Hayley Wilson

Admittedly, this time of year always seems the hardest to me. With the approach of fall, although in south Florida fall isn’t really a reprieve from the brutal summer heat, it seems time begins to race toward the end of the calendar year. Halloween arrives, followed quickly by Thanksgiving, and then suddenly New Year’s is upon us. This time of year is also distinct in terms of the academic course load. Midterms seem to appear out of thin air while research papers and final exams loom in the horizon. Even the addition of daylight savings time does little to stop the feeling that when dark approaches as six o’clock there simply are not enough hours in the day.

Transference and countertransference. As an undergraduate in psychology I had no idea what either of these words meant. Now, these words, and many others, are a part of my everyday vocabulary. Our professors remind us in each class each semester to be mindful of transference and countertransference, to realize its benefits and mostly its disadvantages. Addressing our personal issues before we begin practicing is often encouraged in order to avoid a potentially negative situation involving transference. One professor even went as far as to share with the class his own experiences with counseling after the death of his wife. Having only known this man for maybe one or two weeks, I thought he was very brave to share his story with us. While we are all counselors-in-training, it is still unnerving to share your history with a group of strangers.

Prior to entering graduate school for mental health counseling, I worked at a senior center here in south Florida. Unlike most senior centers however, our center catered primarily to individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and their family members. I worked as the Activities Coordinator and was essentially responsible for providing as much entertainment as possible for our clients during their eight hour stay with us. Although it was truly a worthwhile experience because I loved many of the people I worked with, including the clients, I quickly realized within my first year that this position was simply not for me.

One of my greatest frustrations is group work. As a college student, high school student, and even an elementary school student I remember lamenting with my friends about group work, to which we were very averse. “Someone always does all the work and the rest of the group members get the credit.” “I can’t stand my group. None of us get a long.” “Group work is ridiculous. We will never work in groups in real life. We will only work by ourselves.” Such were some of the comments said by either myself or others. Today, it amazes me how wrong we were and that all along our teachers were right.

It is safe to assume that many of us have been subjected to the litany of standardized testing that haunts our academic careers. For students in Florida, it begins early, often in elementary and middle school in the form of the FCAT or Iowa tests. In high school, we dedicate numerous hours in school and countless sleepless nights to the SAT and the ACT, fearing that out entire future resides on the four digit score.