I don't talk much about my professional life. Oh, maybe that is because I do not have one! Or rather it is dormant at the moment. Well, that is not entirely true. I still attend a professional counselors' group every other week. We have grown as a group to a place where we are people, as well as professionals, so I still have a place there. This group helped me process my closing my practice 2 years ago. A painful conclusion to come to the realization that I could no longer work at the expense of myself. Plus H was wrapping up his career. I just left earlier than I anticipated.
I was a counselor in private practice for 4 years, following 3 and 1/2 years of graduate school. I loved the work, loved my clients. It all came very naturally. I remember thinking, I am getting paid for this? It was such a great joy to work with people from all walks of life with all kinds of problems. I loved having my own business. Why did I leave? Because I was tired. REALLY tired.. It was time to take a break from taking care of everyone else for the last 30 years and time to rest. It sucked saying goodbye to people I had counseled and loved. A lot of goodbyes at the same time. It was incredibly sad. I miss them still sometimes so much my heart aches. After sharing a therapeutic journey with some very incredible people, I had to say goodbye. Wishing them well, yet never knowing how the story ends.
I went to a Seminar today in Journal Writing as a therapeutic tool. You see I am keeping my counseling license, for what purpose I don't know yet but it just feels right. So I need to cram all these classes in at the last minute because I procrastinated in getting my CEUs to renew my license. It sparks my longing to help folks again..
Is blogging journaling? That was discussed today. In my mind it is not journaling in the classic sense. I would not share my deepest, most personal feelings online. Is it therapeutic? Yes! For me it is. It is my connection some days with the outside world. My outside world.
Will I ever be a counselor again? Will I ever go back to work or volunteer in the field? I am too busy doing what retired people do to figure that out yet. I am for the most part rested, playing, training, hanging out with my hubby, traveling, watching too much stupid TV, making "creepy Internet friends" (this term I coined from one of them)..it is all good!
4 comments:
I'm just making a leap into the Life Coach profession and I hear a lot of coaches say the same thing as you, "I'm getting paid for this?!"
I agree, blogging is journaling in a sense. It's somewhere we can safely share our joys and fears regarding our beloved sport. The extent of how much we share is another story.
I am grateful to those that share their stories and who support me as I share mine.
Hey, we are all going to need to talk to someone after the post IM depression sets in! :0.
Who knows, after you get tired of retirement maybe you'll go back to counseling. It's a good thing to keep your license.
I think it is great that you are keeping up with it! It is important to have something that makes you feel "complete" so to speak.... there are days that I wonder if I should have something more....
Tania
And you have to realize how lucky you are to be doing this at your age and not having to wait until you are 70 or something! The way things are going, it is getting harder and harder to take a chance on retiring early, let alone at 65. I don't foresee myself stopping work unless forced to but wishing it was tomorrow!
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