Mentorshipppppp

I've been lagggggging on my Mentorship hours. I've completed maybe four hours, and I know the mentorship check is sometime in January so that's my new years resolution lol. The picture above is of my current mentorship location. The church is actually one of SEA's Charter Schools, and the main office is located in the back. Thats where I go and do my hours, which is honestly mostly office work. Since I've changed my essential question, I'm currently looking for a new mentorship opportunity that's focused specifically on substance abuse. I guess I'll just see how it goes.

Still got time....hopefully

So I finally started my independent component hours even though there's only like two months left. Better late than never though right? I started doing my hours at the SEA office in Pomona. It's located right next to a church on San Antonio st., which is also the charter school. I think I'll post a picture soon. Anyways, I got to meet a couple of my mentor's employees and they all seem really friendly and knowledgeable, hopefully I can use one of them for my interviews.  My independent component is starting out rough but I think the longer I keep going, the better it'll be.

Blog 9: EQ

Content

1. Review this. Confirm by stating "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."

Essential Question

Once a topic is chosen, the student will develop a working essential question. The purpose of the working essential question is to help the student build a strong foundation of research which will allow him or her to create an essential question that encourages depth and rigor in the chosen topic. An essential question must:

Provide a framework for studies (It calls for breadth and depth of research, Is not a yes/no question) Takes a stance (Allows you to argue some point, Cannot be a recitation of facts or a list)

Format (It is specific, The wording makes sense)

-I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2. Review the following EQs and Tell us if it meets the rule of 3 criteria. Tell why it does or why it doesn't

a. What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

Yes, it meets the rule of 3 criteria because it allows for further research, allows different answers, and is clear and concise.

b. What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

I think it meets most of the criteria, but I think it should be worded a little bit different because the EQ itself can be a bit misleading as to what the actual topic is. (ex. is he a judge, lawyer, prosecuter, etc.)

c. What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

I think it's a good start but I don't think it meets the criteria because the answer to the EQ is pretty obvious and doesn't call for a lot of additional research.

d. How can an Anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

I think the EQ is a little too specific to the point where the student may have trouble finding more than one answer.

3. Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project. How can counselors best help troubled teens?

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

Content:

1.  What is your working EQ?

What problems are most at risk youth facing today and how can counseling psychologists help them?

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.  Examples:

• A major problem most at risk youth are facing today is the influence of drugs and counseling psychologists can help them by providing family counseling/group counseling or sending them a rehabilitation center.

EQ: What is the best way to support an undocumented student in graduating from college?

•  Incite them to fill out their California Dream Act 2 application; this application finally allows undocumented students to apply for financial aid.
• Further train staff to accommodate to the needs of undocumented students by requiring them to take courses in relevant areas such as remedial reading, ESL, Spanish language, and cultural differences.
• 
  

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ? 
My most important source is definitely my mentor.


4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?
My mentor is Isabel Godoy and she works at SEA, a company that provides home/family counseling to teens on probation, on drugs, etc.

Independent Component 1 Approval

Content:

Please review the component contract at page 12 of the senior project packet.  Click here!  The independent component 1 is an opportunity for you to add a dimension of creativity and/or an additional outlet for research.  The goal of the component is for you to explore your topic in more depth with this component. On February 7, 2014, you will be turning in the following to your blog to prove completion of this component:

·       Log of hours on an digital spreadsheet (with total number of hours included)

·       Evidence of the 30 hours of work (e.g. transcript, essays, tests, art work, photographs) as digital artifacts

·       LIA

 The senior team expects that your log will be on the right hand side of your blog with your WB and mentorship log.   In addition to this,  we expect that you will be able to prove the total 30 hours of work by submitting evidence to the blog by the due date.  Forthis blog post and approval, please answer the following questions.

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

What I plan to do is maybe consult a client of my own. If not, I plan to come up with new strategies that might help the teens get back on their feet. Psychologists usually submit their own journal articles so I think that would be my best bet. I'm not really sure what else I can do besides that so I have a material object. 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

I plan to do all my work, research, etc. with my mentor because I definitely need my guidance. Whenever I'm sitting in on sessions or researching with my mentor, ill be sure that my mentor is with me to be a witness to me completing the 30 hours. iPhones also come in handy. I will take dozens of pictures during these few months as proof.

3.  And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

Doing one of the above would give me much much more insight on the topic rather than just reading some articles off google. This way ill be able to know how it feels when you're actually in a counselors position and how they tackle problems.
4.  Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your mentorship log and call it the independent component 1 log.

