Posted by Anthony Salerno on January 26, 2023 |
While considering potential topics to help kick off our 2023 blog schedule, I was excited to find a way to incorporate my upcoming 10-year anniversary with Evoke. I also felt driven to do what I jokingly refer to as, “the annoying therapist thing” (insert student eye-roll here) of bringing meaning to the mundane. With that in mind, I narrowed in on one of my favorite parts of our introduction groups at Evoke as the basis for a larger discussion around community and team-building.
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Posted by Anthony Salerno on February 16, 2022 |
Communication throughout the wilderness therapy experience can feel very different for most families in treatment. At home, communicating is as straightforward as talking around the dinner table or sending your child a text, and in residential settings, phone calls typically happen a few times each week. In wilderness, however, the majority of communication happens through letter writing. In and of itself, this can be a drastic change for most families, and for this week’s blog I wanted to touch on one of the biggest shifts I navigate with families regarding the letter writing process.
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Posted by Anthony Salerno on January 19, 2022 |
When I write, “being a lightning rod,” what I mean is being willing to step into the path of rage, anger, and the intensity of however many kilowatts of emotion our loved ones are feeling. It can be terribly painful work; however, it can also be incredibly powerful if one has the bandwidth to do so. I do want to name at the onset of this piece, that there are times where it is absolutely unsafe to do this, so it is critical to check-in with yourself about your capacity and desire to place yourself in the path of someone else’s pain. Some of the most empowering moments I have ever seen in this work are those in which a caregiver has named their boundary, described their limit, or said sorry, knowing that there was no extra room in their cup. I have the utmost respect for individuals who can be clear and loving with their limits. If that is the case, this writing, in this particular moment, may not be for you. My focus today is for those of you who are being confronted with your loved ones’ pain, and who do have the bandwidth and willingness to receive some part of that.
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Posted by Anthony Salerno on September 15, 2021 |
Since their inception, mutual help groups have functioned as a valuable resource to individuals in need of community support. And while there have been many detrimental consequences associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the most significant impacts I have observed in my clinical work relates to the profound lack of connection many of my clients have experienced. Due to measures such as social distancing, capacity guidelines, and travel restrictions, virtual interactions have become ubiquitous. Now more than ever, providing individuals with safe access to support and connection is critical. Fortunately, the accessibility of virtual help groups has also improved rapidly over the past two years.
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Posted by Anthony Salerno on July 14, 2021 |
Before leaving my group each week, I create space to engage with one of my favorite facets of Evoke’s staff development--reviewing what our participants refer to as “yellows” (the list of weekly treatment goals and assignments for each student that are documented on yellow sheets of carbon-copy paper). Not only do these conversations allow me to clarify my intentions and vision with specific assignments, (and, yes, to also spare field instructors from having to decipher my notoriously poor handwriting) but they also allow me to gauge and cultivate each instructor’s creativity and insight into the therapeutic process. And following my conversations this past week, I found myself reflecting on what a special opportunity this is for our participants, our staff, and our clinicians.
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Posted by Anthony Salerno on November 13, 2015 |
I’d like to begin with a quote…
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Posted by Entrada Field Staff, Anthony Salerno on February 09, 2015 |
This month marks two years into my journey as a field instructor at Entrada. As I prepare to head into the field this Tuesday, I can’t help but reflect upon my experiences thus far. Above all, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude! I am grateful for the friends I have made, the participants I have both taught and learned from, and for the development opportunities I have encountered while working here.
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