HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Choice: suffer severe fatigue weekly or pull out of 6yr Training

JessicaV · 12-13-2015, 06:51 PM

Hi people, just want some advice. I am halfway through a 6yr training to become a Jungian Analyst. The training requires participation in about 6x3day intensive residential training workshops a year that I have pay my own costs for flights and accommodation between $1000 ash $3000 a time, plus 40x twice weekly Jungian Analysis plus once weekly supervision costing $120 a time per year. Annual fees are about $6000 a year. My fellow students are lovely and the training is very valuable vocationally. I am getting less and less comfortable/impressed by the training committee and directors of training though.

Since July this has also included participating in a 90minute Infant Observation group Seminar on Wednesdays. Mine is 50km away from my home/workplace. There are 4 groups: Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. 2 people in our Perth group Skype from NZ, the other 2 live less than 10 km away, and all 4 of those are ablebodied and well. I have a 50km drive to get there, half through heavy traffic. I am the only person in the class of 20 who has had breast cancer or any sort of cancer during the training.

For the first 2 months, I mostly attended I/O seminars in person, and was very fatigued after and unable to work competently on the following Thursday. My GP then told me to find something closer because this is not good for me. I then discovered I could Skype and that solved the problem. But after 3 months, I have just been told by the group leader that the Directors of Training will probably not count my Skyped sessions if I continue. He asked on my behalf for me to be allowed to Skype instead. Joy, Director of Training rang me and talked for an hour, telling me I am stubborn, and that being the sort of person I am, I really need to attend in person.

I have specifically asked in terms of needing this reasonable adjustment as an impaired person who needs this as one of my Human Rights, and this does not concern them. The best they have come up with is to take leave for 3 months and only attend I/O by Skype, no supervision or Residential attendance, then alternate embodied and Skype attendance for my I/O seminars from then on. She goes to talk this over with the other Director of Training then will talk with me again on Friday. I am told she is likely to change the offer to something worse not better when I talk to her next.
My analyst died in October, and he was able to help me negotiate this sort of stuff, but now I am handling it very much alone.I want to learn this material, to become a Jungian Analyst, but fear they will string me along and cause me a lot of fatigue and then refuse to let me into Stage 2 or to graduate.
I believe I have a complaint the Human Rights Commission would uphold but am pretty sure bringing such a complaint would wreck all chance I have of being able to complete the training. Not sure I will have the chance to complete at all anyway.
What should I do?