Your answers to the questions should be supported with details and examples for the senior team to understand what you plan to do.   Once we review your Blog Post 7, your house teacher will discuss with you the approval of your plan.  If it is approved, please start working on it.  If it is not approved, your house teacher will explain why.  It is your job to address the concerns so you can get your component approved. 

still on the search

So last week I visited this small counseling center that I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts but when I got there it was closed and it looked half empty, as if no one does business in there. I got the phone number but asking for mentorship is something I would rather do face to face. There's a small rehabilitation center next door but when I walked in there was no one at the front desk. Obviously these centers are unreliable and out of the question. So that's a no but I'm not worried because its Pomona and they're literally everywhere. Last year I watched Brittany Ho's presentation and she said she worked at a certain center here so I might use that as a backup.

Second Interview Questions

Content: 
The purpose of the second interview is justify your mentor as an expert in the field.  Thus, you will be asking at least 5 questions about their background and/or the background of the organization or company where they work.

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?
Isabel Godoy and she works at Soledad Enrichment Action in Los Angeles.

2.  What five questions will ask them about their background?

1. What made you want to pursue this career? Was it a school course or a specific event that happened in your life?

2. How long have you been working in this field?

3. What college did you go to and what courses did you take that made you qualified to be a counselor?

4. How did you get a position at your current job?

5. Do you have any past experience besides working at SEA?

Blog 5 Project Reflection and Working EQ

The Pentagon: 
(1) Positive Statement: What positive thing happen as a result of what you have completed so far?
A positive thing that has happened, in my opinion, is that learning about all the things that teenagers have to go through has really changed my perspective on life. Doing my mentorship with a troubled teen counselor has really helped me improve my communication skills and give better advice to people who are in desperate need of it.

(2) EQ Content:  Pick a piece of research or your interview.  How has it helped you improve your understanding of your topic? 
I read an article that comes from a psychology based website and it talked about the different types of therapies that psychologists use and which ones work best for certain issues. It gave me really good insight on the type of strategies that counseling psychologists use for their clients and it also gave the roots to certain issues so it also gave me good insight on the background of the client even though it was pretty general.



(3) What has worked for you so far in the senior project?
There's alot of other areas that tie into my topic so finding research has been really easy and I'm not even close to running out. So far Ive done some research on substance abuse, youth violence, and general psychology but the list goes on with other topics i could use.

(4) What hasn't worked so far? 
Finding people to interview is somewhat difficult because they're all extremely busy or view me as just a child that shouldn't be in that environment. I got lucky with my mentor because she's my mother but finding other people to interview is gonna be tough. 

(5) Finding Value:  

•  What is a potential question you would like to study this year?  (working EQ)
• A potential question could be "What problems are most youth facing today and how can counseling psychologists help them?" or somewhere along those lines.
• 
  
•  What do you plan to do for mentorship?  If you haven't found a mentor yet, then discuss where you are currently looking and who you are talking to to find it.  
• I plan to hopefully be able to have at least one conversation with a client and see what advice i can give them to whatever conflict they're facing. I want to have more than one mentor though just to get more experience and see things from different perspectives.

Possible Mentorship! (hopefully)

so even though i already have a set mentor, it doesnt hurt to have more than one right? yesterday i was driving around pomona and actually paying attention to my surroundings, something i dont do often, and i found two possible locations where i can get mentorship at that i didnt find while searching online. theyre both literally within a fifteen minute walking distance from my house. one is a small rehabilitation center, and another is a small drug counseling center. i still havent called or anything but im planning to do so sometime this week and hopefully get another mentor or if not, at least a possible future interviewee.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

Content:

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?
I plan to interview another counselor that works for S.E.A whose name is Aurora Teposte. I plan to interview her because even though she hasn't worked at the agency longer than my mentor, she has worked there for a good amount of years that qualify her to be an expert in the field. She also works with younger kids while my mentor works mainly with 16-18 year olds, so she could give me extra information that my mentor doesn't have experience with. Another pro is that her office is located in Pomona so I wouldn't have to drive all the way to Los Angeles for an interview.
2.  You have to ask 5 questions.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  
-What is the best type of therapy to approach those who are dealing with addiction?
-What are some questions to avoid when dealing with a client?
-Which specific drug, in your experience, has the worst effect on the clients you've worked with and why do you think that is?
- What are some stories that your clients have gone through that have stuck with you forever?
-What is your number one priority when it comes to helping these troubled teens?
 

