Week 5

The assigned reading in the text  could not have come at a more perfect time for me. I have been feeling quite stressed out about making sure I am keeping on track with class assignments along with things needed to be done for my graduate assistantship. One topic that was incredibly salient to my own personal life was the concept of change in our living conditions (Corey & Corey, 2008). I have only begun to adjust to living in Lancaster. Prior to the move, I had been living in Bethlehem, but when I opted to discontinue at my old graduate school at the completion of my Master's, I was thrown into a whirlwind of changes where I did not feel prepared. I presented my thesis in May, accomplished revisions by late June,  I then moved to Lancaster, and returned to Bethlehem to submit my thesis and paperwork for my degree in mid-July.. Not to mention, I only gave myself a short amount of time before graduate student orientation here at Millersville University which was then proceeded by the start of classes only a week later.

I would have definitely benefited greatly if I would have had this textbook earlier than this semester. Stress management has always been a difficult concept for me to comprehend as I always thought that I must take on as much work as I can handle with a bit more added on for good measure. When the authors discuss how to manage stress as taking time for yourself to enjoy life in the present, it certainly changed my perspective on life (Corey & Corey, 2008).

As for the article, I completely agree that the practice of mindfulness should be pursued not only by the client but also by the counselor (Greason & Cashwell, 2009). I have been in too many experiences where the viewpoint of the counselor made me feel that I had no power during a session, or that I must travel back to past experiences and relive those moments to work on the present.  It is incredibly important for the counselor to be open, attentive, and empathic as to leave the client knowing that it is an open, trusting environment where control of the present is able to be constructed (Greason & Cashwell, 2008). I have had counselors that have instructed me that I have nothing to be nervous about when I brought up telling my parents that I am gay. I had one counselor in particular that would ask me if I told my parents yet every week that I met with them. When I would say that I do not feel comfortable telling my parents the counselor would then go on to say that I have nothing to worry about, and I just need to call and tell them.

References

Corey, G. & Corey, M. S. (2010). Managing Stress. In Brooks/Cole (9th edition), I Never Knew I Had a Choice (132-169). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Greason, P.B, & Cashwell, C.S. (2009). Mindfulness and Counseling Self Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Attention and Empathy.