Blog #5

Blog #5 – 3/5/2013

Stress!!!  Ugh.  Definitely a topic that never gets resolved in daily life, but one which can have it’s effects ameliorated to some degree with a variety of practices and life changes.  I liked how the Corey book described various types of stressors (135 – 137), and also made suggestions as to how to identify and deal with them (153 – 164) in the context of one’s life.  I especially related to the section on the phenomenon of burnout (142), as it concerns me that as a teacher I not become burned out and therefore ineffectual for my students, not to mention what it would be doing to my own mental and physical health.  Once again, I was introduced to the topics of mindfulness and meditation.  Since our readings last week, I have been attempting to identify what is going on with myself, and my surroundings, during various moments throughout my day.  I have been trying to identify what is going on, and why, in order to hopefully increase my mindfulness.  I am also still very interested in adding meditation as a part of my daily routine, but need to actually begin the practice.  I have spoken with a number of individuals and all seem to agree that meditation is a positive, stress-reducing process.  Some even shared personal experiences with me regarding meditation and its benefits in their lives.

The Greason and Cashwell article was enlightening and a bit concerning for me.  I certainly believe that counselors should practice mindfulness, attention, and empathy when dealing with any client.  I truly believe that there should be training of some type included in all counseling programs geared towards giving potential counselors practice in appropriate levels of nonjudgmental, mindful interaction within sessions.  I would absolutely love to be able to benefit from such education, as my concern is linked to my own ability to actually practice these concepts and be able to apply them as a school counselor.  Personally, I have noticed in our small group exercises that I have a tendency to be more focused upon what is being shared by my (wonderful!) group members, and tend to not think about what is going on within myself.  My goal is to be an attentive and present listener and contributor, but I need to be more aware of my reactions to what is being discussed and any messages I may be sending, however unintentionally. 

As an individual, I have noticed my tendency to empathize with others to a rather high degree.  I will feel emotions that others’ are describing and at times can become caught up in their stories.  As the article pointed out “to suspend judgment and understand the client’s world, the counselor must be able to tolerate a client’s difficult feelings and the difficult feelings that may arise in the counselor – rather than avoiding them or over-identifying with them” (Greason P., and Cashwell C., 2009, 4-5).  I believe recognizing one’s own habits is a good part of the battle in overcoming them, and hope that I am able to be a positive, helpful resource to my future clients.

Corey, G. & Corey, M.S. (2008). I never knew I had a choice: Explorations in personal growth      (9^th ed.). Belmont, California: Thompson Brooks/Cole. ISBN: 9780495602293.

Greason, P.B. & Cashwell, C.S.  (2009). Mindfulness and counseling self-efficacy:  the mediating role of attention and empathy.  Counselor Education & Supervision. 49. 2-19.