Field Note #1

3/5/2021

Details
A client is hurting himself by not accepting the fact that he needs help. Professional help in
substance abuse and alcohol.

Description of activity
Today a case manager was talking to a client and I was able to hear what he was saying and I
was shocked that he didn’t know what his problem is, and how he can fix it. “Drinking alcohol
and using drugs is easy for him to quit” he says. The case manager responds “if that were true,
Why are you here?”, he gets up and walks out of her office.

Reflections
My thoughts on this is that deep down he knows he has a problem, but he is to macho to admit it.
It doesn’t take a man to see what is working with him. A true man would take action and do
whatever he could to get better for himself and his family. He has a great family support, but
inside I feel like he uses the drugs and alcohol to escape reality. Why?

Emerging questions/analyses
What caused him to go into drugs the first place? How can he admit to himself he has a problem?
How would someone approach this topic with him?

Future action
I would love to get the inside scope of his life and understand why he is this way, by
interviewing him for my ethnography.
Field #2
3/6/2021
Details
One guy is having a conversation with someone about taking control and action about his life.

The second guy is having a conversation with another person about him doing an activity that
was sponsored by the program.

Description of activity
One guy is talking to someone but is not doing anything about himself to get him out of the
situation he is in. They have a conversation about trying to go out and find a job and making
money to get an apartment and be financially stable. The other guy responds same here and I
want to be able to see my children. They both talk about making themselves feel better by trying
to talk about it.

The second guy is doing an activity that my work has done to help the clients find themselves
and help control their anxiety. He is very happy until one person comes up to him and argues
about why he even bothers to try. He responds because he wants get better, the other guy
responds that he will be stuck in a cycle and nothing will become of him. He responds so if that
is true he could at least say that he is trying and taking action on doing something about his
mental health versus him not doing anything at all.

Reflections
The first scenario is about two people who say they want to get better but at the end of the day
they do nothing. All they do is talk. They sit around the unit all day watching tv and just being
lazy and smoke outside.

The second scenario this man is a man of action and he knows he can get better but another man
is bringing him down by telling him that this will be his life a constant cycle. But the man wants
to get better to where he was before and wants to for his family.

Emerging questions/analyses
Scenario 1: Why are they so lazy? Why can’t they take some action? How can staff encourage
them to take action?

Scenario 2: Is the other guy jealous that his treatment is working? What made the other guy say
that to him? Why is the other guy so optimistic?

Future action
In the future I plan to tell the truth the people in the first scenario that they are lazy and do
nothing, and if they really wanted to do something to stop complaining and take action. The
person in the second scenario I would tell him that the other guy is jealous that this treatment is
working and to not take his opinion into consideration.
Field Note #3

3/7/2021

Details
A women constantly smokes knowing that it makes her health worse, but she says it helps calm
her down.

Description of activity
A women after having a conversation with her case manager goes outside to smoke, 5 cigarettes
and that is a lot and her body tells her to stop by coughing and making her to stop but her anxiety
level is so high that she ignores it, knowing that it is the cause of her sickness. She tries so hard
to ignore it because her anxiety level is high and it helps calm her down. Receiving some big
news is hard for her.

Reflections
I think that she is an addict to smoking, and she knows that she is hurting herself but doesn’t
want to try some other way of destressing. Her go to is always to smoke. I believe she is afraid
that if she doesn’t smoke she will go crazy and do stuff she doesn’t want to do.

Emerging questions/analyses
Why smoking? Has she tried other ways to destress? Is this something common that a family
member has done?

Future action
I will take the time to observe why she smokes and take into consideration her reasons. I would
also like to conduct an interview so I can understand her, and see why she doesn’t seek medical
attention.
Field Note #4
3/10/2021

Details
My coworker is trying to explain the rules about the building to a client but she refuses to listen
and does her own thing.

Description of activity
My coworker was trying to explain the curfew rules to a client and she went crazy that she had to
be back inside the building by 10pm. Those are the rules and she had to accept that. She also
wanted to go see a friend after 10pm, and states that she is an adult and can do whatever she
wants. My coworker says that it is for her own good and that those are the rules she agreed to,
when she wanted to stay at our building.

Reflections
For many people it is easy for them to leave since they have a car, and she feels that she has that
liberty but she can’t do it since the curfew rule. She wants to go out despite the rules and puts her
stay at jeopardy.

Emerging questions/analyses
Why does she risk her stay? What is some important to leave at that time even when she does
nothing during the day?

Future action
I want to understand why do things at night and not during the day? It is important that I find her
motives so I can discourage them if they are bad.
Field Note #5

3/12/2021

Details
These group of clients were caught doing drugs on our unit, outside the building but within the
building property lines.

Description of activity
Staff was observing them from a monitor where they escaped into a blind spot after talking in the
camera view. They were there for more than 10 mins until my coworker checked outside for the
smell and was able to confirm it. So she called on call and told them to have her go outside tell
them to stop and come inside. They are going to be put on contract for not following rules. She
talked to them about why they are here and that they need to try to make themselves better and
not do stupid things. The whole point of them being here is so that they can get help. They were
sent to their rooms and mumbling how unfair this situation is.

Reflections
They need to understand that they are here to get better and not get worse. Doing drugs on the
unit is what is hurting them, they need to understand that. I feel that they are craving drugs but
cannot do them because it is hurting them physically, and mentally. They need to see that we are
taking them into our best interests and theirs.

Emerging questions/analyses
Why do drugs on the unit? What is the purpose of them doing it as a group? What does this drug
mean to them?

Future action
I want to learn more about the drugs in question and try to understand and find ways to help
them. Try to understand why they did drugs on campus, find the purpose.