Homework Assignments?

Does your therapist give you homework assignments?

No, my T knows that if she did I would most likely never do them so I don't think she even thinks about the possibility of giving me homework anymore...

mine does. its always been really hard to do. most of them i couldnt do.

Nope. She's never brought up the topic. What kind of homework assignments do you get from your T? You now have me wondering if I'm missing out by NOT getting them!

On occasion he does. Now whether I actually do them or not is another question . . .

Mine has given me a DBT diary card to fill out over the next few weeks. It's looking pretty scary currently so I could misplace them....

Mine did the first session. But it was cause I keep jumping from topic to topic and we could not get back to the original point. I love homework though so I hope she gives me more. Oh yeah I forgot the other homework was not to research as much as I do now. I laughed and said I live for researching till I can learn the subject inside and out.

Sounds VERY familiar

No. It wouldn't be something that would be a part of the kind of therapy I'm in.

No. Sometimes he will ask me to try to believe something "1 out of 10 times" between appts, like "I'm ok" or "it wasn't my fault". But that's it Not really "homework". More like "coping skills".

yes she does.

I have assignments every week. It looks like I am in the minority, though. Not sure if my therapist gives them to everyone, but I have asked her to give me something to do! Being a teacher, maybe I am just used to that kind of thing.

I will get back on here later and share with you some of the assignments she as given me. The one I am working on now is a doozey!

I get homework almost every week. Assignments may deal with practicing a technique that pulls focus from a negative behavior, better methods of communication with my husband, and working with my emotions. For instance this week I was supposed to pay attention to how I label my emotions as good versus bad. T said, "Emotions are just feelings. They shouldn't have a good or bad, right or wrong attached to them."

Being a teacher and perfectionist seeking approval, I always at least attempt my homework. There have been times I've gone in and told T I tried, but couldn't complete the task. Talking about why I couldn't get an assignment done helps me realize and T know where I'm at and I hope gives her better insight on things I need to work on.

No, no homework assignments but just to pay attention to how I feel during the week. Be aware of my emotions and 'listen' carefully to them. But she only has told me this when I ask what I can do during the week. I'm not trying to overcome any easily identifiable bad coping skills but more like trying to understand myself and overcome less easily identifiable bad coping actions.

No homework assignments. Last session my T encouraged me to set aside regular time in my schedule to study for a huge and important licensing exam I have coming up this summer, but that is about as directive as he has ever been about the time I spend between sessions.

If my T did give me homework assignments, I would worry that then we would return to that assignment in the next session, instead of focusing on what was most important for me to work on that day, which only I know, since I'm the client. What was most important would probably not match up to whatever the homework was. I would worry the homework would have a way of diverting me from what I really needed to work on and in fact might be an excuse for me not to. As it is, I already have a hard enough time getting started on difficult material.

nope mine has never given me any homework.i would probibly freak at trying to do it perfect and never show it to her

Nothing structured - Tells me not to give myself such a hard time - to call if I am struggling (still can't do this) and to try and be interested in my feelings rather than overwhelmed by them - not sure if this counts as homework?

On occassion she does. Not as many as my old T. But lots of the assignments are fun, like go home and make a list of all the things you want to do when you grow up (to the little alters). Write her 5 emails telling her about our weekend. Draw pictures.

What's weird is that when I don't have an assignment from her, I tend to give myself one... something to work on for next session, even if I don't show it to her. Don't know why . It feels weird not to have one.

No, not really. In two years, my T has given me 2 "homework assignments" and they were really just more of suggestions to help me order my thoughts more. My T knows that I prefer to express myself in writing, so when I was struggling with a very difficult issue, she suggested I write a letter. It wasn't ever due...just on my own time, when I felt I was ready. I read them both to her, but that was my decision, not something she required.

I think CBT stresses on homework moreso than the other types of therapy...
My T was big on it, but I kinda manipulated my way out of it about 80% of the time... Find which button to press, that's all :P
In retrospect, that may have been counterproductive.

My homework assignment this week was to write my own eulogy. I tend to devalue myself and think that I really do not matter that much to anyone. I feel that life would go on whether I am in it or not. I don't see where I have contributed that much in this world. This is the reason for the assignment.

Is was hard to write it in first person, or from my perspective, so I wrote it as if my youngest daughter were giving it. We did work on parts of it together. I must say that it turned out really well! I did learn a lot from doing it and realized that I DO have value in this life and that it would matter to others if I were not here.

