Kristen Eckhardt

I graduated a few short weeks ago and finished up my clinical hours. Although I miss my clients and my coworkers, my new-found free time has enabled me to pick up a few things I had missed during the past year, like writing in my own blog and reading books. My free time has also allowed me to process the learning experiences of the past year--and holy cow, there were quite a few!

One night last week as I was drifting off to sleep, I realized how much I really have changed since my very first counseling class two winters ago. Those changes have been subtle, which perhaps explains how I missed them for a while--they’re changes in my words. I speak quite a bit and write even more, both in counseling and my paid job as a fundraiser. Over these past two years, my language has shifted to reflect everything I’ve learned and how I’ve grown and changed as a person.

Well, the end of the semester came and went last week, and little by little, I’m sifting through everything I have learned and experienced. (And I took some time out to bake some Christmas cookies, too!) With a new job, an internship, and a whole new city, that meant a lot of sifting. Here’s what I’m taking away from this semester.

Back when I started my degree last January, one of my teachers spoke about what happens when she gets on an airplane and ends up telling her seat partner what she does for a living--either the person has no idea what a counselor does, or the person wants her to solve all of their problems. Either way, this can be a fairly irritating situation for her, and probably most counselors. She told us she finally decided to say something vague, like she works with kids. Other teachers have shared what they do to avoid certain types of self-disclosure in addition to dodging tricky questions, like putting away family pictures before seeing certain clients.

Like any intern or counselor, my days are filled with ups and downs. I’m learning that the downs can really get you down, like difficult clients, sticky institutional issues, and personal problems. These can quickly sap my energy and make me less open when I work with my clients.