I Got a Practicum Way Over Town That's Good to Me

It's the moment we've all been waiting for. I finally have a practicum site! On January 14th, I had my first day of work at Gaudenzia with the Women's Co-Occurring Program.

It was funny because although my supervisor had told me it might be a difficult site not made for the weak, I found that the clients were all welcoming, accepting, and willing to learn. Of course, there have been difficulties with the clients. Sometimes they aren't quite so willing to learn; sometimes they don't want to participate in group activities; sometimes they throw tantrums (either about the program and their having to be there or about their interactions with other clients). And I know there will be more difficulties like these, but I'm just so excited to continue working there and to see what kinds of improvements I can make at the site.

Just yesterday I conducted my very first biopsychosocial assessment with a client who I will be continuing to work with throughout the duration of her stay in the program. Through this experience, I learned about what it might be like to work with a client in the pre-contemplation phase of changing his or her drug and alcohol addiction, in other words, a client who does not yet see the negative consequences of addiction and therefore is not self-motivated to change.

I expect that this experience will be both challenging and rewarding, and I am looking forward to working with the client and moving forward!

Along with that, I've finished with my application for the second year of the counseling program. We're all thinking about whether we need the second year for our overall goals and how we should further our counseling training. I think one of the best pieces of advice I can give in this situation is to always CONSULT. I got a little worried when I spoke with friends in the program because I was so concerned about paying for a year of education that I might then find out I didn't need. So I consulted with my sorority sisters who are in the counseling field, and they let me know that you need AT LEAST an LPC to become a mental health counselor on a college campus.

I would encourage new students in the counseling program to consult with anyone they can: sorority and fraternity sisters and brothers, family members, friends, professors, to make sure that they are doing what is necessary to fulfill their overall career goal. Well, that's all for now. Wish me luck getting into the second year!