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| Saskatchewan, Canada Photographer: Myself |
In reflecting on my own life, there are times when I recall
getting hung up on small details as certain situations felt
overwhelming and impossible. This has also been true of the journey to becoming
a counselor. When looking at each individual skill, it is easy to feel that
there is no way I will ever be able to remember each and every one and
effectively implement them into sessions with real clients. As I read Thomas
and Sosin (2011), they spoke of the three levels of goal-setting: immediate
goals, intermediate goals and ultimate goals (p. 290), which reminded me of the
necessity of stepping back and viewing the bigger picture at times. Although
they were referring to goal setting, I think this is true of all aspects of our
lives as well as counseling. In order to be the most effective counselors, we
need to be viewing our clients as people and seeing the picture of their life
if we want to be able to help them. When I took the picture above, I was four-wheeling with a close friend and remember being nervous by all of the uneven ground. After awhile we stopped to chat and she pointed out that all that was in sight was her families' farmland and I was taken aback by the simple beauty of the big picture and how the "bumps" and hills added to it. While the individual, immediate goals are
important, it is equally important to keep in mind that we are ultimately there
to bring redemption to our client’s brokenness and if this big picture is being missed—each
skill will be useless standing alone.
Reference
Thomas, J. C. & Sosin, L. (2011). Therapeutic expedition: Equipping the Christian counselor for the
journey. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group.
Good evening Debbie! I really enjoyed reading your post. I think it is easy to feel overwhelmed and like you will never master all the things needed. However, taking things a little at a time will help in mastering those skills, like we have learned in class. I like how you pointed out stepping back and looking at the big picture really puts things in perspective. I also really enjoyed your illustration of looking at all the uneven ground and feeling uncomfortable. I have heard a quote and I am not sure where it was from, but it states "Life isn't about the destination, it is about the journey." Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteDebbie,
ReplyDeleteI can absolutely identify with the feelings you have experience in your past, as well as in your current journey. All of the skills, clinical knowledge and biblical implication techniques can be so incredibly daunting at times. I often think my mind is too small to store all of the information in. However, I try to remind myself that counseling is no different than any other skill in life. Improvement comes with practice… and trial/error. It pains me to think that my error may impact a client in a negative manor. I pray the Lord’s grace will cover my shortcomings. I really do enjoy the perspective that you presented. Your story was so simple and eloquently stated! It is so true! We are called as counselor’s to be there for the clients in their brokenness. I do find that when I focus too much on the skills that can be utilized within counseling that I end up missing the key details and big picture of what the client is presenting. Essentially, when focusing more on the skills than what the client is saying, we are only hearing and not actively listening. When doing so, not only are we shorting ourselves of fully grasping the client’s needs.
Blessings!
I like that you mentioned the importance of "stepping back and looking at the big picture in goal setting. Although it is important for immediate concerns to be settled, it is important also to step back and consider if the goals are realistic and how they are going to fit in the client's world once they are finished with therapy. The counselor would want to ensure that the goals do not encourage dependency on the therapist. The desire is that clients may have independent and sustainable changes
ReplyDeleteDebbie,
ReplyDeleteI think you are right, it is necessary for us to stand back and look at the bigger picture. It's easy to get fixated on the immediate concerns, but often time when we do that, we forget the true purpose of the concern. Immediate concerns often help paint the bigger picture, and when we look at the bigger picture and keep that in mind, I feel like it gives me hope. Hope to know that the finished product is worth the stuggle.