Tag Archives: Work

You’re My Counselor, G

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This is a hard post to write, but given that my interview–a formality– is scheduled, I need to get this out so i can finish up my 13 years.

I’m leaving the JSO unit.

I have worked with sexually problematic youth for my entire career.  Thirteen years may not be a lot of time, but it is all I have ever done.  I am moving on to a new position: Juvenile Advisory Council Coordinator.  This position is one I have held part-time and on a voluntary basis for seven years.  Now, in order to make this program grow, I’m being given the chance to establish JAC and ensure that it gets the resources it needs to become a fully integral part of the Juvenile Court.

That doesn’t make this easier.

I am good at what I do. I really am.  I can get most kids to talk to me about private matters within a matter of weeks.  Even the kids that never come out of denial admit that I helped them with something.  And while this may just be smoke, the record supports my notions:  Most of my clients are relapse free.  In 13 years, and after a hundred or so clients, I’ve had a total of 4 relapses…  In short, I’m pretty damn good.

When my job was at its most stressful, I would view my therapy groups as a way to break the stress.  I was hestitant to call of work when I was sick–even really sick–on a group day as I love it. I will always love group.  And soon, i’m giving it up.

Let me tell you why:  I can make a solid therapeutic connection to most kids. I have this one kid:  Latino, gang banger, loves to push buttons and boundaries with everyone.  He returned to group after a mandatory anger management class.  He was talking about the other counselor as if he was from another planet:

So here’s this old, pudgy white dude. He had grey hair on his head and in his beard.  And he told us he’s never been in trouble with in his life. He’s just this old white dude who has lived in the suburbs all his life.  He doesn’t have an anger problem.  He doesn’t know what I’ve been through.  He doesn’t know anything about where I live or what I do. And he’s going to help me with my anger?  Fuck that.

I pointed out my similarities to this guy. White, pudgy, never been in trouble in my life.  The kid looked at me and in the seriousness he could muster, said

“No. You’re my counselor G.”

He told me I didn’t pretend to know what he went through and I would always let him talk–even after I kicked him out of group.  He was clear about how I was there not to tell him how to be, but to help him be better.

Maybe he was blowing smoke.  Maybe he played me.  It wouldn’t be the first time…and it may not be the last time.  But, for what it’s worth, I believe him.  And it made my day.  While the guys don’t know I’m leaving, I do. And it is going to be hard to say goodbye.

 

 

 

 

Brush Your Shoulders Off

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If there was dust on the internet, there would be a few centimeters of schmutz here, obscuring the view. Given the current layout and widgets, that might be a blessing in disguise.

So to kick things off, let’s rock the dust off:

Now then, onto the bidness.

There are two competing questions in my head right now:

  • How much hypocrisy is tolerable?
  • What the hell am I doing with my job and my education?

First and foremost, the question of incongruous attitudes and behaviors is one that frequently comes to the fore of my thoughts. I firmly believe that everyone is going to have a little bit of dissonance (or hypocrisy) within. This is simply is part of the human condition: Anyone who says otherwise may not be that introspective. At some point, however, the dissonance is too much and something has to give. For instance, anytime a person with views to the Right of Center begins to speak, I stop listening and begin to formulate arguments. This is despite the fact that I believe I am open minded and willing to listen to people with a variety of view points. One cannot listen and formulate an argument at the same time, therefore, something is going to have to give.

To that end, I typically justify my responses by saying that current political discussions are rehashing the same theories and bogus evidence that have been pulled out over the past thirty years. Furthermore, I find the “White People/Christian Thinkers are so persecuted in America” to be the single most stupid distortion of history I have ever encounter. So if the opinions I hear are based in either a) Same old Supply Side Arguments or b) white people have it so hard the dissonance disappears fairly quickly.

And yet, I will revisit it frequently because I’m not entirely sure that’s the right thing to do.

For the second point, I’m still looking into ways to combine my degree with my job. The fact is that the public sector needs to improve its IT, whether it is knowledge management, computer systems or data policies. This means I have to write proposals for the office and find the journals to read on the topic. While I hope it leads to clarity, I am fairly convinced I’ll leave asking more questions about my direction than when I started.

In the past, blog-as-soundboard has helped out with some of these thoughts. I also know I feel better when I blog regularly. So I guess its a return to form.

On a final note, I leave everyone with the elephant in my brain: The impending release of Mass Effect 3.

Peace out.

Busy? So?

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I don’t know many people who say, “Oh yeah, sure! I have all that free time!” I’m pretty sure that everyone I know is balancing work, family, friends, a project of some kind and their own recharge/slack time. I find it far too easy to fall into a pattern where I judge the quality of busy-ness. Thankfully, thoughts thoughts don’t often get the better of me, but it happens…

Take, for instance, my class mates. They frequently say they are too busy to get their part of an assignment completed. They cite their other class (or classes) and a family obligation of some sort, and I do my best to appear clinically neutral.

