Office Dress Code: and other lies they tell you

Two weeks of training completed.
Tuesday I'll see my first clients at a practicum  site completely unrelated to my school.
It's not as though the client's I saw through my school's clinic were not real.
They were people, with real, chronic, serious issues.
The practicum itself, however, was not so real.
It had ridiculous expectations, limitations, rules and requirements that I am quickly finding out...have nothing to do with how things work in actual organizations.
What I will say, is that my school clinic over-prepared me...which I suppose is much better than the reverse of that.
It over-prepared my ideas about therapy sessions, dress code requirements, procedures, paperwork, etc.
The dress code alone is one of the things I find the most comical. at my school clinic there were so many restrictions, fabric and length requirements and overall appearance rules...and then I get to my new site, where people are wearing denim and sneakers and I'm damn near in a pants suit.  
I am quite surprised how at ease I actually feel about this new practicum of mine.
There are quite a number of reasons it should scare me and I should be incredibly worried:

• It is working with substance abuse issues
• It is at a methadone clinic
• There is an element of mandated treatment (which gives you quite a bit of resistance from clients)
• I'm going from my prior caseload of 2 clients to (currently) 6 but that number will be 10-15 within the next month.

Despite all of that, I am surprisingly calm about it all. I mean, don't get me wrong. I am not completely calm, there definitely exists a level of anxiety and worry, but it is what I would call a "healthy" or "appropriate" amount given the circumstances.
Mostly I am just excited to be getting more experience and to get into the swing of things. I know there are elements such as paper work and assessments that will need to be done that will be tedious and overwhelming, but for now I'm more or less looking forward to it.
My school's clinic felt like there was so many limitations it was hard to actually accomplish much.
This new site, from what I can tell so far, is much more open and flexible in terms of giving me the reins and allowing me to make treatment decisions.
I suppose had I not gone through everything I did with my school clinic, I would not be so ready and willing to make all those decisions that have now been placed on my lap though.
It just feels good to be taking the next step.
It feels like I'm actually out in the real world, working toward something bigger than myself and my school.

I'm actually curious to see how I react to this experience of working at a methadone clinic.
I'm sure there are going to be many stressful times ahead, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it impacts me, in what ways I end up growing as a clinician and as a person in general.

Although, I haven't seen a client there yet, so this could all go out the window once that occurs and I realize what I'm actually in for!
For now, I will just remain optimistic about this experience and use it as an opportunity to learn and grow in any way that it may allow me to.

When to nurse it and when to push it?

Wow, how life can just take over and leave no room for anything enjoyable...like writing.
Over a month with no post, despite having much to say.. I suppose that is how it always goes. If you've actually got something to say, it's probably because you're out experiencing life and not sitting in front of your computer, waiting for an idea to strike.
On July 14th, 2012 I participated in my first race.
Ok, so that isn't entirely true. I volunteered for a race, and was the last leg of the run to ensure no runner was left behind.
Did I mention yet that this race involved numerous stops where a beer is had before going on to the next?
So it isn't the most prestigious race in the running world, but it sure was fun!
It was the 4th annual Craft Dash in North Portland. My boyfriend was also volunteering and that is how I got to know about it. It was 6K, although with all the stopping it wasn't exactly a full on race.
I did, however, manage to injure my knee AGAIN!
Today was actually my first run since that day.
The day after the Craft Dash my boyfriend and I had to pack up a 16' Penske truck with all his belongings and drive 12 hours down to the bay area.

 The days following were packing and unpacking, lots of heavy lifting and stairs too.
Needless to say, my injured knee went from bad to worse. 
I've started up with my knee exercises again, which I never should have stopped but it's so easy to forget to do them when my knee isn't in agony.
I also took it easy for awhile and just started going for walks in the last week to see how it's doing.
I went running today, despite knowing it wasn't my brightest of ideas but being driven by feeling lethargic and well, chubby.
I barely got half way into my run and knew it was a horrible choice, and then made an even worse choice: to continue.
That's the thing about an injury. How do you know when to nurse it, and when to push it?
Today, I definitely should have nursed it but of course I pushed it.
I'm not a very patient person, and injuries require a LOT of patience. Hopefully I haven't set myself back too far and can go again before too long. Perhaps for now, despite my resentment toward it..I'll nurse my knee a bit more and stick to walking.