To go along with it, my husband and I made a video of my life. It began with me being one year old and progressed through until the present. It was amazing to go through all of those photos and remember the great times in my life. I cannot wait to show it to my therapist on Tuesday. I think she will be shocked to see how fabulous it turned out! She has no idea that I even made a video to go along with the assignment!

My t doesn't give me homework, but I wish she did. I think it would help me delve deeper into my issues and add direction to therapy.

once in a great while, hate them mostly because he never asks about them later,
then it was posted here that i should bring it up if he doesn't and just never could
i felt if he assigned it, he should ask about it.
so i just quit doing them

TRIGGER-----This is only an assignment. To reflect on my life and to see the contribution I have made to so many. This is NOT an SUI letter, so please don't take it that way.

I hope this will stay in this forum and not be moved. The purpose of me posting this is to show you what I have learned and hopefully to inspire you to believe in yourself. You are valuable just as I am!

After writing this, I realize that I am a fabulous person after all!

My mother was one of a kind for sure. She was not your typical mother who baked casseroles and homemade bread. Instead, you would find her wandering the house at midnight with camera in hand. Going from room to room, flipping on the light switch and screaming “Get UP!” and then take a picture of the reaction we had to the terror she had just inflicted upon us. She would laugh hysterically and really found joy in these quirky little pranks.

My mother was very unique in so many ways. Her sense of humor could be off the wall at times. I remember the time she set my dad’s hair on fire, found it amusing that our 100 pound Golden Retriever yanked him out of his wheelchair and starting dragging him down the street, and laughed hysterically when she blew a whistle in his ear at 2:00am in the morning, only to ask, “Did you hear anything?”

As a child she was adventurous and not afraid of anything. At the tender age of 5, it would be quite common to see her on the roof of her house, jumping off into a pile of pillows, or crawling around on the neighbor’s roof watching marbles roll down the gutters into a bucket she had placed at the bottom.

My mother often teased her siblings by hiding in cabinets, closets, or under the bed. She would wait for just the right moment and jump out and scream, “ Aahhh!!!” and then laugh uncontrollably as her siblings screamed and cried in panic.

I am told that growing up living in a house with my mother was a never ending nightmare of pranks and shenanigans. Being the middle child of five, she definitely fought to get attention. Unfortunately, the attention she sought was quite often at the expense of her siblings.

When my mother was a little older, the mischievous behavior did not slow down. She spent many hours in ditches, tunnels, and swamps. Looking for creatures to take home and keep as her own. Little did she realize that these critters would rapidly multiply. Before long, her backyard was full of flies, baby snakes, lizards, and frogs. As you can imagine, her parents were not happy about this!

My mother’s love for animals only grew as she matured. At one point she was breeding guinea pigs, birds, rabbits, and hamsters. I can still remember the joy and excitement she had when a tiny baby was born. She nurtured each one with such tender care and attention.

As a child, I remember her being silly and always a prankster. We never knew what she would spring on us. I was scared to death to sleep alone due to the stories she would tell me about people climbing in the windows, or hands reaching up from under my bed, or monsters in the closet. I was 13years old before I could sleep alone!

My mom could appear to be wacky at times, but she was a very caring and compassionate person. She made many sacrifices for me and my family. When my father became ill, she was thrown into a life that was new to her. She had to learn to be his caregiver and take care of his every need. I know that was hard on her, but she never gave up on him.

There were times when she felt that she could not go on, but she refused to allow herself to take the easy way out. She worked diligently to make sure our family stayed together.

To her friends she was always known for how she could get them to laugh like they hadn’t done in many years. She had a wit about her that was infectious. Anyone that knew my mother on a personal level knew that if they were to spend time with her, the obnoxious and outrageous behavior would surface, and they would spend the night laughing until their sides hurt.

My mother will be fondly remembered by her students as a teacher who brought fun and laughter to the classroom. She did whatever she could to keep her students’ attention and to keep them on their toes. Her students never knew from day to day what to expect from Mrs. -------.

She shared with me the day they played multiplication Bingo. When the students made a Bingo, they would go to the center of the room. At this point, my mother closed her eyes and threw nerf balls at them. If they were hit, they were out.

