New Beginnings: 2024!

Welcome back to my blog!

I’m stepping into 2024 with a renewed sense of purpose. My recent time in Brazil, where I basked in the warmth and love of family and friends, has been incredibly restorative. While I continue to reflect on my experiences there, I’m eager to share details of the next phase of my academic adventure towards becoming a licensed therapist.

This week marks not only the beginning of a new year but also the start of the Winter term at Palo Alto University, where I’m currently pursuing my second term in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.

This quarter is set to be a transformative one. It includes courses that promise to deepen my understanding and skills in this profession. One of the courses I’m taking is Legal and Ethical Foundations. This course is designed to immerse students like me in the crucial ethical and legal issues. It promises to be an intellectual adventure, shaping our minds to make informed professional decisions and develop a philosophical basis for ethical decision-making in various scenarios.

Alongside this, I’m thrilled about the Counseling Skills course, which provides an opportunity to observe demonstrations of clinical applications, to practice basic counseling skills, and to discuss the impact of culture and personal characteristics on the counseling process.

Counseling Skills also includes my first residency. This immersive experience is a significant milestone in my education. For the first time, I’ll meet my cohort and instructors in person, transcending the digital connections we have fostered thus far. This residency is more than just a meeting. It’s a hands-on opportunity to practice counseling skills in a real-world setting for an entire week. The thought of applying theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios is both exhilarating and humbling.

While my first quarter in the program was marked by an introduction to the profession and to the main theories of therapy and counseling, this quarter is all about putting things in practice, shaping my initial approach to building and sustaining the therapeutic relationship, and strengthening the valuable connections with classmates and instructors. And be sure, I’ll invite some of them to write a guest post for this blog soon.

This quarter is set to affirm the power of learning and the impact it has on personal and professional growth. I’m learning to become a licensed therapist, but more importantly, I’m evolving into a more empathetic, knowledgeable, and skilled individual, ready to contribute positively to the lives of others. And I’m embracing this opportunity with an open heart.

As I stand here in the first week of 2024, I’m filled with gratitude. Gratitude for the experiences that have shaped me, which my trip to Brazil reminded me so strongly of, for the journey ahead, and for the opportunity to share it with you.

I wish you a year of learning, growth, and transformation! I’ll see you next week. Meanwhile, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.