February- Volunteering with Crisis Textline

Total Volunteer Hours for the Semester = 6.5 hours

Volunteer Hours Completed in the Month of February = 4 hours

This month I continued my work with the Crisis Textline. This month most of my time was spent talking with people was focused more on determining what resources I had at hand that could benefit these texters more so than typical coping skills, such as writing, music, talking to those they are close with. This month the people I spoke with were more directly impacted by COVID-19 and were trying to cope with the long-term effects that the pandemic can have on one’s mental health and personal relationships. One of the people that I talked with is a frontline worker who is feeling the stress of working in a pandemic while also balancing their mental illness, but I was able to provide them with a resource associated with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which will teach this person further coping skills and strategies similar to those that a therapist might teach you. Talking and counseling these texters was a humbling experience and acts as a reminder that the impacts of COVID-19 are affecting people of all walks of life. Even though a lot of the time it feels as if I am alone as I work through all of these issues and difficulties that the pandemic exacerbates, I am one of many that feel the struggle of a pandemic.

Comments

March Blog Post

Total Volunteer Hours for the Semester = 6.5 hours Completed this month= 0 hours Over the past month, I have neglected my normal monthly volunteer opportunities in order to place a more dedicated focus on my studies since the NBME is quickly approaching. I have found that group studying has been a rather effective method of reviewing the vast amount of topics that we have covered over the last two semesters in Medical Pharmacology. Below is a picture of me and one of the people in my study group as we prep for the NBME. I wish that I had been able to dedicate more time to studying for the NBME, but due to a list of mental health issues, I found it extremely difficult to effectively study for it. It is interesting though while we were learning about the drugs for antidepressants I was actually experiencing many of the different side effects of escitalopram as I am apparently extremely sensitive to that particular drug and gained a deeper understanding of how it feels to...

April Blogpost

Total Hours for Semester: 12 Total Hours for April: 5.5hrs After much of the stress surrounding the NBME concluded the first of April I decided to continue my work with the Crisis Textline. This month I a majority of my time was spent talking to texters was spent around coping with depression and anxiety around reentering society as many municipalities significantly lower their COVID-19 restrictions nationwide. I feel like overall I ended my semester on a nice note, I scored one of my highest grades so far on my last Cellular Control Exam and although I second guessed myself and should have gotten a few more points by sticking to my instincts I am still pleased with my performance. It is in this moment that I can truly look back and see how I have grown over the course of this program. Not only have I successfully completed this program while experiencing the many stressors that comes with school during a pandemic, I also struggled with increasing anxiety and depressio...

September - Volunteering with the Crisis Textline

Since beginning the Pharmacology program I have not had the ability to continue volunteering with the Crisis Textline due to the time constraints that come with being in a part of such a fast-paced program. Although the pandemic has prevented us from being able to partake in the volunteer component of this program in the traditional way where we are directly impacting the New Orleans community, it has given me the opportunity to pursue one of my favorite volunteer activities again. The Crisis Textline is an organization a free service for those who feel like they are in a state of crisis. This state of crisis is whatever the texter defines it as. Common states of crisis that people are text about involve bullying, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety. As a volunteer, I work with these texters to help create a safety plan and plan on how to cope with their current situations in life. If applicable I am also a...

Volunteering During a Pandemic- C. Powell

Search This Blog