Grace Hipona

What do you do when you are faced with adversity and feel like you are drowning in it? My previous entry discussed the subject of hope. I believe that part of finding hope is finding meaning. Various theoretical orientations include approaches that focus on shifting or changing negative cognitions to positive ones. Encouraging the client to think about what is good in his or her life and appreciate what he or she has can be a piece of strength-based perspectives as well. The crux of Victor Frankl’s Logotherapy is that finding meaning in our lives is what drives or motivates us. Soren Kierkegaard, touted as the “Father of Existentialism,” believed that people were responsible for finding meaning in their lives.

My work with the free clinic has both challenged and inspired me in a number of ways, not just professionally, but personally as well. I could probably write a short novel about my experiences so far and what I have learned, but I want to discuss one that seems to permeate through all my interactions with clients.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of my identities is being a mother to a rambunctious and precocious (almost) 2 year-old. Before I became a mother, I reveled in and focused on my other identities, including my career as a counselor. I challenged myself to excel and “be the best” in whatever I chose to do. Stress charged me, and I felt I did even better with the more I took on. In some ways, I felt limitless. I have dedicated most of my life to helping others, balancing the need to be challenged and “successful,” but at the same time wanting to fulfill an intrinsic need to be a change agent or an advocate for those who were in need.

What would you do if you didn’t get along with your clinical supervisor? I was faced with this issue during my Master’s program; and in hindsight, I would have handled things differently.

As my 20-month-old boy finally went to bed at 10pm, an hour after he was supposed to, I was acutely aware of how much time I had left in the day to get the rest of my “list” completed. In order to work full-time, go to school part-time, be a mother, wife, and fulfill my other identities, the challenge of prioritizing and delegating has become a part of my routine. I remind myself that I made these conscious decisions and have put myself in this position to juggle different responsibilities. Although this provides me with some solace, this does not provide me with what I really need, which is more time in the day.