12-13-2015, 06:51 PM	#1
JessicaV Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 206	Choice: suffer severe fatigue weekly or pull out of 6yr Training Hi people, just want some advice. I am halfway through a 6yr training to become a Jungian Analyst. The training requires participation in about 6x3day intensive residential training workshops a year that I have pay my own costs for flights and accommodation between $1000 ash $3000 a time, plus 40x twice weekly Jungian Analysis plus once weekly supervision costing $120 a time per year. Annual fees are about $6000 a year. My fellow students are lovely and the training is very valuable vocationally. I am getting less and less comfortable/impressed by the training committee and directors of training though. Since July this has also included participating in a 90minute Infant Observation group Seminar on Wednesdays. Mine is 50km away from my home/workplace. There are 4 groups: Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. 2 people in our Perth group Skype from NZ, the other 2 live less than 10 km away, and all 4 of those are ablebodied and well. I have a 50km drive to get there, half through heavy traffic. I am the only person in the class of 20 who has had breast cancer or any sort of cancer during the training. For the first 2 months, I mostly attended I/O seminars in person, and was very fatigued after and unable to work competently on the following Thursday. My GP then told me to find something closer because this is not good for me. I then discovered I could Skype and that solved the problem. But after 3 months, I have just been told by the group leader that the Directors of Training will probably not count my Skyped sessions if I continue. He asked on my behalf for me to be allowed to Skype instead. Joy, Director of Training rang me and talked for an hour, telling me I am stubborn, and that being the sort of person I am, I really need to attend in person. I have specifically asked in terms of needing this reasonable adjustment as an impaired person who needs this as one of my Human Rights, and this does not concern them. The best they have come up with is to take leave for 3 months and only attend I/O by Skype, no supervision or Residential attendance, then alternate embodied and Skype attendance for my I/O seminars from then on. She goes to talk this over with the other Director of Training then will talk with me again on Friday. I am told she is likely to change the offer to something worse not better when I talk to her next. My analyst died in October, and he was able to help me negotiate this sort of stuff, but now I am handling it very much alone.I want to learn this material, to become a Jungian Analyst, but fear they will string me along and cause me a lot of fatigue and then refuse to let me into Stage 2 or to graduate. I believe I have a complaint the Human Rights Commission would uphold but am pretty sure bringing such a complaint would wreck all chance I have of being able to complete the training. Not sure I will have the chance to complete at all anyway. What should I do? __________________ 1997-2004 many cysts, many MG & U/S: polycystic breasts. Sept 2013 found lump,Cyst?? forgot lump. Dec 2013 GP check, Referred for U/S, MG,FNA. 7 Jan 2014 Radiology: Radiologist turned screen away from me. When asked she said "Not a cyst, very suspicious.See your GP asa results avail." Cancelled my psych clients for the week. 8 Jan 14 GP: 2.2cm IDC in 6cm DCIS field. FNA=malignant cells. Referred to Surgeon. Cancelled my psych clients for the month. 13 Jan 14 Surgeon said L mastectomy not lumpectomy, offered neoadjunctive trial, agreed adjunctive chemo after surgery a good choice for me. Booked Body scan and bone scan for staging (both fine) Surgery for16 Jan, 16 Jan 14 Surgeon also agreed in preop meeting to also remove 6cm fatty cyst in job lot. Good job done. 19 Jan 14 discharged home with 1 drain. 22 Jan 14 drain partly pulled out overnight, serious seroma (600 ml reducing removed every 2 days for a month) Serious staph infection because nurse said wait 3 days for yr surgeon appointment. 26Jan 14 pathology: 2.2cm Grade 3(3,3,2)ER-, PgR-, HER2+2 so to be confirmed by Sish test. Node negative. No vascular or lymphatic involvement. No metastases in scans. 30 Jan 14 HER2+ high amplification, 13 gene copies per cell. 21st Feb 14 Began 3wkly TCH adjuvant treatment at The Mount Hospital Perth, with 3monthly MUGA heart tests +Oncologist or Surgeon full physical check-up. Cancelled my psych clients for 6 months. Feb 14 First MUGA test: 71%, First C15.3 test: 20 7th March 14 began Neulasta self-applied injections 24hrs after each TCH treatment. Bonepain helped by spa, heatpacks and Claritin, reflux/indigestion helped by Somac. July 14 completed docetaxol and carboplatin, ongoing herceptin to 12 months. Severe cognitive deficit/fatigue after 1pm daily. Sept 14 Second MUGA test: 69% Cancelled my psych clients for 2014 Dec 14 Third MUGA test: 70% Second C15.3 test : 20 Cognitive fatigue delays return to work. March 2015 Tachycardia pulse 168, night in hospital. Cardiologist says no heart disease, ALIVE ECG attachment for my mobile phone now regular monitoring. July 2015 Worktrial, up to 8hrs per wk. Fatigue ongoing Aug 2015 Heart good, no evidence of cancer, just Fatigue. May 2019 Melanoma 1.5cm Stage 1 by right collarbone(was present as large freckle in 2014 and cut through by breast surgeon to remove fatty cyst at same time as mastectomy.) Melanoma removed leaving scar from shoulder to breastbone. In hospital twice for IV antibiotics. Told catagorically this could not be BC mets. Dec 2019 Still NED, still fatigue in late afternoon, but have my brain back in the early mornings. So most days I watch the sunrise and hear the birds morning chorus in my bush backyard and am glad to be alive and to be me still.