Saying Work Goodbyes

For those of you who do not know, I am an early childhood therapist. What does that mean? It means I provide therapy for children typically who are between the ages of newborns to 5 years old. Many, but not all are involved with Child Protective Services, aka, Department of Child Safety (since we are in Arizona). I have been very lucky to have wonderful co-workers who have been willing to take on some of my clients, particularly some of the more challenging ones.

In the past week, I have spent much of my time working from home, primarily checking emails to see whether anything urgent comes up. Luckily nothing has. I thought I would be busier at this point. I thought I would be busy putting out emergencies or having to testify in court. Work has quickly come to an end for me and it is a very bittersweet feeling. I was not been as busy as I thought I would be at this point.

Instead, I have been saying goodbye. I have been with my current agency for roughly 18 months and have grown very close to some of my clients and some of my co-workers. I have little need to have to drive 51 minutes south to go to my office. Lately I have chosen to work from home. I will miss a lot about my job because of my office I work at. I probably have the best office staff one could ask for and I am going to miss all of the special traditions we've had. These traditions include things like going on breaks for junk food, inside jokes, and celebrating events and birthdays in each other's lives.

I've said goodbye to many of my clients. I've grown so much with them and they have shared things with me that few are privileged to hear. Saying goodbye is something I'm accustomed to with my clients, however, it is something that is still hard to do, especially when you feel like you've been through a lot with them.  Luckily, I feel that all of my kiddos are in good hands.

I have had to say many goodbyes in my lifetime. It is part of being a social worker and a therapist. I may not always remember faces, but out of the 500+ clients I've worked with, I can say that each of them and each of my collegues have a special place in my heart. To all of you that fall into this category, I thank you.