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.

a man man is on the loose: fight for USF

The University system is a very unique place in society. It is about the free exchange of differing ideas. There is no God or does God exist. How should we solve global warming. What is the best way to facilitate peace in the middle east? How can we best support people with disabilities? This is what the University system seeks to find out. I am proud to go to one of the top universities in the state of Florida. The University of South Florida.

Unfortunately the University of South Florida is under attack by the state legislature. The Florida Senate has proposed a 60% budget cut for the University of South Florida. This is 100% political. There is no rationale and logic behind the purposes budget. If this budget cut succeeds, it will prevent the University of South Florida to carry out its mission the expansion of knowledge around the globe. I believe that this is ultimately not going to pass, but only if we as a community stand up and fight.

As a mental health profession, I believe this will have a devastating impact on the profession . USF provides me with the knowledge necessary to treat my clients.I have the privilege of learning my craft from some of the brightest minds in the profession. This will have an impact on the delivery of this information. Ultimately, work with clients will be affected. This is not acceptable. I encourage you to contact the Senate to express your concerns about this very important issue. Let's fight for the University of South Florida.

perspectives on resistance

Often times we talk about how to deal with a resistant client. I would like to talk about my perspective on the nature of resistant. I believe there is another name for a resistant client. I believe that when we say that a client is resistive, what we all really saying is that we don't know what the hell we are doing as counseling professionals. As you may now know about me, I believe the therapeutic relationship is the primary vehicle of change in the counseling relationship. If the client sets the pace in the relationship, how can you say that they are resistant men they are not following everything that we want them to do. The client is the one that sets the process in the counseling relationship.

The group psychotherapy process is something that I find really fascinating. Often times we talk about the working stage of a group. The working stage is the stage that deeper issues are allowed to be explored. What I have come to realize that we don't all work in the same way. Some of us find it very easy to work. On the other hand some people find it very difficult to do the work. I believe that we do not all work the same way. Some of us deal with the issues in a very direct way. For the people, they'll work consists of making the room safe, so that they can do deeper and more complex work. We all do not work in the same way. You should now label someone as a resistant, simply because they are not doing what you are doing.

Individuals counseling I believe is a lot like the group psychotherapy. It takes time to develop that skill. Relationship, so they can trust the therapist and explore deeper issues that need to be addressed. I like how psychodrama addresses resistance. Psychodrama says that there was no such thing as a resistant client, they say that the client is just simply slow to warm up. Good psychotherapy takes time. Resistant, is a copout for the professional. It blames everything on the client, who is actually the one in charge of the counseling relationship. The client is the one that sets the pace in the counseling relationship. It might take time, but we must be willing to walk with the clients, regardless of how long it takes to warm up.

lesson learned

 

Okay everyone, two weeks down from this madness called a the final semester of my graduate program. All I have to say, is the last two weeks have been absolutely amazing. I would like to take this time to give you some reflections about what I have been learning about this amazing semester. It should also be mentioned that this must the has also been very challenging, and at times frustrating. I have been able to realize that when I have been challenged and I am feeling frustrated I am learning a lot about just how amazing this profession is.

So I have a amazing opportunity to complete some of my internship atSuccess 4 kids & Families. Success 4 kids & Families is a phenomenal organization, that I have been affiliated with. I am having the opportunity to see how a community-based agency runs. I also have a opportunity to truly create ideas that. I feel that I have a lot of ability to be creative.

Metropolitan ministries is a place that I left. I have come to realize just how I am still passionate about this organization, and the people that we support. This organization gives you some very unique counseling opportunities. You have a the opportunity to interact with many different types of clients.

The biggest lesson I have learned over the past two weeks is, that it is not all about me. Let me try to explain what I mean by that. As a mental-health counseling student in training we all have requirements that we need to meet. These requirements come from schools, and the jobs that we have. We have requirements that we needed to do. Some of these requirements could include making audiotapes of counseling sessions for review by supervisor. Another requirement is to have client contact time that meets the requirements of school. As you can see, I have a lot of requirements that I have to do. However, it is about the clients that I work with. Yes of making sure that we get the right amount of client contact time is important. However we have to be able to focus on the needs of our clients more than focusing on what we need to. We'll in this profession to empower individuals to totally change their lives.

Another lesson I have learned is we need to be able to accept feedback. Yes sometimes it is not easy to listen to feedback, but this is the only way that we are going to grow to become excellent professionals. We need to be able to use supervision to grow into professional. Part of this ongoing professional growth, is the willingness to accept feedback from colleagues and supervisors.

At the end of all this, I keep coming back to one simple believe. This craft, known as counseling is absolutely amazing. Counseling is about developing relationships with people. I'm thrilled every day that I have the opportunity to practice my craft, and truly help people as they try to engage in change.

Augusta State University student

Good day folks, I hope everyone is having a good day. Today I would like to talk to you a very important case that was recently decided in federal court. This is the case of Jennifer Keaton. This case was introduced to me by a colleague from my program. This individual was a mental health counselor student, Augusta State University, a University in the state of Georgia. She was expelled from a counseling program for not being able to follow guidelines set by the program. She is a Christian, who believes that homosexuality is morally wrong. She uses the Bible as a backup to what she believes. She made some statements about homosexuals, that she would not be able to provide treatment to its population because of her religious beliefs. She would also reflect the values and beliefs that she has about the situation on the client's that she would be counseling.

