Counseling Update

This semester I have spent over 300 hours at my internship site.  I have spent 120 hours counseling clients.  I am starting to feel like I am getting the hang of counseling.  I am starting to see some of the same themes and issues coming up again, which I feel comfortable dealing with.  I have also been faced with many new and difficult cases that I have had to staff with my colleagues and co-workers.  I feel like I could write a novel about my experiences (although I'm not allowed to share any of my clients' specifics), but I will give you the nutshell version of this past semester.  I love counseling.  On Mondays, I see individual clients at the office, and I run a therapy group for clients with bipolar disorder.  That group is one of my favorite parts of internship.  I was able to choose what type of group I wanted to run.  I developed the curriculum and started it from scratch, and it is going great!  I love for this group of clients to be able to get together and learn coping skills, get educated about the disorder, recognize personal triggers and warning signs, and most importantly, these clients now have a group of people that understands what it is like to live with bipolar disorder.  Monday afternoons I have an hour of supervision with the clinical director at Mountain Health and Wellness (we mostly talk about primary care counseling) and then an hour of supervision with my direct supervisor (where I ask for help with paperwork, counseling strategies, and resources).  Tuesday mornings I do counseling in the primary care department.  When patients come in to see the medical doctor for primary care visits, I meet with each patient for a few minutes and help them with any mental health concerns, or offer help with making lifestyle changes.  Thursdays I work at a school for children with severe behavioral problems.  I do group counseling with the kids, and I do individual counseling with a couple of the kids.  Wednesdays and Fridays I meet with more clients in the office, and I do lots and lots and lots of paperwork.

I really love the work that I am doing.  I love seeing positive changes in the lives of others.  I feel like my eyes have been opened in a lot of ways.  I have seen so many sad and heartbreaking things.  I have seen a whole different world that I never really knew existed just a few miles away from my home.  I have changed in so many ways during this process and learning experience.  The main thing I have learned is not to judge anyone.  Everyone is going through something.  Everyone has some difficulty in their life.  And there is always a reason why people are the way they are.  Everyone needs a little love and understanding.  Everyone needs a kind word, and some hope.  I see the world differently now.  I see people differently now.  I see myself differently now.  I AM different now.  I feel like I am just starting to become the person I am meant to be.  I'm so glad that I started on this journey, and even though getting this degree has been very challenging, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.  I only have one semester of internship left! And, I really love counseling.

Christmas 2011

Merry Script Christmas Card

Visit Shutterfly.com for Christmas cards this holiday.

View the entire collection of cards.

Love These Kiddos!!

Charlie, 14 years old

Cade, 9 years old

Carson, 12 years old

Cheyanna, 7 years old

My friend, Elizabeth Madrigal, took our family pictures this year.  Here are some of the individual pix she took of the kids.  Her website is www.eastvalleyphoto.com .  (:

Cade and Cheyanna Halloween

More Florida Pix

Uncle Hussein, Dina, Aunt Zizi, me

We also went to a craft fair, I got a Brazillian Blowout on my hair, went shopping with my mom, made posters for the Taylor Swift concert, went to the Taylor Swift concert in Tampa (had really good seats--it was an awesome concert and my nieces both got to touch Taylor!)  And of course, I got to attend my sweet nephew, Logan's baptism.  That was a special occasion and I was so happy to be there with my family for that.  Dina flew me home first class--and that was really fun too!  I had the best trip.  So much fun.  It was exactly what I needed to get me through the last few weeks of a really hectic, stressful semester.  (:

Dina and Zac

Dina and Cherene

Me, Mom, Dina

Me Before

Me After

Ready for Taylor Swift.  See the lights around the edge of our signs?  We had to sneak the signs in.  I guess if you have tix on the floor you can't hold any posters.  But we found a way.  (:

Me nieces, Madeline and Rebecca at the concert

Taylor Swift

Grandma and Logan

Dina, Parker, Eric, Logan, Zac, Scott, and me

My Trip to Florida

Madeline (15) in her basketball uniform

 When my sister asked me if I could make it to my nephew, Logan's baptism in November, I thought, "yeah right!"  I have been so crazy busy this semester, and I was so overwhelmed at that point, that I thought it would be insane to try to get away for a long weekend and put everything else aside for a few days.  But I had a feeling I should go, so I made plans to fly to FL over Veteran's Day weekend.  I am so glad I did.  I had the best time!!!  It was so great to escape the stress and busyness of school/internship.  It was so great to have time to sit and talk with my sister (my only sibling--18 months older than me).  It was great to get to see her kids and spend time with them. 

