On Being A Counselorat Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp

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Who are persons with severe and complex disabilities?When we say “persons with severe or multiple dis-abilities," we are not referring to persons with a sin-gle physical disability such as a spinal cord injury or cerebral palsy. Nor are we referring to persons with learning disabilities or mild cognitive disabili-ties.

Instead, we are referring to persons who have had multiple physical, cognitive, communicative, and sensory disabilities since birth or early childhood. Such challenges have a major impact on an individ-ual’s understanding of their world and the ways in which they communicate with others. Often these persons need assistance in many of the tasks of everyday life and continual supervision and sup-port. Although people with severe disabilities all need intensive support, this support can take differ-ent forms. Let’s look at four different individuals who come to Kiwanis Camp.

“Mary” has been physically disabled since birth and has a limited ability to move, take care of her person-al needs, and to speak and respond to others. Mary is very bright and has a great sense of humor. Mary uses a wheelchair and needs help transferring from the wheelchair to her bed. Her physical disabilities are such that she cannot sit on a toilet, and thus she wears diapers, which need to be changed several times a day. She needs help dressing, grooming, and needs to be fed at meals. Mary has needed this kind of assistance her entire life and she is used to and comfortable with people helping her.

“John” has physical disabilities like Mary’s but he also has an intellectual disability. He needs the same

Questions and Answers About Counseling at the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp

2kind of physical assistance as Mary. John does not speak but whenever he finds something to be funny he laughs in a way that cracks everybody else up.

“Linda” is a person with intellectual disabilities and with Down Syndrome. She speaks in single words or short phrases and it takes awhile to under-stand her pronunciation. Linda is highly social and has a zest for life. She can do many things independently but needs constant supervision due to limited judgement and awareness.

“Evan” is a young man with autism. He is nonverbal and lets others know what he wants or needs through his actions. He has a hard time under-standing spoken words. When Evan is at camp, we use a picture schedule of activities and pictures of different objects or actions as a tool for com-

munication. Sometimes Evan will point to a picture of what he wants but other times he will just go and get it. He is very active and constantly moving. Evan is sensitive to lots of noise and we make sure he has a quiet space to go to when he needs it. For example, he sometimes eats away from others in the noisy dining hall. In many ways, Evan shows us that he is happy to be at camp and having fun, but not in the usual ways of talking or smiling.

These are just a few examples of the children and adults who come to the camp. During the summer, we organize campers by age groups. We hold weeks for groups of adults and children ranging in age from 9 to 30+. During your two week counseling experience, you will spend one week with two dif-ferent age groups.

During Orientation at PSU and the On-site Training at the beginning of your session, you will learn how to assist, supervise, and communicate with persons with severe disabilities.

3How are the staff and counselors organized at the camp?A Camp Director and Assistant Director oversee the entire program. Program Specialists in Adventure, Equestrian, Arts and Crafts, etc. provide different pro-gram activities at camp.

As a counselor, you will be assigned to a group. Each group consists of about eight counselors. Each group is trained, supported, and supervised by two staff members, the Counselor Supervisor (CS for short) and the Assistant Counselor Supervisor (ACS). Eight campers are also assigned to each group. You will be assigned as the counselor for one of the campers in your group.

Who will supervise me?The Counselor Supervisor’s (CS) job is to lead your group through the camp activities, teach and support you and the other counselors, and help you meet the needs of the camper you are assigned. Our CSs emphasize teamwork and group problem solving. Under their guidance, you will become very close with the counselors in your group, you will watch out for each other, and help each other. Our CSs are masters level special education teachers or recreation thera-pists with many years of experience working with people with disabilities and at the camp. At the end of the first week and the second week the CS will complete a written evaluation of you and meet individually with you. Their goal is to provide you with useful feedback and a successful learning experi-ence.

