Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Daytop Village
This abusive cult must be politically connected
Anonymous:
Hi Steve,
I have maintained a 10 year, long distance friendship with one former resident. I won't mention her name to protect her privacy. She lives upstate and is doing well as a nurse practitioner.
I do remember a George from Daytop, maybe it was ADU--a fellow native Long Islander. My friend/former co-resident mentioned that she sees George from time to time-- they work for the same hospital. He is a social worker now and left Daytop after completing his degree.
I'm not suprised that Lanza bit the dust via heart problems. He seemed fueled by anger and anxiety. Were you there for the incident I mentioned?
Are you still working in a related field?
All The Best, Angela
Troll Control:
hey angela,
good to hear your news. george always was a bright guy. he pulled himself up by his bootstraps after about a 10 year bid for armed robbery and a terrible drug habit. i always figured he would rise above and go beyond.
i was not there for the incident you mentioned and lanza was still "acting" director when i left.
i have departed the mental health field for good. the system is just soooo broken that it's hard to do good work for one's clients. i worked for a while doing mental health claims reviews for Wellcare (an HMO), but found the same sort of problems there. i was told always to initially deny coverage and fight it out to pay as little as possible. again, patients being cheated out of care they desperately need. it's sickening.
if your friend speaks to george, please have her pass on my regards, ok?
i wonder if i know who your friend might be? in any case, good for her!
take care,
steve[ This Message was edited by: Dysfunction Junction on 2006-01-24 13:02 ]
Anonymous:
Hi Steve,
I can relate to your feelings about working in the mental health system. Many programs are stagnant with dysfunction.
Following my experience at Daytop, I pursued a career in the behavioral health field. Initially, I was highly motivated, enthusiastic and devoted to advocacy. I worked in various paraprofessional/counseling positions while doing my undergraduate work. And now I have moved from idealism to a stage of realism...
A few years ago, I got an MSW. After several years working in outpatient mental health, I am burned out due to substandard working conditions, low pay, and the way most of these agenices neglect sound clinical treatment. Clients are treated like numbers and clinicians are treated like manufacturing workers. I send out resumes, go on interviews--but nothing in the field seems appealing. I interviewed today for an adult inpatient rehab that makes Daytop look like a sparkling country club. The director of the program presented with an angry tone and attitude--not the kind of person I'd enjoy as my boss.
I am trying to make a career transition--thinking about human resource management/IS. I am not opposed to returning to school, but feel daunted by the potential financial burden. I still owe loans for this crappy social work degree.
I am curious, how did you make your career switch? You seem insightful--so any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.
All The Best,
Angela
Troll Control:
hey angela,
nice to hear from you again. btw, are you residing on LI or up in our lovely hudson valley???
career transition. two ugly and scary words, especially if you've already done it once (or more).
well, i can say that your msw gives you the leg-up in HR, but that you should really consider an MBA-HR degree, as that's the fast track to success in the HR arena.
you can't go wrong with IS, especially in the medical field. your experience in social gerontology tells you that there are millions of "baby boomers" who now need to be dealt with by the medical field in some capacity or other (you may want to explore MSW vs Gerontology, for a paradigm shift and possible monetary improvement, i.e. Occupational Therapy, etc).
i was in much the same situation as you about ten years ago: unsatisfied, somewhat defeated, most definitely jaded as hell. i "retooled" with an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and went to work in IT. starting salaries are normally 50K+ with six figures not wholly uncommon.
i guess it really comes down to market positioning: one needs to look ahead and forecast one's longevity in any given market. like i said, IT + Medical = steady work. find your niche. you're certainly smart enough.
if it turns out that you are residing in my area, i would be more than happy to meet with you and discuss this further (or just talk about whatever).
best regards,
steve[ This Message was edited by: Dysfunction Junction on 2006-01-21 08:13 ]
Anonymous:
Twenty years later I finally see it clearly. Great business idea. Everyone on welfare. Five to a room. Just sit back and collect the government checks. I wish I had thought of that. While we were busy scrubbing floors with a toothbrush Father O'brien was flying around in his helicopter.
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