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.