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1.  List your topic here: Substance Abuse Counselor
2.  What do you plan to do this year to show growth in each of the ESLRs?  Be specific and use an example.  Examples can come from senior project, model assembly, core, and/or participation in senior class ASB or other organizations on campus (clubs etc).

• iPoly Citizen - To be completely honest I was never involved in the iPoly community my three previous years here. I think i attended maybe two dances and played in Powder Puff but that's about it. Since this is my last year at iPoly, i want to do something meaningful and memorable so I'm going to try to be involved in as much as I can. I've already signed up to be part of the Blood Drive Committee and i am planning to be part of fundraising and attending any huge events that benefit the senior class. I'm also going to ATTEMPT to be more social, because I'm naturally a reserved person. Maybe i could step out of my shell and get to know students in other grade levels and try to help them as much as i can.
• Effective Learner- I think my biggest problem is that I don't speak up and I'm afraid to ask for help when I need it, and the teachers have already mentioned that that's a habit I need to get rid of. I'm going to try my hardest to change that and to not be afraid to seek help from others. I also have a problem with organization, I guess you can say I'm not very organized, but I hope to change that. And my biggest problem has to be procrastination. I'm going to try my very best to do things way ahead of schedule but I don't really promise anything because it's going to be a hard habit to break.
• Effective User of Technology- Technology is our main way of teaching and researching in today's society and I plan to use that to my advantage. I'm not the best with computers but I know how to complete the things that are required (such as making a powerpoint, finding research, etc.) I have a computer, a smartphone and an iPod so i don't think the technology part will be a huge issue. I'll work on making my schoolwork my main priority.
• Effective Communicator- As i mentioned before, i really need to step out of my shell. For this year, I'm planning to be more social and become a better presenter because I feel like I talk too fast. Most of the problems i face with communication have to do with myself, but I don't really have a problem coming to a compromise with other people. I guess iPoly groups are beneficial afterall. But, all in all, my communication skills definitely need enhancing. Practice makes perfect right?

Summer Mentorship Component

Literal: 

1. (Know) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AndJdFec-0QydHktcE53WlBLb3R3WjRQc3ZIYXJiSGc#gid=0

2. What is the contact name & number of where you volunteered?
Isabel Godoy: 213 400 2547   

3. (Need to know) What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them.
How do you get your clients to cooperate?
Do you ever feel as though their problems are a burden because you have your own problems to deal with?
What are the best strategies for approaching someone in that position?

 
Interpretive

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
I learned that most people who need advice/counseling come from very troubled backgrounds. That isn't always the case, but it is the case in this situation.

Applied

5. How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.
What Isabel does is somewhat therapy/counseling/management for troubled teenagers on parole. She oversees their problems and tries to do whats best to get their lives back into a stable place. Coming into this senior year, I wanted to do my senior project revolving around psychotherapy, but after this experience I think i might head towards the Drug counseling/Alcohol Anonymous route because I've seen that it plays a major effect on someone's life and I think it would be good for awareness.

2013 2-Hour Presentations Reflections

Literal: 

1.  (Know) What presentations did you see?  Name the topic and the person's first name.
The presentations I saw were:
Natalie - Weight Loss
Sebastian - Woodworking
Natalie - Interior Design
Antonio - Locksmithing
Alicia - Child Life Specialist
Brittany - Clinical Social Work Therapy
Manny - Healthy Mexican Food
Christopher - Video Game Journalism
Eric - Running a Skateshop
Angel - Political Campaigns
Cherokee - Animal Control
Jocelyn - Physical Fitness
Zhailah - Anesthesiology


2.  (Need to know) What questions do you have that haven't been answered about the senior project? This can be about the senior project in general, any components or about a presentation topic you saw or what they said. 



I don't have any questions regarding their individual senior projects nor the project overall because most of the students did a good job of thoroughly explaining their topics and i got a good understanding of the project too.

Interpretive:

3. What has the most important part of the senior project based on what you are seeing in the 2-hour presentations?

I think the essential question is the most important part because their whole project revolves around trying to answer that specific question.

Applied:

4. What topic are you considering doing and why?
I'm considering doing Psychotherapy or something involving substance abuse mainly because I think it's fascinating how powerful the mind is. I took a psychology class this semester and my mom majored in Psychology too so finding mentorship wouldn't be a problem. As for the substance abuse, I find it interesting because I know a lot of people whose lives have been affected by it and have become so reliant on it that I just couldn't ignore it.