I flipping love my job. Today, I was told, “Effing Jaclynn, so you’re saying I need to…” And what they needed to do was what they already knew they needed to do, but didn’t want to do—yet are going to do it anyway. The masterful storms in our psyche and unconscious make it nearly impossibleContinue reading “Surf’s Up: Navigating the Storms of the Mind”
Tag Archives: counseling
The Rocks We Carry
I verbally slapped a client today.The words were out before I could catch them. Not cruel, but sharp. A line too direct, a little too unfiltered. Immediately, I scrambled into damage control:“Are we good?” We are.And yet—I’m in my head about it. I used to get caught in this spiral far more often post-session. WonderingContinue reading “The Rocks We Carry”
The Weight of the Underbelly
My clients are the ones doing the dirty work—the social workers, the detectives on sexual abuse cases. Their victims are the powerless, the vulnerable, the dependent. Together, we meet in the darkest recesses of humanity, working through the shock and sadness, reminding ourselves why we do this: to help the greater community. I like workingContinue reading “The Weight of the Underbelly”
The Ethics of Ethics
To satisfy Washington state’s licensure requirements, I must complete 36 hours of continuing education credits every two years, six of which must be in ethics. As passionate as I am about my counseling profession, I fear nothing more than getting reported to the department of health. Due to this, it’s significant that I am awareContinue reading “The Ethics of Ethics”
Hold Me Close
Do you ever learn something about yourself, something not so positive, and don’t quite know how to feel about it? Since I desire to work with couples, I am taking a seminar during my downtime on emotionally-focused therapy. Initially, I felt jazzed about the content, learning ways to reframe problems between couples and how toContinue reading “Hold Me Close”
Orchestratic Event
Our words have power; they can shake the ground someone walks on and can pierce into a person’s heart. “Either you intentionally decide to drink yourself to death, or you’re going to fight to live. Do one or other, but you have to quit doing both half-assed.” This is the wake-up call I gave aContinue reading “Orchestratic Event”
Wish You Were Here
With twenty minutes to go until the next counseling session, I’m sitting on a blue and white accent chair with my left leg crossed over my right, and I’m chuckling about a phone call that’s just ended. “I found the perfect therapist, but it’s too far of a drive and they don’t accept my insurance.”Continue reading “Wish You Were Here”
Close Up
Do you think we, as a species, take ourselves too seriously? I do. Yet it’s funny because even as I’m mulling over the idea, there’s a large part of me that wants to argue the point about how serious a matter it is. But setting that aside for a moment, do you get just howContinue reading “Close Up”
Going On 40 