Am I a counsellor?
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I have been a counsellor for over two years now, it feels quite odd to see that figure written down. It doesn’t feel like two years, it doesn’t even feel like two months.
The passing of time has made me wonder how did I get to become a counsellor and do I actually feel like a “proper” counsellor. I used to have the Sigmund Freud image of what a real counsellor looked like and whilst I now have the glasses, another acquisition from the passing of 2 years, I most certainly do not fit the rest of that image. No Beard, no hidden wisdom, no suit or bow tie I am still just me but now I think a better version of me.
The magical transformation didn’t happen the first time I saw clients, or the second, third or thirtieth. I still look like me, sound like me but how I experience people has shifted. How I hear what is said, what is unsaid, what the clients' face is trying to say when their voice won’t let them. My innate compassion has grown and found a supportive friend within empathy.
I have had the privilege of being invited into peoples lives as they discussed some of the most painful and inspirational emotional and experiences. From their first appointment to their last I’ve watched people create and nurture the change they want to see in their lives and within themselves. The work is not something that is done to the client, it’s a collaborative process that’s done with them. Together we get to use our creativity to bring about meaningful and lasting change. All this sounds like something a real counsellor would do doesn’t it?
My view of the world has changed to include all the learning I have undertaken to lead me to this point. I have my favourite theories and others that, naming no names, I’m not so keen on. I still see the value in them though and how they can give a framework and understanding to the most complex of behaviours. I can share this with my clients in the same way they share these behaviours with me. I've been fortunate enough to find a placement with a counselling charity that not only supports my learning but encourages me to ask questions about myself and my practice. Through the group supervision they provide I've been able to share in the experience of more established counsellors and they have been to share in my curiosity and ideas.
I’m still learning everyday, I still have a reading to do list that would put even the most ardent bibliophile to shame and somehow I still have a case study looming over me , casting its 3000 word count shadow over what little free time I have. I can think of anything else I would rather do. So do I feel like a real counsellor? Yes and I absolutely love it.
