ACA Blog

We often hear that networking has many benefits. While you build your connections you are more likely to get referrals, hear about job opportunities, increase your support system, share and receive ideas, etc. While I knew many of these benefits from personal experience, I was astonished when I heard that the present and former president of the Florida Counseling Association (FCA), Dr. Shon Smith and Ms. Kathryn WIlliams respectively, had taken their leadership roles as the result of their network systems.

Imagine being 10 years old and being bullied for your sexual orientation. You like the opposite gender of what the society considers acceptable. You may be thinking this is not new - homosexuals are bullied everyday. But what if you live in a world where being homosexual is the norm and you are bullied for being heterosexual?

Last week at the drug store while waiting for a prescription to be filled, I picked up the latest copy of Scientific American. Since high school, I have found SA to be always fascinating. This was no exception. The cover article explained a latest theory on why we need sleep (to ‘prune the day’s chaff and restore neural balance’ in the brain). But what blew me away was the article describing one way of understanding ‘quantum particles’.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity of co-facilitating a program for older adults in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias and their caregivers. In addition, I have been facilitating a support group for just caregivers, and over the course of the summer have learned a great deal about the challenges caregivers of older adults face in regards to mental health and wellness. Furthermore, as my caseload grows as a mental health counselor working with older adults, I have had a growing number of experiences engaging with families and caregivers.

I specialize in working with “Type A,” perfectionist clients. I love it because my clients are naturally goal-oriented and conscientious–more so than most people. They’re motivated to feel their best and dedicated to the process of making that happen. While often beneficial, there can be consequences when the need to succeed (in any area of life) drives us into a state of anxiety or compulsive behaviors. Some get heart palpitations, some clench their jaws, others turn to shopping or wine or sugar.

So, you have either just finished your first year of graduate school and are preparing for your internship or recently graduated with your MA degree and are interviewing for your first “real” clinical position. If you are like most folks you find yourself feeling overwhelmed at times thinking about how you will find placement in a field that has so many in it already who have years more experience than you. You may also find yourself feeling timid or even scared at the thought of what you are getting yourself into after listening to some of us old grizzled clinicians talk about our horror stories from throughout our careers or (GULP!) from our internships or first few years in the field.

Human beings long connected-ness. It has been our nature to need and want social relationships since our creation but times have changed from when TV’s, video games, cellphones, and the Internet weren’t around. Nowadays, technology is everywhere. Most adolescents and adults can’t live without it

I’m sure most people can relate to the fact that life is much like a balancing act. We each hold various responsibilities and priorities that we must fulfill hourly, weekly, monthly, etc. Depending upon a multitude of factors like personality and career, some have learned how to approach this balancing act better than others.

Human beings long connected-ness. It has been our nature to need and want social relationships since our creation but times have changed from when TV’s, video games, cellphones, and the Internet weren’t around. Nowadays, technology is everywhere. Most adolescents and adults can’t live without it

This week I had a couple clients come in who knew what they wanted and needed in terms of their career, but felt a bit stuck in going after it. Nothing earth shattering--this happens to all of us. And to be honest, I hear it every week about one aspect of life or another. But, this self-limiting belief that we can’t have what we want doesn't need to be the case. Not only do most people know what they really want and need, they also know how to get there--if they take the time to stop and ask themselves.