Words to share

Read this today and wanted to share it. Drunken Soldier By: Dave Matthews Band Keep your head up Try and listen to your heart Be kind always, no matter We all grow up and someday we’ll say goodbye So shine your light while got one Make the most of what you’ve got Don’t waste time…

Fix me please

Too often another stumbling block to healing is the mind-set, “Fix me, please.”  Too many clients walk into a counseling room expecting/pleading for the counselor to fix them.  My counselor did not let me keep that delusion for very long.  He informed me under no uncertain terms that I had a lot of work to…

Barriers to sharing

Hectic week but I am forging forward with the lists of best practice principles on Blueknot…https://www.blueknot.org.au/Workers-Practitioners/For-Health-Professionals/Resources-for-Health-Professionals/Best-Practice-Guidelines One of the difficult things about counseling is sharing an ugly past.  They point out that diminishing, discounting, and ignoring what happened are all part of the issues centered on sharing past events.  Blueknot points out several parts of…

My survival tool

My counselor helped me to understand that PTSD was my survival tool for extreme situations.  The issue that arose was using extreme measures for every day living.  He pointed out that wearing full body armor in war times is reasonable.  However, when the bombing stops carrying around all that armor wore me down and tired…

Every Part of my Life

I was once asked by a counselor what aspects of my life were impacted by PTSD.  Simple answer, “All of it.” There is not one part of my life left untouched by PTSD, or some people are calling multiple event trauma Complex PTSD.  I struggled with understanding how deeply I am affected.  I was raised…

Interview your Therapist

I’ve mentioned before that before starting with a new counselor it is important to interview them just like any other person you would hire for a job.  I decided not to go with one counselor after the second visit because it was so obvious by her actions that she knew very little about working with…

Draining the Lake

I entered counseling with the idea of getting marriage counseling.  After years of raising kids I felt like there was this stranger in my house that I was married to.  I was in for a real shock when after 2 months the counselor explained that my reactions to the homework assignments were not what he…

Third week

I’m in my third week of school and I feel like I am 2 weeks behind.  I’m doing homework for school at home.  I’m staying a little late each day just trying to tread water.  I’m not gaining ground.  So what do I need to do to reprioritize my choices so that I am at…

Respect and Hope

Communicating respect and hope is an on going challenge with an abuse survivor.  https://www.blueknot.org.au/Workers-Practitioners/For-Health-Professionals/Resources-for-Health-Professionals/Best-Practice-Guidelines The problem is getting the client to know what it is.  A long term abuse survivor only knows disrespect and cruelty.  The whole respect thing is like a foreign language.  Also a survivor can spot insincerity in a heart beat.  If…