A New Chapter.

Happy Tuesday, readers.

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for me: that of a fully licensed professional counselor! This has been a long time coming.

This journey for me started back in the summer of 2016, when I made the decision to return to school after 6 years to pursue my master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. After receiving the news about my licensure this morning, it's been a day of reflection for me. This journey has been one of tremendous growth, challenge, and excitement for me.

I spent 2.5 years in school, learning the ins and outs of mental health, counseling, and human development. That was followed by another 2.5 years of working as a pre-licensed professional in a non-profit agency as a Family Therapist. In that time I met weekly with a board-approved supervisor to discuss my work and learn as much as I could about the world of actually "being" a counselor. I took the National Counselor Exam (longest 4 hours of my life!) and I attended numerous trainings and continuing education classes. These past 5 years have stretched me in ways I didn't know were possible. I've had some really awesome sessions where my clients have made tremendous breakthroughs. I've also had some that left me in tears when I got home. Through it all, I keep reflecting and coming back to one word: gratitude. I'm so very grateful that I get to do something that I love every day and call it a career. That's the dream, right?

I'm excited to see where my work takes me next. I'll be starting full time at a local school in August, doing mental health counseling with kids in the school setting. I'll be shifting my hours at Worth Counseling Group to allow for after-school sessions, starting each day at 3:30. I'm hoping this schedule shift will help those clients who are either in school or working.

All this to say, it's a new chapter for me and it's one that I can't wait to begin! I look forward to continuing my work as a counselor for many years to come!

Let me know if there are topics you'd like to see me write about on the blog. I would love to touch on topics that are relevant to you. I'll also be sharing tidbits about my work, some psychoeducation material, and more. Thanks for reading!