The Assistant Counselor Supervisor’s (ACS) job is to assist the CS in all man-ners of tasks to keep your group "running." They will run countless errands, handle logistics and training, and support you in your counselor responsibili-

4ties. Our ACSs are usually former counselors heading toward careers in teach-ing or counseling who have several years of experience at camp. It’s likely that your ACS will be the same age or younger than you. They are supervising and teaching you because of their experience with our camp program and campers. So be prepared to take direction from a person who may be younger than you are.

How am I assigned to a particular camper?Within your group, you will be assigned to be the counselor for a particular camper. Sometimes a counselor is assigned two campers. Sometimes two counselors are assigned to one camper. It all depends on the needs of the

campers in the group. The Camp Director and Counselor Supervisor of your group are responsible for making these assignments. Although you will develop a spe-cial relationship with one particu-lar camper, you will also get to know all of the other campers in your group well.

Where will I stay at the camp?Our sleeping areas for counselors are primitive and cozy. The camp

has separate sleeping facilities for men and for women counselors. These rooms contain bunk beds and sleep six to eight per room. Each bunk has a mattress. Some "counselor-staff only" bathrooms are available but the main shower facilities are shared by counselors and campers who use them at differ-ent times. Some staff and counselors bring their own tent and sleep in our tent area.

What is the food like?We have a great cook who provides varied, tasteful meals. Vegetarians are pro-vided separate main dishes. Extra green salad and fruit are available at lunch and dinner. Cold water, coffee, and hot water are available throughout the day and evening. One night your group will have a cookout and Thursdays we have a barbecue. A nighttime snack is put out for counselors. We also have a counselor canteen with soda and candy for purchase.

5What is the weather like? The camps are in the Mt. Hood National Forest at an elevation of 4,000 feet. It is always about 10 degrees cooler at camp than it is in Portland. When it’s raining at camp, it’s much cooler than in Portland. At night the temperature also drops.

What do the campsites look like?The camp is on 30 beautiful forested acres within the Mt. Hood National Forest. The wooded site is on the slope of Mt. Hood’s Zig Zag Ridge. The Zig Zag River roars and tumbles down through the campsite. The terrain is hilly and rocky. We have gravel paths between camp buildings. Because we serve a lot of children and adults who use wheelchairs, counselors and staff get their exercise pushing persons in wheelchairs up hills and on gravel paths. We help each other with this task.

What should I bring?In your Counselor Manual you will find a complete checklist of what to bring. You will receive your Counselor Manual at the Orientation Meeting. Generally, you will need to bring clothes for warm and cold weather, rain gear, sturdy shoes and/or hiking boots, swimsuit, towels, sleep-ing bag, extra blanket for warmth, and pillow. Except in the swimming pool area, staff and counselors must wear closed-toe shoes at all times (no san-dals). The reason for this is that wearing sandals puts your feet at risk of injury when helping people in wheelchairs in rough terrain.

6I have medications I need to take. Where will I keep them?Because we have campers who can and do get into other people’s belongings and will take medicine they find there, all staff and coun-selors give their medications to the nurse who keeps them in a locked cabinet. You will be able to retrieve your medications from the nurse whenever you need them, but they cannot be left in your bunk area.

What does a day at the camp look like?The day begins about 7:00 a.m. or earlier for counselors and staff. They might stop by the dining hall for coffee or tea on their way to the area where their group of campers are sleeping. Counselors and staff help campers get up, toi-leted, dressed, and ready for the day. Some campers need their diapers changed. When campers are ready, we all gather for songs and stretching before breakfast. Breakfast is at 8:30 a.m. Some campers with physical dis-abilities need to be fed and counselors and staff provide this assistance.

After breakfast, the living groups rotate through different activities. Camp pro-grams include adventure, arts-n-crafts, fishing, canoeing at Trillium Lake, equestrian, hiking, and swimming.

All groups will rotate through activities.

Lunch is at 12:30 p.m. After lunch, campers have a rest period. A counselor from the group stays nearby while the other counselors take a break. This responsi-bility is rotated between the counselors in a group. In the afternoon, your living group participates in two more activities.