Her students squealed with excitement and tried very hard to make a Bingo, only to get slammed by nerf balls if they did.
I realize that not many of us have ever experienced a teacher throw nerf balls at us, but my mother’s students did.

This was just another example of how she motivated her students to learn. You can bank on it that her students studied their multiplication facts so that they could play Bingo and be ambushed by flying nerf balls! I am sure this is a memory her students will never forget.

As you can imagine, anyone passing by her door was baffled by what was going on in her classroom. She was somewhat known as the teacher who definitely got ‘out of the box’ quite often. That was okay with my mother. For her, it was all about her students and making their time in school as fun and exciting as she could.

One time she was really challenged and pondered whether to participate in the school talent show. It would mean that she would have to do the Cha-Cha Slide on the stage in front of the entire school. Even though this was a bit out of her comfort zone, she did it for her students.

Of course, they had no idea she was going to be in the show. As you can imagine, they were shocked to see Mrs. ------ run out on the stage and dance in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 students screaming and cheering! When she got back to the classroom her students clapped with delight. Once again, my mother gave them a memory. They will never, ever forget the day their teacher danced the Cha-Cha Slide in the talent show.

At the end of the school year she always tried to give the students something extra special that they would remember about being in her class. Once, this entailed crawling into a cardboard box and allowing them to push her down a hill while they screamed and cheered with delight!

My mom was not quite so excited, though. It took her a while to get the gumball stickers out of her hair and allow her head to stop spinning before they went back into the building.

Mrs. -------was not your ordinary teacher. That’s for sure. She took her job seriously and worked very hard to make sure her students received the education they needed and deserved. Her teaching style was student centered and hands on.

It was quite common to see her students lying on the floor to complete assignments she had given them. She believed that making students comfortable was key to helping them learn.

One other thing that she did for her students was to bring various animals into the classroom. Often times she brought rabbits to allow the students to experience how to hold and care for them. She even brought newborn baby kits to school and allowed her students to chart their growth and experience what it is like to see how the animal instincts of a rabbit evolve.

Birds were another thing that was common in Mrs. ------’s class. The students learned to overcome their fear of holding and touching a bird. They watched a bird lay eggs and incubate them until birth. They were able to experience the incredible journey of a baby chick until it grew its wings and learned to fly.

Watching these baby birds learn to fly around the classroom was always a thrill. I remember her telling me one time that they forgot to shut to door. The birds flew out the door and ended up in several classrooms. They could hear the students and teachers screaming down the hall. She sent several of her students to go and retrieve them.

One of the birds made it all the way to the office. She said it was quite comical to hear the adults screaming and running around flapping their arms about their heads as if they thought the birds would attack them or something. Yes, you know that my mother was laughing the whole time, but I am not so sure that others found it to be that amusing.

My mother was an amazing woman. She had a passion for teaching and caring for others. She made our lives interesting. There was never a dull moment in our home. Sometimes I was fearful to come home because I never knew what prank she would pull on me. Like jump out from behind a door and scream, “What are you doing here!!” or hide behind the bathroom shower curtain and jump out and scare me while I was trying to do my personal business!

Mom wants to be remembered for her sense of humor and the joy she brought to others. She did not want this to be a time of sorrow, but a time to celebrate the laughter she brought to so many of us. She wanted me to tell you about who she was and to bring you into her world; a world that was full of humor and unpredictable events.

My mother’s life was rich and full. She did not see the value and worth she was to so many people. Often times she would stay in the background so as not to draw any attention to herself. She always said that she did not want to stand out in a crowd. Little did she know that so many of us wanted her to take center stage and allow others to see what a unique and special person she really was.

Mom was the glue that held our family together. We always knew that no matter what we had done, or what was going on in our lives, we could talk to mom about it. She would listen and not judge, but would help us figure out how to work things out.

We will miss her terribly, but will cherish the memories she has left behind. So, for now, we say “Good-bye Mom, good-bye Squiggle, good-bye Mrs. ------, good-bye Neenie. You have touched our lives in so many ways. We are grateful for the time we had to spend with you. Our lives have been blessed to have you with us.”

We will always love you.

----------------------------

Well, what do you think? I sure gave away all my secrets here! Now you know the "real" Squiggle!

The video I made to show her after she reads this is phenomenal! I can't wait to see her face when I show it to her. Maybe I will post that one day for you guys to check out?