unconditional care.

the non-profit agency i work for has this idea... it's one that is strange in the field of community mental health. in fact, we might be the only agency in san francisco who follows this principle. it's called unconditional care.

what do i mean? well, i work better in examples. let's say i'm working with a client who is draining. exhausting. kicks. bites. maybe even threatens homicide or suicide. (what? not my clients. never.) and i've had it up to here (take your hand and position it right above your forehead, almost like a salute). i could walk into my boss' office and say, "THAT'S IT! I'M DONE. IT'S ME OR THIS KID!" my boss would sit back in his chair, take a deep breath and probably say something like, "unfortunately, it's you. see ya."

okay, okay. maybe it wouldn't play out quite like that. but my point is this: we provide unconditional care. all of our kids have faced rejection after rejection. group home after group home. we are their last resort. and we aren't going to give up on them.

now, i tell you this not to boast about the great agency i work for. but to tell you i'm tired. yesterday was my birthday and it was the worst work day yet. by far. the crisis (defined as: all the adults don't know what to do) snowballed and got worse as the clock ticked on. this great birthday dinner i was supposed to experience felt like it was going to get canceled. i cried in front of my boss and muttered something like, "worst birthday ever." at which point he felt horrible because he had no idea it was my birthday. it was a bad, bad work day.

and then i laid on my bed at home, waiting to attend the great dinner. and thought: why am i doing this? why am i tired and exhausted and overworking myself? i sat in silence for a good while; my brain trying to function. and then... it came to me. i really do believe in this principle. and i really believe that the world can change because of this one simple idea: no child will be ejected from our services because of their challenging behaviors or service needs. EVEN the client who took part in ruining my birthday day.

of course, a few friends and pear cider came to the rescue. and the top seven best dinners i've ever had. here's to my three month anniversary at my job. cheers.