This photo was taken November 12, 2013 in Alexandria, VA.
The photographer was myself. At the time I took this photo
my life was so chaotic. I was deciding whether to continue to
with a higher education, find an entry level job, travel etc. Looking
up and seeing this beautiful sky just calmed me down. I remembered
I am not in control but God is and placed my burdens on him.
The required reading, chapters
4-6, really helped me define my identity, perspective, and technique style as a
client. For the most part, I know what my identity is as a counselor and I live
my life according to God’s plan. I am aware that my beliefs and lifestyle may
not always align with my clients but I find it important to practice what I preach.
As stated by Thomas & Sosin (2011) “I suggest that the style of living of
the counselor himself is an extremely important and effective technique in
counseling” (p.84). I need to make sure my house is in order and I am living
the way God expects me to before examining and counseling somebody else’s lifestyle.
I thoroughly enjoyed the focus of
creating a connection with the client in Chapter 5. If a client does not feel
that positive vibe and start of a nurturing relationship, it can be quite to
counsel that individual. I know that a therapeutic relationship requires a
great amount of trust from the client. I would never want to betray or break
that trust and cause disconnection between my client and myself. Along with the
learned material I believe this is where I allow God to work through me in
order to reach the client. I have to trust that he will give me the wisdom and
words that he knows will move through the client and allow a spiritual
connection between us to begin
For me, Chapter 6 was a review of
the counseling techniques review in class. I loved that the acronym PHRASE was provided to help provide
better summaries throughout the therapy session. I am hopeful that I can
implement all the knowledge I am learning from the text. It’s one thing reading
the information but another actually putting it into practice.
Sosin, L., & Thomas, J. C.
(2011). Therapeutic Expedition Equipping the Christian Counselor for
the Journey.. Nashville: B & H Pub. Group.
Hey Tiffanie. I really resonated with your post. I believe your statement about getting the house in order is 100% correct. Then you flowed right into speaking about the therapeutic relationship. This is exactly how it should be. If our relationship with the Lord is not right, how can we expect to influence effectual change in others. Thanks for making this connection. It is a great comfort to know we have the Lord working in and through us to help others.
ReplyDeleteHey Tiffanie, i also enjoyed reading chapter 5. i remember with my previous jobs as a substance abuse counselor, the first thing my supervisor and coworkers told me was to make sure i build a rapport with my clients before i start working with the on their problems. To me that was the best advice they gave me because it helped me to be able to meet them at where they were at that point in their lives.
ReplyDeleteTiffanie your post was insightful and full of who you are. I appreciate the person you are becoming and allowing change to happen. When I was your age if I had the resolve to succeed and use the gifts God gave me, I am sure his will would have been done a lot sooner. Our practice time is very important to learning the skills we need to help others find God's truth and peace.
ReplyDeleteDia Duit (God be with you),
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty and courage to blog the personal information you did! It is amazing God used His own creation to help you through a tough time in your life, I am sure He is not done with you. I agree the acronyms in the text do help in memorization and overall understanding. Yes, to help others, we must have our lives in check first. This usually involves God's assistance because we can not always get our own lives straightened out, agree? The text seems to be helping you gain knowledge and techniques; but you are right, knowledge and applying that same knowledge in counseling sessions are two different matters. I must confess you are doing a wonderful job in our triad and I have seen you change these past weeks! I look forward to reading your future blogs!