Its been a few months, here is an update. Site update As you can clearly see, I have changed some things around. This theme looks closer to what the version in my head looked like. I dig it. I hope you do too. Time to just write something. License update I have submitted my application. It was rejected and I was required to resubmit. It will be reviewed again. I would be lying if I said that I was able to maintain my composure when I recieved notice that my license was not granted immediately. The board is meeting in a few weeks and I hope to finally over this hurdle. Job update I have put it in my resignation at my current job and  joined a group practice. I have decided to specialize in depression, stress, and associated conditions. The currnet goal is to build up a client base Read more…

After graduation, life should feel like the start of something new. It doesn’t. Now is the time where you have to convince a practice or agency to pay you for something you have been doing for free for the past year or more. In some cases switching populations. The three years in between seem easy enough: find job, find supervisor, stay at job, complete application. Unless it doesn’t go that way… find job In some cities it is easy enough to find the employment of your choice with your ideal population. In other situations a few agencies control the flow of provisional and non-licensed individuals. Despite a counselor’s desire to work with a specific population, depending on the city in which you live, that might not be possible during this three year period. If you are lucky enough to work with the population of your choice, then great. If not, its going to Read more…

There are aspects to counseling that the professors failed to mention during my master’s program. The most glaring omission is that if you are having a bad day, as most people do, your counselor voice will pop and ask you the same kind of questions that you typically ask clients who are dissatisfied with their own lives. Some times I just want to be pissed. Some times I just want to scream into the void. Then this dialogue pops up… Astute = counselor voice Unruly = rest of me Astute: Here are a few things you can do when you get upset: take deep breaths, go for a walk, exercise, or go spend time with a friend. Unruly: Kick rocks Astute: This behavior (pouting) isn’t conducive to solving your problem. Unruly: I need snacks… Astute: Snacking is going to cause a new host of problems. Remember what was on the Read more…

During our master’s program (which in itself is a specialty, Clinical Mental Health) we are exposed to several other specialties. Couples and families Children Lifestyle and career Community mental health Addiction After listening to several podcasts and reading several books and blogs the message I received was counselors should specialize,  pick a niche, or find a focus. What happens when you don’t know what to do or in which direction you should go? In a perfect world a counselor would already know the population with whom they want to work and would apply to be an intern in an organization who serves their desired population. Or after graduation working with that population over the following three years. That doesn’t always work… Internship: Take whatever placement you can get to stay enrolled in class and graduate on time. 3 year work period: Passed the test and would like to apply for Read more…

Out of high school, I joined the Army. I spent 6 years working on helicopters. I decided to leave after the end of my first contract. I went to undergrad at the ripe old age of 26. Loved all of it. Completed my beloved BS in Psychology. (If I could do it again I would have double majored in Spanish.) I graduated in 2009, a not so great time in the economy. I decided to get a master’s degree because I wanted to apply all that I learned about psychology to where people spend most of their time, WORK. After a year and a half I left that institute with a Master of Human Resources. I found that Human Resources professionals are the strategic business partners of the organization, which means their primary objective is to do what’s best for the company. I would assume that most HR professionals would attempt to Read more…

I am an Associate Professional Counselor. What that means is that I have met the criteria set out by the state of Georgia to be provisionally licensed as a Professional Counselor. After completing my degree I am required to take a test, find a job, and be supervised by another professional with another set of credentials for a period of not less than 90 hours in 36 months. As confusing as that sounds it is far more complicated. Let me start from the beginning…. Two year counseling program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Complete an internship Pass Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) Pass National Counseling Exam (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE) Find employment Find a supervisor who has been certified with either of the following credentials: Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor (CPCS) Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) Go to the state Read more…