New Job Stuff and Other Updates

Hey, peeps. I mentioned earlier I got an awesome new job, so I'll explain a little more in this post.

I work for two organizations- Respite Works and Behavior Respite in Action (BRIA). They are sister companies (with two others- California Psych Care and Autism Response Team). It's possible for me to work with all the companies, but right now I'm just sticking with two of them and may eventually join ART. CPC requires higher education, so that may be in the future.

BRIA focuses mostly on children with autism and other similar developmental disabilities with moderate to severe aggressive behavior, while RW focuses mostly on those who are less aggressive and more highly functional.

My job specifically is to provide in-home respite care with mild behavioral consulting (ABA). I help teach them day to day skills and constantly keep them interested in learning and growing. It's not like babysitting where we can just watch a movie and kick back while I pull out a book. It requires constant interaction. Most of the time the parents are away taking a break (which is what respite care is all about), while sometimes the parents are home and joining in. But usually they're gone, or if home, working or taking a break somewhere else in the house.


I love it. There's been a lot of training, test-taking and certifications, but it's good. Right now I don't have a set schedule and am mostly on call- this is because I'm new and my supervisor is working on establishing a set schedule with the families, which I'm looking forward to. These kids are awesome and the experience so far has been great, even if a little challenging at times. What's also great is they work similar to the school system- so holidays are off, even the days after holidays. The only difference is weekends and summer work. I don't work Sundays, though, and they are very respectful about it, which is awesome. They never just give you a case- they are always willing to work around your schedule. Most of my cases are in Santa Clarita, and the only reason I would work in the San Fernando Valley is if the hours are long enough to make up for the commute. But mostly I'm here. They provide services in Santa Clarita, San Fernando Valley, Antelope Valley, and are opening up services soon in Kern County.

But, that's the update on work. I am so blessed to have this job.

Everything else here at home is going well. Dexter had some sort of panic attack last night out of nowhere. Gary grabbed Lila to pick her up, and I guess it startled her and she let out a squeak-meow and suddenly, Dexter came flying across the room and grabbed onto her with all fours, biting her. I jumped up and pushed him away and he actually started hissing and growling. It shocked both of us. He kept trying to get to her while showing aggressive behavior. It took a few minutes for him to calm down while we separated them. I was told later that Lila's startled response startled Dexter, and he panicked and possibly thought Lila wasn't Lila- either that, or he thought she was in danger and reacted the way he did. It freaked us out. Dexter's the goofiest, dopiest, lazy sweet cat. But, everything's good now. Guess Gary better be careful next time, haha.

Gary is doing great, as usual. He totally rocks at everything he does. I am so proud of him.

Anyway, that's our update! Time to be a video game nerd. I had a case tonight, but it was canceled, so I'm spending the evening geeking out with the husband. Later!