MY CAREER

Repost from turtle_dove
Monday, December 20, 2004


Well, it was 1990 when I went to graduate school (at the age of 24) to start getting my Master's in Social Work. I interned the first year at a Teen Pregnancy program, to learn some of the basics of casemanagement. And the second year, I interned at an outpatient mental health agency, doing child and family therapy. After I graduated, I went to work for a similiar agency in the part of Portland that has a high percentage of low income and African-American families. I learned the ropes there about what it really meant to be a child and family therapist. I was there about 3 years. After that, I went to work for a similiar agency in the suburbs. Big change in ethnicity, but still serving families on medicaid primarily. There another 3 years. Then I took a job in Vancouver, WA, for better pay. It was a bit more modern agency, with computerized documentation and state of the art approach, etc. I was there also for about 3 years.

It was at that last job that I became a foster parent. My mother was a foster parent first, for a program for teens in drug/alcohol treatment. She wanted me to become a respite care provider, so I could take her girl(s) on the weekend. I was roped into taking a girl of my own on the first phone call I made to inquire about the program. Within a few months, I was roped into a second girl. It didn't end well. I was way overloaded. When I finally quit that program, I decided I was totally burnt on social work. That was 5 years ago.

I moved to The Dalles with the plan of switching careers. I actually worked for a season on a factory fishing boat in Alaska. That was a truly character building experience. But it also taught me to be thankful I get to work in social services. And I decided to return to doing what I do. Unfortunately, with the geographic move, my options for jobs were limited.

So I finally got hired with Head Start, first as an Early Head Start home visitor, and quickly I was promoted to Family Services Coordinator, and eventually Mental Health Specialist. The whole 5 years I was underemployed though. And I was bored. And stressed. And frustrated. It was a highly administrative series of positions, influenced in large part by the program being Federally funded.

So my new job* is like a rejuvenation. I am finally back on track. I am doing direct service with families and children. I can leave the administrative piece to others. I get to actually work with people. Phew! Plus, at Head Start I was the one mental health professional on staff. It was isolating and lonely. Now I'm one of almost 100. Yay! I have a community again. It's so cool.

*My job [was] Child Mental Health Specialist for the System of Care at Mid-Columbia (Children's Council. oops) Center for Living. This is a wraparound program. I will be doing child and family therapy for children to young adults in Hood River county. I will be part of team that also provides a variety of other services besides therapy. It's going to be pretty exciting, although the agency I'm working for is going through a lot of transitions and growing pains.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

[Today] I work[ed] as the Children's Clinical Supervisor and Child mental health specialist for the same mental health agency in the Columbia River Gorge area. Before that I was a Child & Family Therapist (LCSW=Licensed Clinical Social Worker) for over 10 years in the Portland/Beaverton/Vancouver area. In my current position, I provide mental health services to children receiving wraparound services. I have a B.A. '87 in psychology from Reed College, and a Master's in Social Work '92 from Portland State University.


Saturday, January 13, 2007

Now I've been back on the regular mental health team for several [years]. I took a voluntary demotion. I am much, much happier.

August 3, 2010

JANE REKAS, LCSW

I started a part-time private practice in 2008 http://janerekas.blogspot.com/ a collection of resources now... You can choose a topic from the index