the rix mix

Most of the MSWs I've met at the psych clinic are damn near useless. They're like junior therapists. If you went to them homeless & hungry they'd think their job is to get you to apply for a library card so you can use the internet to research shelters & soup kitchens. But an old school social worker sees the immediate need, looks in her giant old-fashioned Rolodex file, finds out which church is serving on that day, calls over & asks them to reserve you a plate if you're late, then calls around to the shelters for an open bed & reserves a place for you there. Then she asks you to come back tomorrow, fed & somewhat rested, to discuss your problems & begin the process of getting a handle on them, first by arranging reliable meals & safe places to sleep. I had a friendly argument with her over how to deal with stuttering teenagers so as not to further traumatize them. I was the stutterer & telling her what I needed & so rarely got. ice young woman, she's leaving, we'll see how the next one is.