Friday, July 22, 2011

Leading From Possibility

My Pizza was an hour late arriving, it’s cold, so they better give it to me free.’ 

I am feeling grumpy. I caught it from listening to all the conversations around me, especially those that focus on complaints people are harboring about the weather, the economy, trash in the street, j- walkers, frizzy hair (because of the humidity), hair with no curl ( those darn straight hair genes), relationships gone sour, no relationships, cars that don’t stop for pedestrians, pedestrians that  don’t wait for the walk light, bicyclists that don’t stop or wait for anything... and  on and on it goes. My list is much, much longer but, I think you get the idea.

How did we come to this state of affairs where we are so quick to voice our complaint?  The flaws in other peoples characters, the world situation in general, the cold pizza.  And wait.  What about the blue ribbon winner of workplace complaints—the   Monday morning comment, going up in the elevator to the office, “Sigh. Oh dear, Monday morning. Oh, well.  Just five more days until Friday.”  Really.  I just want to say, “Sir. Aren’t you lucky you have a job? And that you don’t need any medical devises to help you breathe? And that you are going into an air-conditioned office?”  I don’t.  But, boy do I want to.  I don’t because, in part, there may be a basis for the complaint.  In part, because I have learned to edit my responses, In part, because I should, as a good social worker, allow people their feelings, their idiosyncrasies, their views of the world.” In part, because I don’t want to start trouble, get them angry, suggest my world view is the preferred.

This is not the kind of blog you would expect the Executive Director of a Professional Association to publish.  No.  But I was feeling grumpy.  And now I feel better. I’ll be able to attend my seminar tonight with a better clearing.  As my mother, Lillian, used to say, “I got it off my chest.”  And you, my dear readers, bear witness to the nonprofessional musings of a professional social worker, whose pizza came late…… and cold.

Carol J. Trust

Monday, July 11, 2011

Leading From Possibility

This morning, I am meeting, along with my mental health colleagues from the other professional associations, with the head of the Managed Care Division of the Massachusetts Division of Insurance.  We have been continually concerned about certain practices that the managed care and insurance companies have implemented over the years that disadvantage mental health providers.
High up on the list is the practice of 'Retroactive Payback'-a particularly burdensome and unfair practice. 

There are numerous other problems that need to be addressed, as well, so we are eager to pursue this conversation with the folks at the DOI.  This is just one of the many actions that the MA Chapter takes to advocate for its members and the clients we serve.

I love these meetings for the opportunity they create to bring the issues of the profession to the parties that can do something about the problems.

Carol J. Trust