Zac (2) the baby

It was really nice to spend time with my mom.  Scott and Dina took us out to breakfast.  Dina took us to the spa at the Ritz to relax and get massages.  What a treat!  We visited Scott's work.  He owns this huge company that does a lot of different things--vacation planning, time shares, titles...yeah.  Lots of stuff.  We visited my Uncle Hussein and Aunt Zizi.  We took my mom out to eat for her birthday.  And that was all just the first day!!  

Eric (5)

Scott and Dina

Scott in his office.  He's the CEO of a big business.

Me and my sister, Dina

Me and my mom

Me and Aunt Zizi

My beautiful niece, Rebecca (13)

Pumpkins

 One of these days I'm going to find my camera.  Then I will upload the pix from my camera onto the computer, and then the blog.  Then you'll see the pix from Halloween and the kids' costumes.  Until then, here are a couple of pix I got of Carson and Cheyanna with the pumpkins they carved.  Charlie opted out of carving this year, and Cade was still busy carving his when I was taking pictures, so he missed out.  (: 

Ashley's Meet

 We went to see my niece Ashley perform in a gymnastic meet in October.  She did so great and earned lots of medals.  It was really fun to watch. 

Ashley with all her medals

After the meet, we went back to Megan's house to celebrate Granny's birthday.  Here is my mother-in-law, Jennie, with all her grandchildren but one (Ivy). 

Chuck with his sister, Megan and his mom

Cheyanna with Granny

Cade and Grace: Cousins and friends

Me and Chuck

Random Pix

 I have been trying to e-mail pix from my phone to the blog (like I usually do), but for the past couple of weeks, it just isn't working.  So it has been a while since I have posted.  Here's a pic of me that Cheyanna took when I straightened my hair one day.

 Cade and Cheyanna on crazy hair day

Cheyanna with her little red dragon.

Carson playing basketball

Carson had fun playing on Smith's 7th grade team. He has also been playing at Skyline's 3D hoops, and they played a lot of games in Oct & Nov.  All of the pics I took of him in action turned out blurry, so here are some pics of him and his team in their huddle.  His coach was Coach Kemp--who is the Freshman coach at Skyline High School. 

Goodbye 4.0

I have finally decided that getting an 'A' in my multicultural class is not worth all the time and effort that is required.  I have been busting my butt to get the 'B' assignments done, and I got to the point where I felt like a zombie who was eating, breathing, and sleeping (well, not so much sleeping) school.  Every free moment I had (which weren't very many to begin with), I was on the computer pounding out papers for my B grade, so that I could start working on the A assignments next.  I was holding out hope that our professor would accept half of the A assignments and give us partial credit, because all I need is an A- to maintain my 4.0.  But last Thurs, he said he won't give any + or - grades.  If you don't complete every A assignment, you get the B.  That was it for me.  I realized that if I started and couldn't finish the A work, it would all be for nothing.  And I realized that life is getting more hectic by the day.  I am running low on direct client contact hours, so instead of working 3 days a week at my internship, I have started working 5 days a week at my internship (and still going to class 2 nights a week, and being a wife, mother, housekeeper, cook, laundress, chauffeur, etc.)  It's just too much.  I haven't been able to go to the gym very much, so I'm feeling anxious and not sleeping well.  Plus, I have had a hard time squeezing in time to go to the temple, and that is always a source of peace for me.  So, the A will have to go.  My mom pointed out that the only thing I need an A for is my pride.  Is it worth it?  No.  It is time to let it go, and accept that I can get less than an A and still be just fine. So now, I'm almost done with the B assignments, and I feel free.  I am still really busy trying to get in all my internship hours, but now, when I'm home, I'm home.  I'm not zoned out, reading my book and typing paper after paper.  And I have been getting up early to go to the gym this week, and sleeping better, and feeling a little more sane.  So I know I made the right decision, and I am OK with getting a B.  Finally. 

Cade's Adobe House

On the Suns Floor

 Chuck's work gave him the chance to attend a publicity event sponsored by one of their clients at the US Airways center.  He brought Carson and Cade along (Charlie was doing a scuba diving certification and was sad to miss it).  They had a blast hanging out with the Suns gorilla, shooting on the court, eating lunch there, having their portraits sketched, and they even won $300 in gift cards for Southwest Airlines.  Here are some pix from their fun day!