So what did you do today?

Good afternoon everyone, and happy Tuesday. I am right, now sitting in the FMHI library. I am the only student in the library right now. I have decided to take today off from my responsibilities at success 4 kids and families. I am doing this for a variety of reasons. One reason is I do not have any client's today. The other reason is, in my clinical supervisor said you need to take time off for spring break. I am working with some very good clients at this time, but I am also working with some clients that have a lot of complex issues. My supervisor didn't want me to lose my passion for the profession.

I have to be a little bit honest with you guys, this is a little bit difficult for me. Don't get me wrong, I definitely knew how to relax and take time for myself. If I'm really honest, I have trouble setting my work responsibilities aside. I consider myself very dedicated to the clients that I provide services to. What I must be able to do is to find some kind of balance between my professional and personal life. If I am not able to do this, my clients will not be receiving the best type of help that I can provide. I also have to figure out a way to have a lot of fun in the process.

So on this Tuesday, how am I having fun? I've spent the majority of today at a café that my friends have on the USF campus. Yes I did do some school work, but it is stuff that I like to do. I have also been working on some stuff for a federal grant review panel that I will be on in April. I have also been listening to some incredible music. I am having the opportunity to publish this blog, which I have not had the opportunity to do. Plus I was able to sleep late.

I recognize that this is a area that I will have to  work on throughout my professional life. I also am recommending that we need to find some balance in the professional and personal life. This is absolutely critical.

home and family

I have been reflecting recently about what it means to be home. Having a home is something very unique. I believe it is not only having a roof over your head, but it is about the people that live with you. For many of us we live with family. Family is also really important. Families love us, families also forgive us. They also set appropriate boundaries, to help us grow. I feel very fortunate that I grew up with a family like this.

Recently I have had the opportunity to shadow and to facilitate sessions with clients in the home. This is a very unique opportunity. This is also a privilege. I am being invited into one of the most intimate places a individual has, the home. For those of you that have provided treatment inside the home, you know exactly what I mean. Will being invited to see what really goes on in a family.

What I have a recognize is that there are many definitions of what home is. I believe that as long as we can keep the family intact, it does not really matter what home look like. I have had the great privilege of being in individual homes, and truly see what is happening. For that I am grateful. Again, I keep coming back to what we do is absolutely amazing, and a privilege.

what they don't teach you in graduate school

Hello everyone, I hope everyone is having a great day. This past week has been very interesting. It has been good, and difficult at the same time.I am realizing that I have the great privilege of being associated with some of the brightest minds in the mental health profession. I am doing a lot of stuff that I am not done before. I am seeing a lot of stuff that I have not seen before.What I am realizing it is I really loved its job.

·, Having said that, this is couple weeks has been very challenging. I have been and what it means to be a mental health counseling, professional. This is the stuff they do not teach you in classes. This is real life . Let me give you a couple of examples.

Always, always trust the process: having a very good session with a client of mine, and all of sudden she took the session and direction that I did not see happening. On the inside I was freaking out. On the outside, I was still in like I knew what I was doing. What I was doing was trusting the process. What I need to realize is that the client will go will he or she needs it to go. You just have to trust the process.

The therapeutic relationship the most important aspect of change: okay this is what I already knew. I think it is important to emphasize that I believe this is absolutely critical. The client must be able to fill safe so that they can deal with the issues that has brought them to see you. If the client doesn't feel safe, then they won't be able to engage in counseling. This is why the therapeutic relationship is very important. This takes time to develop. That's not going to happen at session 1, it will take a couple weeks. It could even take a couple of months.

When something is not working with the client, modify your style: I don't like labeling of client as a resistant individual. I have often said that resistance is just another way of saying that we don't know what the hell you're doing. Some times we have to think outside the box to help the client. .we have to be willing to do this. It is very important to do this. I am working with a client that has required me to abandon my typical style of counseling, and do something totally different.what I need to recognize is this is okay.