5. Talk about your work with emotionally disturbed kids.
I graduated with honors in Psych (Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude) and was headed towards grad school. After college I went to work in a group home for highly disturbed children. It was a live-in facility and I was in change of a cottage of 10 boys ages 8-12. It was very draining work. My first day a child tried to kill me with a metal pole. My last day a child tried to kill me with a fork. I was spit on nearly every day in between.
Nothing tests a person?s patience like being spit in the face. It gave me lots of experience with loving unconditionally and in working to understand a person?s story before you can judge their actions.
These kids were great kids?just FUCKED UP by their parents. I considered some of these kids parents to be murderers, because they killed off these boys hope for a normal life.
After 2 years, I was depleted and had to move on. I never returned to formal Psychology. But the lessons learned there help me every day.
