I had an interesting conversation with my boss at work today about where the company is heading and what my role will be. Things in our industry are constantly evolving and changing, and I have just gone with the flow for the past 3 years. After all, I was a stay at home mom prior to taking this job, and I still have a lot to learn. I have grown so much by accepting all different types of job duties, including counseling, writing, billing, assessing clients, supervising other counselors' paperwork, etc. I even did my supervisor's job for one week while she was on vacation. By being diverse and flexible, I feel that I have allowed the agency to shape me into a more marketable employee with a pretty wide knowledge base. And the best part about it? The agency knows---- my boss knows---- that my family will always come first, and my job second. And they seem to respect my wishes regarding that, which is just amazing.
So, today, my boss came in to talk to me, and she shut the door. She started by asking me questions about other counselors, and then informed me that our agency is opening another office further west. I had heard rumors regarding this, so it wasn't that shocking. I believe we've been trying to get this other office up and running for several months now. My boss proceeded to tell me that we are going to be offering out-patient therapy now, which is something I have my heart set on doing. She asked me what I needed to do in order to complete my licensure. I am hoping to someday get my LPC. Scared and embarrassed, I told her I'd have to not only take 2 counseling courses, I'd have to also complete an internship. Without batting an eye, she offered me a paid internship at the agency this summer working at the kids' summer program, which we offer for 12 weeks. Not only that, but I can bring my kids with me and they can attend. I was grinning ear to ear, because not only is this helping my boss out, it's helping me to solve 2 problems with one solution. I always have to line up child care for my kids for the summer at least 2 months in advance, if not more, and I have been so anxious/scared about looking into internships, that I've just sat on my butt and done nothing about it. I become frozen by my anxiety most of the time. So... it looks as though I'll get the bulk of my hours (for LPC) done this summer, and I will also be given an in-home case (working with a child and his or her family) to obtain the rest. I have been kind of nervous (I don't adapt to change that well), but excited at the same time, because things are finally starting to happen FOR me, and all I have to do is what I normally do... which is go with the flow. I think the counseling courses will be fun and interesting as well. I should do well in them considering I've been counseling for nearly 4 years now. In the grand scheme of things, 4 years isn't that long, but when working with Schizophrenic clients, 4 years can seem like an eternity. Not that I'm complaining, because I love every minute of it.
My goal is to one day be an outpatient therapist, preferably a Christian one, who can use Biblical principles and spirituality in treatments. I think I just got one step closer to achieving this dream today :)
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