7Dinner is at 6:00 p.m. After dinner counselors spend time with their campers helping them write or draw pictures in their journals. At about 7:30 p.m. we have a variety of all-camp evening activities during the week. These include campfires, carnivals, and dances. At 9:00 p.m. counselors and staff help camp-ers get ready for bed. Two counselors in each group are assigned night duty and sleep outside in the hall near the area where the group’s campers are sleep-ing.

After the campers are in bed, the Counselor Supervisor holds a meeting with their counselor group to discuss the day, problem solve, and plan out for the next day. At about 10:00 p.m., counselors not on night duty are free to relax. We provide snacks and optional activities for counselors. As you can see from this schedule, counseling is pretty much a 24-hour experience.

How are campers supervised during rest periods and at night?The campers in a group all sleep in the same area. Each night two counselors from a group are assigned night duty. They get their sleeping bags and sleep near the camper’s sleeping area. They are available to assist campers if needed. Every day after lunch campers take a one hour rest period. One counselor in a group is assigned to stay nearby during rest period. Thus, during the course of

the week you will take one night duty and one rest period duty. Camp staff is nearby to help with the night time and rest period supervision.

8When do I get a break?During the afternoon rest periods and nights that you are not on duty, you are free from responsibilities for campers. Because the program is so active, most counselors also take a nap in the afternoon if they are not on duty. Once during the week, you will also get at least one two-hour break during the day.

What kinds of personal care tasks will I need to do for campers?Each week some of our campers will need personal care assistance. They need help transferring in and out of their wheelchairs, dressing, showering and toilet-ing or diapering. Some of these campers are persons with severe cognitive dis-abilities who wear adult diapers. We will teach you and show you how to do these tasks correctly and with consideration for the feelings of the person you are helping.

We know that helping another person with showering, toileting, and diapering is hard for anyone. For most counselors this is a new experience and it is only natural to not want this experience! Remember too, that about half of our camper participants are teens or adults, so you may also help persons the same age or older than you are with these tasks. Also, because we have more women counselors than men counselors at camp, but usually 50% men and 50% women campers, sometimes women counselors provide personal care for male campers. All of these personal assistance tasks are done with many others around in the sleeping and bathroom areas and with help from our trained staff.

We want you to think about the personal care you will be providing at camp and ask us questions that arise for you. We also know that if you will step up to this challenge, you will move past being uncom-fortable after a few days as you learn to do these tasks. This has been true for the hundreds of PSU student counselors before you, who all started this learning process out of their comfort zone.

9How will I be trained?Your training begins with an Orientation Session at PSU. At that time we will give you an overview of the entire program and then break out into smaller groups to start learning about persons with severe disabilities and how one provides personal care, supervision, and communicates with persons with severe disabilities.

At the Orientation Session you will receive a Counselor Manual which you will need to read before coming to camp. On-Site Training occurs at the beginning of your two weeks at camp. From Saturday at 10:00 a.m. until Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (when the campers arrive), we will continue your training.

We can’t fully prepare you for counsel-ing before the campers arrive. This is a "hands-on" learning experience, and once the campers arrive, the real learning begins. To make this training experi-ence successful for you, you need to be a person who will accept coaching, suggestions and feedback throughout the week and in the presence of others from your Counselor Supervisor and the other camp staff.

What are the first few days like for counselors?Every counselor starts feeling nervous during the weekend training. This is only human and natural - since most of you have not met before, let alone been a counselor for persons with severe disabilities. How can you possibly know what this will be like before it begins? You can’t. So be prepared to be nervous and accept that you can’t learn it all before: you have to jump in and try.

Finally, on Sunday afternoon the campers and their families arrive and we get started. Sunday night and Monday are a challenging time for counselors, staff, and campers. The campers are adjusting to being away from home and meet-ing new people. The counselors are starting to build a means of communica-tion with their camper and learning what kinds of help they need. Sunday night is a challenge because the campers are excited and a few have a hard time falling asleep.

