my friend

[babyfreakdreamerwombat]

Once an advocate always an advocate Grad School discovery

I don’t have time to post on my blog very Much anymore because I am in Grad School but I wanna to take a few minutes to write a few words about some thing I encountered this wee. I’m taking a class on employment and placement for people with disabilities and I was reading the assigned chapter this week And in the chapter was the word mental retardation to describe people with intellectual disabilities. Disability advocates worked on changing the language from mentally retarded to intellectually disability to describe this Group of Individuals The reason four the change Was because of the word mentally retarded having negative connotation and additionally disability advocate felt it was very offensive. For this reason Federal changes were made to change the language from mentally retarded two intellectually disable in 2013. Knowing this information it was difficult for me to read that word in the textbook over and over. So I wrote an email to my professor telling her about how I felt uncomfortable reading the word in the chapter and if she knew it was in there.? She responded with “ I appreciate you bringing this to my attentionThe Textbook it’s older than I would like“ but the content it’s still relevant and unfortunately The field of rehabilitation is small so therefor text Book information is not updated very often this is some thing that needs to change to Reflect current language In my opinion.

References https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/08/01/2013-18552/change-in-terminology-mental-retardation-to-intellectual-disability

[babyfreakdreamerwombat]

forgot to post a story about this cute boy that just was so adorable that I got a little choked up. He was learning about diversity in school and he learned about a soccer player with only one leg and he became a professional soccer player despite only having one leg so he asked is there anyone that we know of that has a disability and my sister says well uncle booboo Bear is different benny Benjamin pause and says no there’s nothing wrong with Booboo bear he just sits in A chair🧑🏻‍🦽😘🤗

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grad School news

I found out this week I have five years to complete my masters in rehabilitation counseling I found out about this after contacting my advisor to ask what would happen if I took the summer off to focusOn physical therapyAnd other things , She said that would be fine but you Will likely have to take two classes Per semester beginning this coming fall and Spring semester in addition I will have to take classes in the summer in order to finish within the unc five year mandate . I thought in College you had complete autonomy and control of when you took classes I found out from my brother-in-law Who was a College advisor for walden University in The College of psychology specifically four the doctoral and masters programs The reason why they probably Have a five year mandate it’s because thing change in terms of curriculum etc. I just hope I can get my anxiety and stress level under control before I have to increase my class load . starting next school year.

[babyfreakdreamerwombat]

Defying expectations

 Throughout my life I've felt as though I've defied others expectations they have of me in that throughout my schooling through elementary middle school and high school I've heard the words we think for example in high school my special ed team said we think you should just get a job or just get a two year associates Degree and then stop I felt that that was just a reading between the lines sort of way to say we don't think college is an option for you and there were people in my life at the time that arrived at the same conclusion thus I felt I needed to get an outside evaluation in high school to make my case, that I could go to college so I referred myself to a psychologist who had done testing on me in the past saying that it was possible for me to learn. In this instance I wanted her to do the same testing that she had conducted in the past to see if college was an option. She concluded that college was feasible for me, in fact I remember her exact words She had said she said” because you have been exposed to academic courses I have no problem saying that college is an option because that is what my testing supports as well, she also said when I tested you in the past I was unable to determine exactly what you can do because you weren't exposed to Academics very much in middle school when I tested you she knew that it was possible for me to learn but that's all she was able to determine back then. When she brought her findings to the school I swear there mouth drop open her findings were all I needed to know that I could go to college. Thus I went to Ames community college although I felt aims wasn't the right fit for me when I started because it was difficult for me to get transportation to and from class that was reliable also I felt that the disability access center wasn't very supportive when I first started so therefore I decided to go the online route and I decided to apply to the University of Phoenix and I graduated in 2016 with my Associates in psychology. Shortly after graduating I went ahead and applied to Walden University to continue my education I felt the online environment was the best option for me so I enrolled in the psychology program and I completed my last course on October 7, 2019 and I received an email stating I was conferred on October 18, 2019. I will be eternally grateful to Dr. Nora and Martin for giving me the golden ticket if you will because her testing made my case stronger in that it proved that college was an option for me in addition I would like to Thank Mr. Don Wagoner he was one of the people who encouraged me to go to college he changed my life because he along with his other social studies colleagues believe that I could go to college although he was the first to push me and tell me that I could go to college to this day I give him credit for the reason that I pursued higher education I should also mention that Mr. Wagoner was also my first psychology teacher he taught me the foundations of psychology. I am writing this piece because Walden University prides itself on working on social change and they encourage their students to use their degree or what they've learned throughout their educational journeys to spark social change by writing this piece I hope my words will encourage others to pursue their goals even if they may have disability, because even though you may have a disability that does not mean you can't pursue higher education after all every university has a disability access center in order to make going to school with a disability a little less challenging by providing accommodations under the Americans with disabilities act ADA so therefore having a disability should not discourage someone from going to college now I know that in some cases there are people with disabilities that do not have the cognitive ability to attend college but for those that have the ability to do not think for a minute that your disability is a hindrance when it comes to attending college.

Editors note This blog 

Was originally posted on another web page created by me but given that the Website is no longer allowing my entries to be viewed on a Mobile device I Thought I would post it on Tumblr

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I  did this blog post on my other blog i.e. my original blog website but I feel that it also should be posted here 

[babyfreakdreamerwombat]

We have details on the viral video warming people’s hearts across the nation. 

Toddlers Maxwell and Finnegan are the best of friends, and were captured running to give each other a big hug after some time apart. 

Rehema Ellis has more: https://nbcnews.to/31adKg8