Hey everyone! I just wanted to stop by and say "hello" to the old guard on the couch. I see artemis, stopdog, healed, mkac, and can't are still here...I hope y'all are doing well!! To the folks I don't recognize, hi! If you ever wondered why the beginning of the couch thread mentions Cool Whip, I am one of the originators of that. To the healthier members of the couch (ahem...stopdog), please know that I no longer eat it!

Quick update on me: January 2016 marked the beginning of my 3rd year of grad school in MH counseling (T school). I am simultaneously ready to graduate (expected Oct 2017) and scared s**tless about actually counseling people! The program encourages copious amounts of self-reflection that has taught me several important things:

1. I still have borderline tendencies and depression, necessitating finding a *good* T (who counsels Ts) for the rest of my life. I will also have a supervisor during internship and the 1st 2 years after I graduate. My career plan includes seeking supervision at least once per quarter even after achieving full licensure as an LPC.
2. My struggles with mental illness make me a stronger counselor. I wondered in the beginning if I was doing the right thing by becoming a counselor. The resounding answer is yes! My Track 1 residency professor said it gave me a "rod of steel in my backbone" (direct quote) that will help me counsel the most difficult of clients.
3. The T of whom I used to talk about here was a horrible counselor. In fact, two professors and an ethics expert from the ACA have encouraged me to report her to the state counseling board. The problem, where I live, is that reports to the licensing board are not anonymous under any circumstances, so my name and full complaint will be released to her. I realize I'm being selfish because I haven't reported her yet. I don't want her to ruin my career (she has the connections to do so) before it begins. I really don't think she would, but I'm still afraid of that chance. My Track 2 residency starts this Friday and I'm going to discuss it with a couple more professors who I trust.
3. This process has matured me and made me more willing to be truly vulnerable with others. There is nothing like realizing that you can f*** up someone else's life by making mistakes, even though mistakes are inevitable. Everyone deserves genuineness, grace, and kindness; the counseling profession calls it "unconditional positive regard" (thanks Carl Rogers ).
4. If learning how to counsel doesn't teach a person patience, nothing will, but thankfully most Ts are. That's more important than any theory or technique (if hankster is still around, it is all about the relationship, stupid...ain't that what you said...lol)!!
5. To those from my past here that remember the b I could be and thought I was making a mistake by doing this: even though I was already changing before returning to school, T school has changed me at the most fundamental level. The point of most of the training outside of theory and technique is to completely break you down to the lowest common denominator. This weeds out the weak, the unprepared, and the crazy (yes, truly crazy people apply to T school), in other words, those who have no business being Ts. After being broken and the non-Ts are weeded out, they build you back up. When that is done, you have exponentially greater self-awareness, confidence (although I still struggle with this one, especially when I'm depressed), and the capacity for empathy.

Lastly, please, please, please know this: If your T self-discloses on a regular basis and/or about details of his or her life beyond general info regarding past struggles or his/her family...RUN RUN RUN...don't walk...out of his or her office and don't look back. That T is trying to get his or her own needs met within the therapeutic relationship!!! That can lead to all kinds of unethical behavior. It happened to me and put me on one hell of a roller-coaster ride for more than 3 years and now I know it's the epitome of wrong.

I'm not back permanently, but I'll check for replies. If anyone wants to PM me, feel free...I'll write back!

Good night or good morning (depending on when you see this...lol).