 |
| Räinsistynyt Talo. 2014. Photograph by Tia Poissant. |
As
the second year of my counseling begins, I continually need a reminder that I
am not yet a counselor. Not only is it ok that I am a novice at this point, but
it is to be expected. My drive begs me to jump ahead, and my personality itches
to move onto the next stage of career and life already. However, as Thomas and
Sosin discuss in Chapter 1, we must work on the foundation before we can build
the rest of the house, and even as we build the remaining floors and fill in
every last detail, careful intention must be taken in each stage (2011). I
appreciate this analogy because in today’s microwave generation, I can often
rush to the end goal. While I feel my worldview is strongly secure, the
remaining parts f the house need just as much time and attention. For now, this
means carefully crafting my baseline counseling skills. In Chapter 2, Thomas
and Sosin discuss the bare basics of the helping profession (2011) This past
week in class, I remember sitting in the round robin activity and being bored
with the constant repetition of the same problem over and over. So, when it was
my turn, I wanted to move the conversation along. However, I far too quickly moved
to challenge the client and get to the core issue of his presenting problem.
While my words might have been accurate, my actions were not yet appropriate.
In relation to the analogy, I was trying to construct the roof before I had
finish installing the bearing walls. If I truly want to be an effectively
helpful practitioner, skills must be conquered and used in order. Only after
the structural pieces of helping, such as being supportive, creating a safe place,
reflecting their own feelings , and enhancing communication, can I begin to add
in my own art and flourish of
counseling.
Thomas,
J. C., & Sosin, L. (2011). Therapeutic
expedition: Equipping the Christian counselor for the journey. B&H
Publishing.
I really enjoyed your blog. I totally understand and agree with you that we must build a firm foundation in this professional path that we have undertaken in order to be efficient in the field. It can definitely be difficult to wait and patiently learn to later on execute an outstanding work. We are an art piece in progress. The artist is meticulously polishing us to later display us so everyone else can appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteTia, I really enjoyed reading your post! I agree with you that sometimes I really want to rush through this process but much of it is about the journey in the first place. I like your analogy of the the structural pieces of the house and how we must first create a safe environment for the client before we can confront those clients and add the "roof" to the house. Great job!
ReplyDeleteTia, I really enjoyed reading your post! I agree with you that sometimes I really want to rush through this process but much of it is about the journey in the first place. I like your analogy of the the structural pieces of the house and how we must first create a safe environment for the client before we can confront those clients and add the "roof" to the house. Great job!
ReplyDeleteTia, as I read your post I can't help but appreciate the manner in which you reflected on your own experiences in class and integrated them with reading of the text. This indicates an ability to engage in self-supervision which is an important skill to have in this journey of becoming a counselor.
ReplyDelete