New and Improved Psychology Position!

Aloha,

A lot has happened since this psych-in-training last spoke. I moved out of my old house, got an adorable kit-eh, and said goodbye to my ex. As one door closes another opens; I got an amazing job at Hawaii State Hospital.
At the Aloha Garden, we work on Hawaiian cultural values such as Lokahi, Kuleana, and Laulima. We try to present these values in ourselves and model them to the clients. We work in the recovery model to allow clients to grow and change. Our therapy is very different than traditional Western methods because we work alongside the clients in the garden as we weed, water, and cook. We have Occupational Therapists that come down to the garden to run classes. The clients themselves behave very differently than on the units. Many of them note 'The garden is the reason I chose to be at the hospital instead of in jail.' Hearing this makes me realize how effective the therapy is. My supervisor is doing a follow-up study in the community to see if the Aloha Garden improves the recidivism rate for previous offenders... I certainly believe that she will come up with some good numbers.

Aloha For Now,

Rachael