My Counseling Journey

I watch The Biggest Loser every Tuesday night with my wife. We've been watching it for the last 3 years and every season I find analogies to substance use and recovery. This year has been no different except for one thing: I've realized that I enjoy SUD counseling. I get addiction which is weird that something that makes no sense makes sense to me. The fact that I can make comparisons of addiction to other things in life tells me that this field is where I'm supposed to be right now.

It has been just over a year since I was laid off from Bacon Street. When it first happened, I had a difficult time trying to figure out why it happened. I saw myself as a counselor there for the rest of my life. It was the ideal situation for me. But life has other things in store of us and it did not turn out the way I thought it would. I realize now that I was not meant to be there. Bacon Street was and is my foundation.

Then I found a job at another agency that I will not name. I had worked there before and did not like the bureaucracy that went on behind the scenes. When I returned, I found that things had not changed much. What I learned from that experience is that sometimes those in power don't always know or don't always agree with what works or what is best. Numbers trump best practice. But I learned to work with more mental health in addition to SUD. I got to sharpen the CBT skills that I learned in grad school. I also learned, and probably most importantly, that there are great people who are willing to help you through the bad times.

Now I'm in a setting that I've never experienced. My assertiveness is being tested in ways that it never been before. The good thing is that I am more assertive now than I ever have been. While this job is very challenging in many ways, its just as if not more rewarding in others. I get the staff support that I had at Bacon Street and the structure I had at my previous job. I'm still working with adolescents which I love!

With every agency I have worked for, I continue to sharpen what I want to do for my career as a counselor. There are signs even outside of the work environment that tell me what I really enjoy doing. I just have to see where life is leading me! Look where it has taken me so far!

Welcome!

As I'm writing this, I have about 10 minutes before group. This is just a taste of my job as an "Unlicensed Therapist." The purpose of this blog is to discuss some of the challenges, rewards, and downright bizarre occurrences that come about in the counseling process. Of course, I am legally bound by confidentiality laws so no names or specific identifiable information will be in my posts. It is my hope that this blog will help me to grow in my learning process as a counselor. Hopefully it will help you to grow in yours as well! Use this blog however it works for you. As with my clients, I know that people will take what they will away from the experience as I hope you do, too. Please feel free to post comments on things that I can improve on as this helps with my learning curve! Keep checking back for updated posts, and thank you for choosing to read my blog!