Deb Del Vecchio-Scully

My day draws to a close with a disappointing end as my last appointment is a no-show. I take a moment to reflect on the journey of those who come to me in search of relief of their pain. Pain comes in many forms but most often it is physical pain they ask for freedom from. Showing up is the first step to healing all the layers of hurt, disappointment, abuse and the many reasons one suffers from pain. Showing up is the courage to begin again, to take a step toward acceptance of the deeper meaning that our pain can reveal. It surprises me that more people choose to show up at all.

As someone who has practiced yoga for many years, I had often wondered earlier in my counseling career how yoga could be used therapeutically in counseling. Yoga has been shown to improve health and well being in many ways and the growth of Yoga Therapy – using traditional yogic techniques with the intention of managing health challenges to reduce symptoms, increase energy, and restore balance of the mind, body and spirit – has challenged me as a Certified Yoga Therapist to integrate the benefits of yoga into counseling. I became certified as a yoga therapist well before beginning my training in counseling. It is the lens that I see the world through and thus, my clients as well.

A few months ago the world was mesmerized by the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship; today the last five bodies recovered were identified. This news announcement caused me to reflect on the importance of our need to grieve and the importance in many religions of having remains to bury. This was poignantly discussed last fall when I volunteered at the VOICES of September 11th 10th Annual Day of Remembrance Information Forum. I had been asked to facilitate a roundtable discussion comprised of survivors who had lost someone during the terrorist attacks. There were many themes of loss discussed with the central theme being the need to remember and to honor their loved ones. Frustration about the inability to do so for many, because of the inability to recover remains was a particular point of their inability to grieve.

The New York Times recently commented on the trend of younger people using their mobile devices – smart phone and tablets – to track health information. I certainly have seen this in my practice and in my experience isn’t limited to the “younger” crowd. I work in a busy Neurology practice and focus on the treatment of chronic pain, PTSD and mood disorders using a holistic, mindful approach to therapy. I am learning to welcome the use of technology as an aid in therapy. I have become quite adept with the iphone/ipad, and droid platforms and found there are many free applications available which can support clients in completing homework between sessions, encourage coping skill practice and commitment to therapy.

As the youngest of 10 children, I learned the importance of being a member of a team very early on in life. Whether it was getting a seat at the kitchen table for dinner or getting a point across, it always helped to have an ally. The importance of partnership and community has been reinforced throughout my life, my counseling career, and in my role as the former Connecticut Counseling Association Executive Director; it is a key reason that the CCA was honored during the American Counseling Association Annual Conference in San Francisco last month.