About Me

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="77afd5a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>P & W Think Tank </B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="P W Think Tank "><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> Information</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>About Me</I></div> <div> Joe Ballenger Jr.  Psyche Sailor - Mind Technician - Peer Counselor</div> <bR> <div> Born in 1949.</div> <bR> <div> The writing and Emailing of the Problems Solution Eletters started June 6, 1998. It was way for me to deal with the death of my daughter, Josylin D. N. Ballenger, on September 6, 1990, when she was 20 years old. I used writing as a therapy in the beginning. It has worked its way into a profession in the newspaper media since then, though I can not live on writing or photography as a full time job at this point, July 2003. This is more a labor of love than a job to earn money. Although I have written in other places that I have seen 3 sides of mental health, I now believe it is 4 sides I have seen:</div> <bR> <div> 1. Education.   I am an unlicensed psychologist by education at the University of South Carolina's Columbia Campus, where I was studying under the intention of earning a Ph.D. of Clinical Psychology. The VA refused to allow me to undertake therapeutic work because in my counselor's words, I "...care to much about people to leave them and their problems at work." I graduated with a BA in Humanities and Social Sciences in 1979 and did graduate work in Educational Counseling and Measurement, including the Communication Therapy Practicum, though I did not finish any more formal psychology degree work. I  self-study current graduate and post-graduate research in the field. I was verbally given an "Honorary Ph.D. of Psychartistry" in 2003 by one of my proof readers for the totality of my life experiences, formal and informal education, my psyche sailoring, mind technicianing, and peer counseling, resulting in the intellectual depth of the essays and thesis' in Problem's Solution. He honors me with the title of Dr. Ballenger because my writing is often written at that level. </div> <bR> <div> 2. Professionally.  I worked for the Veteran's Administration in psychometrics and psychological research for 3 1/2 years, 1977 - 1981. I have volunteered as a case worker for the Mental Health Association of the Piedmont since about mid-2004, and a supervised  clinical psychologist for the Spartanburg Office of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health since July of 2005. Some of my writing on mental illness has been published by the National Institute of Mental Health, and by myself on this web site, who's URL is www.pandwthinktank.com.</div> <bR> <div> 3. Personally.   I am labled as a "schizo-affective, bi-polar type with a manic tendency," but I have been in remission for many years. I use psychotherapy and drug therapy through the VA to stay in remission when I do have issues from time to time. I recognize when I am beginning to have more than the average problems. I am currently (2006)  prescribed no psychophotrophic medications by my doctors, although there are standing prescriptions if the need were to arise. Important family and other community members personally involved in my life know "who and how to contact" my VA doctors and care givers.</div> <bR> <div> 4. Dealing with others.   I have also had to deal with some people's mental health issues as well, including helping in some into involuntary hospitalizations and their releases after they were better. Most, but not all of my psychological work is first aid or crisis's interventions ranging from pediactraic to gereactric cases. I am a volunteer. My job discription for the SCDMH is "clinical psychologist". I am not paid by the organizations to which I have volunteered.</div> <bR> <div> To put it simply, I've been around the block with mental problems/illness, both professionally and personally.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Problem's Solution #118</div> <div> by Joe Ballenger Junior of the www. P and W Think Tank.com...</div> <div> Starting August 2003... </div> <bR> <div> Peer World, </div> <bR> <div> The Joeha philosopher finds a new portal. It opens a new gestalt. A world thinking in fresh light. </div> <bR> <div> "Doctor! Help! I am barely able to do anything but think. I am finding it hard to move," says the Joeha. The doctor meets with him. He looks at the Joeha's body. There are x-rays. There are tubes of blood drawn. There is a lot of science work going on in the laboratory as they wait. They both try to forget the ones in the office are studying Gross In, Cost of Goods, a Gross Margin, then the Over head of doing it all... hum... the printed paper and little bits of metal left over. What is important? They wait. What do you think is important to teach? The truth. It guides me psychically, the universe guides me. Paperwork is passes around for many folks to read and write upon. They wait. </div> <bR> <div> My mantra, "Hum?" My mantra, "Aum, Om, Hum? Hump!"" "Also my mantra, "Aum. Om. Hump! Hum?." </div> <bR> <div> The controller of the printed paper and little bits of metal said, "You can keep your part-time job. You don't make enough money to worry about. You won't be able to do to much according to the science work that went on in the laboratory. You won't be able to make a living for at least a while, probably never again. We will help you."</div> <div> "You mean I can do my journalizing?"</div> <div> "Yes," she knew he was truthful. "You can write."</div> <div> "Can I photograph?</div> <div> "Yes," she knew he was limited, but she knew her limits too. "If you can make it then you can be on your own again."</div> <div> "Thank you. You are a human angel spirit." He knew he was limited. That was the problem. He didn't like not being able to move around much. His mind ached at the thoughts too. He didn't like that. </div> <bR> <div> "Hum," says the Joeha philosopher. "Thank you. I will do what I can to help in other ways if you will help me. I don't need much money to teach the world freely as a Psyche Sailor in a humorous vein. I can teach as a Mind Technician. That is a psychologist technician, technicians do most of the work in any field anyway you know. I am a Peer Counselor, talking to folks for free when they ask me. I use photographs and writing to teach. I provide them to folks if they help me with the costs, a modest diet, personal care, a dwelling and transportation. I need little else. I must help the old ones. I must help the young. I must help those stuck in the middle. That is all there is anyway." </div> <bR> <div> "We will help you. Thank you for what you can still do for the universe," she said. </div> <div> "Thank you," said the Joeha philosopher. Then she was gone. </div> <bR> <div> "Aum. Om. Hump! Hum? Hum? Please world, there is some way I can help more...?" He thinks for a while as he stands at a portal. He is hurting in his leg and shoulder and hand, but willing to help the universe starting with the world known as Earth, "What can I do to help you in this world? You must give me some answer. I must perceive your answer. What can I do to help you? What can I do for your friends?"</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>