Love 'em enough to let them have their pain

I was completing a discussion post within my group for my multicultural course and another student (Larry!) made this statement which got me thinking. As counselors is there a time where we have to love our clients enough to let them have their pain? As a future counselor I want to take away pain or at least that is what I thought I should do but this statement...loving them enough to let them have their pain really made me take a step back and understand just how important it really is. Sometimes we need to sit with the pain, to really feel it if we are to make an effort to create change. Without the pain we might not ever step in the direction of the goals we have created for ourselves.So counselors and future counselors....sometimes you have to do as Larry says and love 'em enough to let them have their pain.

Grad school burnout.....

 


Yep I have it. I have realized why many people do not choose  to seek a graduate degree. I am 3 semesters into my program with 4 to go and I am burned out. I am not sure what is causing the burnout. Is it just school? Boredom with my classes? Lack of learning? Family issues? Life issues? What is the cause and what am I going to do about it. Taking a break in my program is not an option nor is quitting. So what do I do?

Well today I decided to just be and read some funny therapy comics to which I am going to share with you of course!

Enjoy :)
Source 1, 2, 3,4, 5

YES YES YES!!!!!!

After months of searching MONTHS I tell you today I got an internship offer. I have been looking since May. Yes May. I have called at least over 50 sites. Some where not taking interns at all, some were not taking interns till next fall ( my practicum starts in January), some just were not interested in me. But you know what I learned today? It was ALL for GOOD REASON. Because today I landed hopefully what will turn out to be my dream internship.

If you have been following this blog you are well aware that I have interest in addiction, sex offender treatment, and prisoner counseling. This internship will allow me to be involved on some level with all of the above hence my excitement at landing what to me is the perfect internship. I am looking forward to beginning my work with this agency!

Hopefully in the coming months I will have more to talk about :)

Is it possible to be too passionate?

Is it possible to be too passionate? This morning after I dropped my little guy off at school I decided to come home and spend an hour just doing something for me. So I decided to lay in bed and watch TV. On Netflix I found a show called For The Bible Tells Me So which is about being gay/lesbian and how  Christians use the bible as justification for their hatred of gays (if you are one of the few Christians who do no do this kudos to you! ). After I finished the movie I started to wonder if as a counselor it is possible to be too passionate?

Image from google.com search

By that I mean supporting and advocating for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something I feel I should do. I hope to one day work with LGBT in my counseling practice and I hope that I can be a voice of acceptance and hope for them. But I also feel this way about addictions, grief (specifically infant loss), and the overall mental health population that deals with the stigma of mental illness. There are many areas of great interest to me and many areas I feel that I should help. So as a counselor can you be too passionate? When does it become an issue? How do you narrow it down so that you can become the best in something?

Image from google.com search


I think for me I am going to have to do some soul searching. I think part of the beauty of this profession is that we do get to work with individuals from all walks in life. I will have many opportunities to work with LGBT, those who suffer from addiction, grief and many stages of mental illness. The issue I am currently having is deciding where I feel my effort is best focused. All of these are in great need of advocates. All of them. So my journey continues and so does my passion. I am going to allow the passion to lead me where it goes. I am hoping that some of the questions I have will be answered while I am doing my upcoming internships.

Women and body image

I follow many blogs and this one I happen to follow on Facebook as well and today she posted a link to this post that I will link you to below. What this post has to say about women and body image issues is so true and might ring true for many of you.

We are good enough at Sophisticated pair just might make up stop and give pause to your own issues with your body. So read her post and pass it along!

Allie

Overwhelmed

Image from Pinterest.com

Yep me. It takes a lot for me to feel this way as if you ask anyone who knows me they will tell you I am always going and doing. The last 2 weeks I am just overwhelmed. I don't know if it is a combination of things or a single thing but I am overwhelmed and it is starting to interfere with my schooling, my  work as a photographer, and being a mom and wife. My energy is down, my drive is down, and my motivation is gone.

I am asking myself why. What is going on in my life? What have I been neglecting? What am I not admitting? Slowly the why is coming to me. So I have decided it is time once again to set up an appointment with a local therapist. After all I can't really counsel myself can I?

So if you see little activity it is not because I am not longer writing I am just taking a break. Sadly this is the one thing I can skip out on without feeling like a failure. Sorry! I will be back to regular writing soon.

Shortcomings....

 Oh yes you know...those things that we don't like to admit that we have....faults. Most of us go through our days totally unaware of our own faults and how they affect our lives and the people in our lives. I am no exception. I am beginning to think that a large point in going through a Masters in Counseling is to become aware, begin to work on, and change that fact...denial of our shortcomings.

So this is going to be a short post as I am pondering.....what my own faults are? How can I change them? Do I want to change them?