doing what i love.

most often asked question: wait, WHAT are you still in school for?

counseling-- that's the answer, people.  counseling.  i'm going to graduate school to learn how to do what i love.

but what is counseling?  to me,  it's so simple.  counseling is something that i think most people can automatically relate to, whether they realize it or not.  regardless of whether or not someone has actually been in counseling or has ever received such professional services, i believe that most people (at some point in life) have received some form of "counseling."  

if you're wondering what i mean, here are some examples:

if you've had a bad day and call your best friend to vent, you've just received counseling.  at the end of the day when you curl up on the sofa and just "sit" with your furry friend, you've received counseling.  for those who take their joys and struggles to the Lord through prayer, you receive counseling each time you bow your head.    

to me, in it's most simple form, counseling is listening.  more than giving advice, more than being directive, more than goal-setting, counseling is listening. people just want to be heard.  what does that mean?  in order to actually HEAR what someone is trying to say, one must be listening fully and without judgement.  to someone who feels as if they have no voice, just being heard can be so powerful.  as a counseling student (and a future counselor), it is my duty to listen.

obviously, i'm not in school to "learn" how to listen.. or am i?  when i think about it, though, maybe i am.  at some points, even for counselors, it can be hard to simply listen.  when trying to help another person, it's natural to want to come up with an immediate plan of action to FIX them.  but, what i'm learning is that it is not necessarily my responsibility to fix.  it's not like i broke them, right?  

as a future counselor, i hope to provide my clients with the necessary tools to help themselves.  i want the people i work with to feel a sense of self-accomplishment, and i believe self-accomplishment can only come from doing something on your own.  when change is self-directed, it is much more meaningful.

therefore, listening comes first… and it must be done both fully and attentively.  only then will i be able to begin guiding my clients on a path towards change for the better.

and, if you're still confused, see me for more details.