10Sometimes the Camp Director has to make some adjust-ments in who is in which group in order to best meet camper needs. So, be prepared to be flexible and "go with the flow" should you have to switch groups

or campers at that time. We all have to stay flexible so that the entire camp community functions well.

By Monday night, things settle into the groove and you will say to yourself: “ . . . I made it through the first day with my camper - I can do this!” During the first few days, and every day, the most important thing for you to do is to be aware of your own needs and fears and energy level and let us know what you need. In our U.S. culture, it is so hard for people to ask for help. You need to get past that and ask for help, for a break, or for a private talk with your Counselor Supervisor when you need it. This is a training experience for you and we do not expect you to know what to do or to figure it out on your own. But we do expect you to know when you need help and to ask for help.

What is it like being a counselor for an adult?First, you might wonder, “why do you have adults coming to a camp?” The reason is that adults with severe disabilities have very few opportunities for any kind of vacation. The adults who come to Kiwanis Camp choose this as a vacation because they enjoy outdoor activities and the social activities we have at camp. We operate more like an adult retreat than a kid’s camp during these weeks.

An adult with severe cognitive disabilities is a blend of someone with a less mature understanding of social situations but with the needs and desires of an adult. This may sound cliché, but you will appreciate their love of life and rich sense of humor.

You are likely to feel uncomfortable at the prospect of providing personal care assistance to someone who is the same age or older than yourself. Think of these tasks in the context of being a home health aide. People who provide personal care for adults do so respectfully and follow established procedures.

11This is what we will teach you to do. After you get into the routine, you will become more comfortable and in a few days the personal care tasks will recede into the background and the fun and social aspects of the program will be most important each day at camp.

How much time do I get off in between the two weeks?On the Friday of the first week, counselors are usually free to leave by 5:00 p.m. Counselors then return by 12:00 p.m. on Sunday to start the second week. Thus you have Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning off. On the final Friday at the end of the second week, counselors are also free to leave by 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Can I leave the campgrounds during the week?From Sunday to Friday of each week you will need to stay on-site at the camp. On Thursday night, the big campfire night, we suggest that you invite your family and friends up to see the program and to visit with you.

Where and when can I smoke?We have a designated outdoor smoking area at camp. We never smoke in the presence of campers. If you smoke you need to realize that although your Counselor Supervisor will arrange a "smoking break" schedule with you, every time you take a smoking break, the other counselors in your group will need to supervise your camper for you until you return. This means that you will need to take as few smoking breaks as you can and make them a brief as possible. Every summer we have counselor participants who smoke, so know that these arrangements can be made. Just in case you are thinking that this might be a good time to quit smoking, believe me, it’s not. This experience is too new and too intense to add the stress of trying to quit smoking. (From the voice of experience!)

12What is the alcohol and drug policy?Any person in violation of the following policy will be asked to leave the premises immediately. Violation of the policy will result in termination from your sudent or volunteer experience and will affect your ability to receive PSU credit for the camp experience.

You will be in violation of the drug and alcohol policy if you:

• Have drugs or alcohol in your possession on campgrounds.

• Consume alcohol or engage in illicit drug use on campgrounds.

• If you leave camp and return intoxicated.

The “Alcohol and Drug Policy” form has a full description of our policy. You will need to sign and return this form as part of your application.

Can my family or friends visit me?Yes. On Thursday night we have big campfire in the evening and many guests come. Your family and friends can call ahead and indicate they want to eat with us (barbecue night) and will need to pay $8.00 for their meal per person. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the campfire is at 7:30 p.m. It is a fun night of skits and music.

Can I phone home?Yes. We have one pay phone in our dining lodge in a private phone booth. In the evenings there is usually a line to use the phone, so we all keep our calls as short as we can. Bring your phone card or access code because calls are long distance from the camp to Portland. Camp can access cell phone service although poorly. Verizon works the best.

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Now that you have learned about counseling at the camp, please complete the Applicant Self-Assessment

as part of your Application.

Thank you for your interest in our program!