IHR's MissionIHR is a statewide service, research, policy, program development and capacity building agency. IHR designs its services based on an understanding of the impact of trauma. IHR’s mission is to develop a comprehensive continuum of care for families, individuals, youth and pregnant and parenting women affected by alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, violence/trauma, mental health challenges and other health issues.
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Principles
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IHR Programs
Weekly Reflections
Week 1.
Everyone is very nice. They use a lot of acronyms here so I need to learn some of those so I know what people are talking about. I have a desk and a computer which feels very professional. My tasks are kind of changing from what I initially thought they would be and are now mostly focused on learning how the organization functions. Also mastering public transportation is a goal and so far I did well. IHR seems a lot like a big family which is a great environment to be working and learning in.
Week 3.
This was a short week because there was a snow storm. I met with the tobacco and alcohol abuse program director and we talked about the programs she works on to help people recognize their addiction. The statistics were very interesting especially being in high school smoking is a prevalent culture. I am getting more comfortable in my role and with the people who work there.
Week 4.
This week I was able to get to know more people through my interviews and I had a really good conversation with the director of Trauma Integration about how communities need to help people from within. And that there are people who need help even in our own backyard. Everyone loves the variation of their jobs and feeling like they are making a difference. I have created a nice rapport with my office mate and some of the other employees.
Week 5.
This week was very relaxing. I didn't have any interviews so I was mainly in my office organizing past paperwork. I did go to a new staff orientation which was interesting. I knew a lot of the information from my interviews but there were people from other organizations there and it was great to hear their views and experience on the issues of trauma, tobacco, and FASD. Everyday, hearing workers talk about things their clients do which I consider to be common sense makes me feel so lucky to have grown up with good education and strong role models.
Week 6.
This week I got to sit in on a meeting involving representatives from all the recovery houses IHR helps, which was interesting. I was able to experience how involved IHR is first hand and how hard everyone in this field works to get people through recovery. I also learned that reunifying parents and babies is very important and can cause many problems in the recovery process. I also did a lot of arts and crafts projects for a training and that was very relaxing because it was pretty mindless. I have been pretty tired so not having to do too much was nice. At times boring, but it was the good kind of boring.
Week 7.
This week I bonded a lot with my supervisor and learned about her family and personal life a little more while we cleaned out her filing cabinets. Her grandchildren are so cute! I was here slightly less this week because of our class meeting but it all has worked out. As interesting as it has been, I am looking forward to having some time off. I do really feel that I am learning valuable information about this whole industry and this week its reliance on the government. I don't think I would like to work in a field where there isn't as much structure.
Week 8.
This week I have worked on finishing projects I have been working on like the manual and cleaning out drawers. I am ready to leave but I know there is always more to learn. It has not been very exciting, everyone has been buzzing about the warm weather and how nice it is to finally have Spring. I had to move my work space because the person whose desk I was using came back from maternity leave so things were a little chaotic at one point to figure out where I was supposed to go but luckily I had already cleaned up and moved stuff out of that office.
Week 9.
This is my last week and I am relieved to be getting back to a sense of normalcy in my life because there is a lot of school stuff happening right now. I am just wrapping up the work I have been doing over the past two months in my supervisor's office. With it being almost the summer there are a lot of meetings going on and there are many new faces all the time. They may be getting a grant to do mental health combined with substance abuse which would be awesome. It is nice to see that the work I have done has helped my supervisor because all the projects are things she needs and will use. So I feel like I have been able to help the organization and learned a lot myself.
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