Final Social Worker Grief Appointment
[ Friday May 19th 2023 at 2:35 pm ]
I have just finished my final grief appointment with the social worker. It has reached the natural conclusion.
I told her about the final 3 sessions of the grief support group:
- I made another grief mandala. I found this exercise very hard when I did the group the first time. This time around it was more like closure. When I did the group in fall 2022 I was thinking about what I was missing about my aunt. What I made this time has been more of a tribute towards her. I found this helpful. I shared what I made with the social worker.
- One of the group activities was teaching the skill of setting goals. This included testing if it was viable and breaking the goal into it's component parts. The overall idea is if I'm setting a goal I will have assessed it as being viable (when necessary including help from others for a specific step) and that there is a good likelihood of completing it. The goal I set during the group was a monthly picnic at the Bay of Quinte. This is about 5 minutes from my home using my power wheelchair. I ordered a lunch bag from WalMart so I the food I eat will be a safe temperature. Besides having a picnic I enjoy riding my power wheelchair on the trails and taking some photos while down there. I find it really enjoyable. I brought a picture of the lunch bag I ordered with me while talking about this. The lunch bag is suppose to arrive in about a week. Then I will start organizing my picnics.
- The medical practice I belong to is going to be hosting a grief support group. I thought it was important to share the final activity of the grief support group I attended with the social worker so they would consider this as part of their curriculum. The activity was to write a "good bye" message onto dissolving paper. In a very unique way I was glad I did this. I didn't really have anything more I wanted to say to my aunt when she died. I wrote a "thank you" message. This was helpful. I felt it was worth sharing this as an option. The social worker listened to me.
During the remainder of 2023 she would be available for what are referred to as "booster sessions". If I started really missing my aunt she is willing to be of further support. If I am finding life hard she would also be willing to have an appointment with me. The other scenario is if I need a social worker to make recommendations for accessibility related assistance she is glad to be of assistance.
I am already motivated to live my life. I don't need help scheduling or deciding what to spend time on in my day to day. I already developed this skill. It is true at the moment that the pain and broken sleep I experience has the upper hand on my life. I have a pain management appointment with a specialist in the works to address this.
The social worker really wanted to consider joining one of the groups they offer. She didn't have a specific group in mind. The thinking is that I benefited from the grief support group that I'd likely benefit from another if I found a matching topic. The practical reality is that I had been limiting what remains of the physical setup of my self employment efforts with my laser engraver and making the shed suitable for use year round so I know that my pain control would be suitable for the appointments with the social worker and the grief support group sessions.
At the moment I can't commit to anything else. If I say "yes" to attending another group then I am concurrently saying "no" to completing the remaining physical setup for my self employment efforts. I just can't justify doing this to myself. I have friends willing to help me complete the physical setup. Friends have seen the effort I have been putting in to making this a reality. I will likely consider another group in the future. Something themed around getting started with a small business would be helpful for me. We'll see. I more or less know the direction I am aiming for in life.