Rishika's Social Work Blog

The troubled teen industry needs serious reformation. Children are DYING at the hands of these places and this isn't even the first death reported at this facility.

THIS is why I do the research. THIS is why I spend hours upon hours trying to understand...forfeiting my social life, my sleep, and often my sanity. This isn't ok. WAKE UP

I know it affects me more because I was there. I wasted years of my life in these "treatments" but I'll be damned if I give up the rest of my life trying to right their wrongs for scraps of systemic change.

If you are a social work student in North Carolina, NASW-NC has a student listserve you should join! It’s a great resource to stay connected to a larger network of NC social workers and hear about upcoming student webinars, community events, awards, advocacy alerts, and more.

You do NOT have to be a member of NASW to sign up.

Hello all!

I have started conducting research regarding residential treatment facilities as part of my research fellowship.

As a teen, I spent a lot of time in Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs) and my education paid the price. There were so many gaps in my learning that going back into the public school system seemed impossible. When I first started college, I'd often have to go home and re-teach myself simple concepts (like algebra) on top of my schoolwork. What should have been two hours of studying became five as I played catch-up.

Researching the many aspects of PRTFs has been my goal since I first started pursuing my degree in social work and I am incredibly fortunate that I can start so early in my career.

𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗸 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗸𝘀𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

Erikson theorized that personality developed through a very specific set of stages from infancy to adulthood. He maintained that during each stage, the person experienced a psychosocial “crisis” which would result in a positive or negative outcome. According to Erikson’s theory, successful completion of each stage would result in a healthy personality and the acquisition of basic virtues. Failure to successfully complete a stage would reduce the ability to complete further stages and contribute to a more unhealthy personality and sense of self though the stages could still be completed at a later time.

When talking about theories regarding development, there are two categories that these theories may fall under. The first is 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 and the second is 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 refers to the idea that development occurs gradually and smoothly over time. In other words, it’s a linear progression that builds upon what has come before.

𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩, (or stage theory) refers to the idea that development occurs in stages or steps, with each stage representation a qualitative shift in behavior or understanding.

As we can see, Erikson’s theory has distinct stages which address certain conflicts/ideas making it discontinuous.