The easy way

I am a member of generation x. My generation always wants gratification to be immediate. We want have everything given to us. I have grown up in the generation of standardized testing. If you take the test, you pass it and move on. If you give a presentation, you want to do the easiest way to get the A. This is my generation. I have to be honest, I used to have some of these beliefs. I wanted to go down the path that would be easiest for me to achieve that A.

Generation X is beginning to join the counseling profession. And I am wondering for various reasons, what would like if generation X practice counseling the easy way? Looking at my previous paragraph, I know we cannot do this. The client is the one that set the pace of counseling. Counseling is not a test, if you do this, you will pass. It is about following a process. It is about providing that place for the client, so you can achieve some type of self discovery. You can't believe how many times I client has asked me a question, and I know there would be very easy for me to answer the question, and speed along the process of counseling. But counseling does not work that way. There is a process that we must follow.

I have come to believe that there is no such thing as a easy client. Every client is different. All of them will be dealing with some very difficult issues. As a counseling professional we cannot do things the easy way. I had the distinct privilege of being in a meeting with the dean of are college that the department of rehabilitation and mental health counseling is located in. He said this: this is going to be difficult. And it should be, because you are dealing with people's lives. He is absolutely right. Counseling is something that is very difficult . The profession that we have chosen to join is a privilege, that comes with great responsibility. As mental health professionals we cannot practice the the easy way. Now this does not mean we do all of the work. Client must be willing to put everything he has in. We as mental health professionals must be willing to acquire the knowledge to walk along the side of of the client as they try to change.