retail therapy and work
help...i need therapy--retail therapy, that is. i need to get some new clothes for my spring wardrobe, and i really need to de-compress after such a tough week. so tomorrow i'm heading up to tysons corner so i can see what's at nordstrom. also, i'm hoping to eat some korean food while i'm in dc, since it's been ages since i last had it.
yesterday was intense because my client became teary and cried during an intake. i'm sure it's something i'll get used to, but it still humbles me as a counselor to realize that these clients start to put their trust in me, a total stranger. though some have a teflon-coat at first, i slowly earn their trust and they become vulnerable, and they hope that i'll guide them in the right direction. i hope i do the right thing and i guess that working successfully in this field means having faith in your education and training, trusting your instincts, and being open to supervision.
as i said the other evening, the pace has picked up in my office and i'm in a bad flare right now. i happy to be working again, though, and i'm learning a lot. but it's a very different population from working with college students: when i was a career counselor my clients were were high-functioning, and mainly white and asian. my caseload now is much more diverse, racially, and socioeconomically. plus with the focus on vocational rehabilitation, obviously all of my clients have some type of disability (visible or invisible). the tough thing that throws me for a loop, though, is how so many people who get referred in through social services don't realize they have a disability or don't want to acknowledge it. but i guess it's a matter of stigma and self-awareness for a lot of these clients, who haven't been educated to advocate for themselves.
what else? oh yes, my fears came true: i will indeed be getting clients from the surrounding county added on to my city caseload. ugh. i'll have to fine tune my juggling skills. it's all about multitasking, isn't it? that, and i need to remember to come up for air every now and then.
well have a fabulous weekend! i'm enjoying this preview of early spring-like weather because it surely can't last forever.
xo,
m
