Cocoa
04-14-2008, 02:16 AM
My mother works in the Palliative Care Unit at the local hospital, and this was a part of her continuous training package one year. I tried it out with my Leadership camp once and have used it ever since. We read it as a group, and everyone was asked to share how they related to it.
Communication was the theme of the day whenever we went through this, and generally by that point the group was very comfortable with one another. With all of them it struck them in a real way, and some of the ways in which my campers related to it made me sad that they had to feel the way they did.
Their honesty and openness when they responded blew me away.
I'm putting it here because I think it is very powerful, and can be used within camps where communication is something that needs to be strengthened, or is a topic of discussion. It can also be applied to staff training, because it is important to remember that although they are children in todays world, many of the ones we will work with throughout our careers will need a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear.
Sometimes we are faced with children who face real problems in their lives, and we are not trained to assist them psychologically, but listening and letting them know that you are there for them does miracles. Children are so vulnerable and sometimes we do face situations where they are in abusive situations - however before we report our suspicions to the authorities we have to be sure, and integral to that is being there for the child so that they trust us and hopefully open up. Then we can help them.
Being a counselor is not just about running fun games and doing crafts, sitting around campfires singing kumbaya. It is a tough job, I don't believe that anyone understands what is involved until you've done it - as we all have. It's being a coach, a role model, a caretaker, a mediator, a helper, a listener, an organizer, an enforcer, a leader.
When I ask you to listen to me
And you start giving me advice,
You have not done what I asked
When I ask you to listen to me
And you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way,
You are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me
And you feel you have to do something to solve my problem,
You have failed me, strange as that may seem.
Listen! All I asked, was that you listen;
Not talk or do – just hear me.
Advice is cheap – 10 cents will get you both Dear Abby nd
Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I'm not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can
And you need to do for myself,
You contribute to my fear and weakness.
But, when you accept as a simple fact
That I do feel what I feel,
No matter how irrational,
Then I can quit trying to convince you,
And I can get about the business of understanding
What's behind this irrational feeling.
And when that's clear, the answers are obvious
And I don't need advice
Irrational feelings make sense
When we understand what's behind them
Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes, for some people,
Because God is mute and he doesn't give advice
Or try to fix things. "They" just listen and let you
Work it out for yourself.
So, please listen and just hear me. And, if you want to talk,
Wait a minute for your turn; and I'll listen to you
Communication was the theme of the day whenever we went through this, and generally by that point the group was very comfortable with one another. With all of them it struck them in a real way, and some of the ways in which my campers related to it made me sad that they had to feel the way they did.
Their honesty and openness when they responded blew me away.
I'm putting it here because I think it is very powerful, and can be used within camps where communication is something that needs to be strengthened, or is a topic of discussion. It can also be applied to staff training, because it is important to remember that although they are children in todays world, many of the ones we will work with throughout our careers will need a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear.
Sometimes we are faced with children who face real problems in their lives, and we are not trained to assist them psychologically, but listening and letting them know that you are there for them does miracles. Children are so vulnerable and sometimes we do face situations where they are in abusive situations - however before we report our suspicions to the authorities we have to be sure, and integral to that is being there for the child so that they trust us and hopefully open up. Then we can help them.
Being a counselor is not just about running fun games and doing crafts, sitting around campfires singing kumbaya. It is a tough job, I don't believe that anyone understands what is involved until you've done it - as we all have. It's being a coach, a role model, a caretaker, a mediator, a helper, a listener, an organizer, an enforcer, a leader.
When I ask you to listen to me
And you start giving me advice,
You have not done what I asked
When I ask you to listen to me
And you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way,
You are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me
And you feel you have to do something to solve my problem,
You have failed me, strange as that may seem.
Listen! All I asked, was that you listen;
Not talk or do – just hear me.
Advice is cheap – 10 cents will get you both Dear Abby nd
Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I'm not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can
And you need to do for myself,
You contribute to my fear and weakness.
But, when you accept as a simple fact
That I do feel what I feel,
No matter how irrational,
Then I can quit trying to convince you,
And I can get about the business of understanding
What's behind this irrational feeling.
And when that's clear, the answers are obvious
And I don't need advice
Irrational feelings make sense
When we understand what's behind them
Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes, for some people,
Because God is mute and he doesn't give advice
Or try to fix things. "They" just listen and let you
Work it out for yourself.
So, please listen and just hear me. And, if you want to talk,
Wait a minute for your turn; and I'll listen to you