Jackie Torres

I have been an avid singer for most of my life. Now, avid does not mean good, as friends and family who have heard me sing can attest to. But I do love singing! I am especially skilled at memorizing lyrics, which I am sure comes from my strong desire to sing along to my favorite songs.

I was feeling overwhelmed with the amount of concerns my client shared with me. She shared worries she had towards friends, family, transportation, finding a good paying job, finding a good treatment provider, and her energy level. I felt all of these topics were important and I didn’t know which one my client and I should tackle first. Perhaps family might be important to focus on because isn’t a good home foundation important? Or perhaps I should focus on her lack of transportation and creating a job search action plan because Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has basic needs as the foundation of self actualization. Or perhaps still, none of these concerns were actually what brought my client to see me in the first place. I looked forward to supervision at my university for guidance.

One of my favorite books growing up was Lois Lowry’s The Giver. Without giving the plot of the book away, one theme of the book I found interesting was in the way careers were assigned. A committee of elders held a community ceremony, where new 12 year olds learned what their profession would be for the rest of their lives. This process may seem very different from the way we make career decisions, but there are forces that lead to limited career options. Today I will share my thoughts on the impact of one of those forces: limited career exposure.

I started learning to play the guitar almost two years ago. I wanted to learn to play an instrument but always thought I was too busy to try. One day, I decided to stop thinking and just do it. Since I’ve started, I noticed how similar learning to play guitar is to the training as a new counselor. 1. Practice, Practice, Practice In order to get more comfortable and skilled doing either, I must practice. It must be something that I complete long term to reach a deeper understanding and skill level. There is comfort for me in knowing that counseling and playing an instrument do not solely rely on 100% talent and intuition, but rather, require a purposeful dedication to master.

There are benefits to the ongoing training of being a counselor that I was not expecting. In addition to having the opportunity to work with and learn from clients, the other 3 benefits I have experienced are: 1. Variety Before I started training to be a counselor, I thought counseling was only completed in one very particular type of setting. There would be two chairs, a lamp, and a maybe a picture hanging up. I am still excited when I learn about all the different settings counseling can be practiced in and the variety of ways counseling can be delivered. I am in awe of counselors who change the way counseling is delivered, thus opening up counseling to populations that may not have access to counseling. Add to this the different therapies that can be utilized, and counseling becomes a field that is as unique as the clients we work with. Counseling is a field where I can continue to grow as a professional counselor, as interests and new ideas emerge.