A week in the life of…Anesu

As a Social Work student on placement, I have been lucky to work at the Wakefield Recovery College. I start my day at 8am by logging in online and meeting the rest of the staff on Microsoft Teams. Using this platform has allowed us opportunities to share schedules so we can plan together, share screen so we can show and tell, and we share tasks so we can work efficiently. One of the first things I do is check my emails to make sure I have all the communication up to date before I start a new day.

The whole team meets together a little later, these are usually a good highlight of the day. The morning team session allows us to debrief what has been happening in our various roles, especially if the pieces relate to something the team can add input in. It is also a chance for us to plan ahead for any upcoming events or strategies together. However, for the most part, those morning meetings are for getting to know one another, share related anecdotes, build relationships that strengthen our overall work ethic. In a place like the recovery college, it is important to trust one another and learn what strengths each person has we can lean in to so to best support the students. That trust is created by sharing time and space together in those morning sessions.

After the team meeting the day takes on a different form each day depending on what is scheduled in. Today, I have a course that I have been co facilitating, and debriefing session of it afterwards . The course is on relaxation and the different methods to achieve it. Building up this course took research into what relaxation means and looking at five different examples we could share with students. These include listening to music, meditation, EFT, the Mitchell method and guided visualisation. My co facilitator and I took turns going through each one, engaging the students throughout. The course was well attended, and well received; by the end of the session I definitely felt more relaxed. The debriefing with other staff members was a good opportunity to see what went well and what needed to be updated for a later rendition of the course. Overall, the course had a good report and is set to return again some time in the future

Since the course was online, like most days, I was able to work from home. This allows me to be able to be present with my six month old son whenever I get a chance. During my lunchbreak, I go eat and play with him, which rejuvenates me to finish the day on a high note. Depending on your schedule within the Recovery College, you can put in slots to conduct individual learning plans with incoming students. This is usually a phone call for 30 minutes, and is a great chance to build some rapport with students who come to the courses. I have enjoyed doing ILPs and getting to know the students as they apply to the College; it feels great knowing I am helping to connect people to the resources and tools they need to thrive in their day to day lives.

Before I log off for the day, I check in with the Recovery College team and let them know I am safe and at home. This is just another way to build that trust that makes working at the Recovery College a welcoming and safe place. Afterwards, I shut off my computer, and go off to play with my son for the evening.

Best

Anesu