What i want to do is engage in a futile pissing contest. I want to scream, “oh! I’m just balancing a full class load, a difficult case load and your bullshit files!” That wouldn’t accomplish anything, let alone make me feel better.

I had Hoped that After years of working with difficult clients and families, I would have more resilience that passive-aggressive comebacks, but lately, that’s all I have. And sadly, I don’t think I’m alone.

Busy and just plain out of resilience.

What is there to do?

I have a few ideas, not the least of which is helping people (and myself) learn to cope. First and foremost, I think this:

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It’s okay to be overwhelmed, distant, upset or sad. It’s okay to be mad at a friend, coworker or your country. What matters most is how we act. Most of all, we need to be okay with ourselves.

I think that’s key. And I think I have a post for tomorrow.

An Open Letter to John P Daley

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To Mr. John P Daley, Cook County Commissioner, 11th district,

Mr. Daley:

I am recent resident of your ward and a long time employee of Cook County.   I have been blessed to work with the children and families of the Cook County Juvenile Court for the past Eleven years as a member of the Clinical Interventions Division.  It is in this capacity that I am writing to you and asking for a meeting to discuss my concerns regarding the 2012 budget.  In short, I am deeply concerned that vital services will be cut from the our program in the name of austerity.

Cook County Juvenile Probation provides a vital role in taking at-risk youth and transforming them into productive members of society.  We save the county and state resource by providing these services in the family’s home, rather than in the Department of Juvenile Justice.  We empower parents so they can keep their children safe.  We keep communities safe by watching our clients.  We work with our local schools to ensure that our clients have a chance to better themselves.

Cuts to our budget directly impact the amount of the services we provide to the families of Cook County.  We will lose mental health service, sex offender treatment and supervision programs, and youth input programs (currently a trend in Juvenile Justice and pioneered in Cook County) if our funding is cut.

I would welcome an opportunity to discuss these concerns with you, as well as to generate additional ideas on how to balance the budget.

Best Regards

Martin Gleason

Cook County Juvenile Probation Officer

Clinical Interventions Division

JSO Unit/Juvenile Advisory Council Co-Chair.

Business

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I’m a full time student this semester, thanks to the county board’s brilliant decision to cut services. These two survey classes, project management and enterprise tech, seem to be right up my alley. I’ll be developing a blog, writing memos and essays, and learning about business processes. I’m going to focus on tech and society, of course, and I’m going to try to spell out all of my concerns about business/consumer culture.

Cross posting is going to happen.

An Open Letter to My Commissioner, Jesus Garcia

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Mr. Garcia:

You don’t know me, but I am a resident in your district. I am also a Cook County Juvenile Probation Officer. For the past Eleven years, I have been blessed to serve the families of Cook County on Chicago’s far south side. I cover neighborhoods where Chicago’s Finest refuse to go without a partner, a gun and a bullet proof vest. I work these same neighborhoods, sometimes well into the night, by myself. I am not complaining. I love my job. But by the end of this week, you and your colleagues want to remove my job for political reasons.

I should mention one additional fact about my job: I provide supervision, case management and treatment to juveniles who have committed sexually aggressive behaviors. I’m on the Illinois Sex Offender Management’s Board of Approved Treatment providers, and I have 12 years of direct experience working with this difficult and expensive population. The services I provide are cheaper than sending a juvenile to Big Muddy or to a residential treatment facility. And these services will be cut due to the County Board’s insistence on Layoffs.

The County Board believes the best way to close the budget gap is to lay off 29 of my coworkers. Of these 29 dedicated officer, at least two work with me in the Juvenile Sex Offender Unit. Laying off those two workers will at least double my work load. Laying off front line workers, something that President Preckwinkle stated she will not do, will directly cut the services to Cook County’s most vulnerable residents. Within 30 days, instead of providing direct service to the residents of the South Side, I may be limited to coordinating services for a much larger neighborhood. In short, I will have to attempt to find other low-cost Sex Specific Treatment Providers on Chicago’s South Side.

To be blunt, Mr. Commissioner, I am the only low-cost treatment provider on the Management Board’s list in those neighborhoods.

Instead of fixing the budget gap by eliminating waste in the forest preserve, within management or with the FIVE IT departments in Cook County (Chief Judge, State’s Attorney, Public Defender, Office of the President, Cook County Clerk), you are targeting the people who rely on services.

Why are you cutting Services, Mr. Garcia? The argument we have heard was that AFSCME refuses to negotiate. As a member of the Bargaining Committee, I can assure you that we have come to the table in good faith. We want a contract–a contract that is years past due–to ensure that our rights as workers are protected. Instead, you want to close the budget gap by directly eliminating county services, in this case necessary mental health and law enforcement. Your actions in this case will make the South Side less safe.

Mr. Garcia, I urge you to work with AFSCME to create a budget that is fair to the people of Cook County. Do not balance your budget by cutting services to the people who need them the most.

Sincerely,

Marty Gleason

PS: I would mail this do you directly, but you don’t have an email address on your Commissioner page or your campaign site.