Last week, I wrote about some of the gifts that Palo Alto University (PAU) gave me during my three years as a student: community, advocacy, and confidence. However, there was one more gift waiting for me.
Category: Counseling Studies
What Palo Alto University Gave Me
The diploma I will receive in a few days is a symbol of everything I have accomplished over the past three years. I will frame it and hang it in my office. But the guidance and sense of connection I found along the way cannot be framed. They are woven into who I am and who I am becoming. They are part of me.
What Helped Me Complete 600 Internship Hours While Working Full-Time
The more you understand the rules, the easier it becomes to maximize opportunities for earning hours. In addition to reading all available resources, do not hesitate to ask questions of your internship faculty and supervisors. Knowledge is power and allows you to develop a clear plan of action.
A Letter to Future Trainees
You are not expected to begin this journey as a finished professional. You are simply being asked to begin.
Exhaustion in the Final Stretch
It was more than physical fatigue. It was the kind of exhaustion that comes from sustaining a very full schedule for a long period without much room to pause.
How I Passed the NCE
I gave myself one month to prepare. Not six months. Not an open-ended plan that I would get to when I had time. I committed to a focused and intentional month of study. That decision shaped everything that followed.
The Final Quarter
At this point, I’m hopeful that I have absorbed what I need from this part of the journey. At the same time, I’m aware that learning does not end with the completion of these two remaining courses. It has already extended beyond the classroom through more specialized trainings.
Approaching the Finish Line
These questions point toward the beginning of a new stage, yet they are not completely new. Over the past three years, this program has asked much more of me than learning theories or practicing counseling techniques. It has asked me to grow in patience, humility, and presence.
Becoming in the Space Between
But increasingly, becoming a counselor feels more like becoming someone who can tolerate complexity. Someone who can hold tension without rushing to resolve it. Someone who trusts that growth often happens in the space between people.
Pausing to Stay Present
As coursework deepens and clinical work continues to unfold, I will once again be intentional about where I place my attention. Rather than rushing posts or writing from the margins of my attention, I have decided to take a brief pause from the blog.
Roque Neto 