I am not sure about what everyone believes about this subject. And I am not asking you to change the beliefs about homosexuality. I am also a Christian. I also do not believe the same things that Jennifer.is about homosexuality. My religious believes is something that is very important to me. Having said that, I do agree with the decision to expel the student from the training program. Counseling professionals have a duty to keep your values in check. You must not make value judgments against your client. I would say this, even if I believe what Jennifer believe. My believes have been challenged since I've been in a mental health counseling program. I have had the opportunity to grow both in my professional life, and in my personal life. We cannot place values on to the clients that we provide treatment to. This has not what we do. What we do is facilitate the process that allows the client to engage in change. What we do is to provide a safe space, so client can be allowed to explore the really difficult issues. We are not people that tell other people what to do. We also don't have to agree with everything our clients to. But we must provide space for personal growth. Yes I do believe we can also integrate spiritual beliefs in the counseling relationship, but only if the client allows us to. And we must not place value judgments on to clients. This is exactly what Keaton said she was going to you. Professionals have a duty to be guardians of a profession's, that is very unique. There is nothing like a mental health counseling relationship. I agree with the decision to expel Jennifer Keaton from Augusta State University. Not because of what she believes, but because she was not able to provide effective treatment to potential clients. She was not able to separate what she believes, and the professional obligation that she has. This is a absolute must. This is a profession that requires you to do that.

I would also say that she was not using appropriate treatment options, they have not been scientifically proven.

reflections on this Christmas season

This week I was a coffee shop with my dad. We were talking about Christmas. I told my dad that my dream gift was a iPad. Now I recognize that a iPad is a very expensive gift. So I know that this is not going to happen this holiday season. But we were talking about what my dream gift was.

Also this week I read a press release from success for kids and families, a organization that I have been affiliated with for a long time. Also this organization is the site for my internship next semester. I would like to include a statement from this press release. This is from the executive director of success for kids , Who is also a colleague of mine.she was talking about what success for kids is doing for their families this holiday season .  "Even though the average gifting amount is enough to get the kids a cool electronics toy-most of the kids themselves have asked for something really practical this year-like ‘a pair of shoes without holes in em'- or ‘my first pair of jeans that are not hand-me-downs"

As I reflect on this statement, I am beginning to wonder what is the true meaning of Christmas. I asked for a a iPad, and these kids ask for stuff like shoes and what they need to survive . I have seen a lot of stuff as a mental-health counseling professionals, that I never saw before. My experiences, have given me the opportunity to work with individuals that do not want iPad, they just want stuff to survive the next day. I read about these stories all the time, and I am beginning to see just how heartbreaking these stories can be.

It didn't used to be this way. I have now had the opportunity to workfor phenomenal organizations, that seek to help individuals in these kinds of situations. I know now that the meaning of Christmas cannot be the gifts that you get, because some people do not receive gifts. They do not have a family and friends to you with on Christmas Day. The greatest gift that they will ask for, is a gift that will let them survive. 

As I write this, I recognize how fortunate I am this Christmas season. I recognize that I will be able to spend time with friends and family. I might get a couple gifts. But the opportunity to spend time with family and friends will be the greatest gift of all.

Merry Christmas my friends. I hope you have the opportunity to spend time with loved ones this holiday season. Peace, and God bless.

Richard Chapman, on the profession 2011.

Why personal growth is professional growth

I can't speak for my fellow classmates, but I have long assumed I am not the only one whose work toward a master's degree in rehabilitation and mental health counseling has been more than a professional journey. It is, in fact, a professional journey -- but a personal one, too. (That's what happens when all your professors are therapists.) So while we grow as counselors, we have the opportunity to grow as people -- that is, if we are willing.

And both professionally and personally, I think we should be.

I will never forget the first class I took in our graduate program: foundations of mental health counseling. From day one, I had come to the conclusion that every person on earth should take the class -- not because I think every person should be a counselor, but because it is the perfect class to spark the kind of self awareness that makes all of our needs for growth completely obvious (and yes, we all need to grow!). You learn about empathy versus sympathy: As Brene Brown puts it in her book I Thought it was Just Me (But it Isn't), "...when we give sympathy, we do not reach across to understand the world as others see it. We look at others from our world and feel sorry or sad for them. ... Empathy is about connection. Sympathy is about separation." You learn the roadblocks to effective communication: ridiculing, criticizing, warning/threatening, telling people what they should or ought or have to do, commanding, starting your sentences with the phrases "do you realize?" or "At least...", interrogating, giving unsolicited advice, I could go on. You learn what distorted thoughts are and why they are maladaptive.

And then you have to decide: do I learn these things and only use them professionally? Or do I learn these things, use them to discern what in my life needs improvement and proceed to make the necessary changes?

Growth -- be it physical, professional or personal -- is uncomfortable. For personal growth, we are required to step outside our comfort zones, to stretch ourselves, to push ourselves. We have to dig deep inside -- deeper than we've looked before -- and uncover what we've always kept covered, shine some light on we have otherwise always kept in the dark. Sometimes, we have to acknowledge what we've always avoided acknowledging. Other times, we have to acknowledge what we didn't even realize we weren't acknowledging. And it's hard work, and it's painful, and uncomfortable.

But you know what? It's exactly what one day we'll ask our clients to do. It is part of the process we will facilitate for them when they are the clients and we are therapists. How good can we be at that if we have never known it ourselves? I don't remember exactly when, but at some point in the course of taking classes toward this master's, it dawned on me that for people in our field, while to grow personally is valuable in and of itself, to grow personally is also to grow professionally. You do the former, and you will do the latter. Period.

Arleen is six classes away from her MA in rehabilitation and mental health counseling. Check out her blog at http://arleenspenceley.blogspot.com.