My first job out of college was at a program for single mothers and my responsibilities included creating life skills classes. I had no idea what that meant, but my boss gave me a curriculum about finding your “inner child” that I was supposed to...
The counselor’s chair offers me a unique perspective on people. Like a bad Hollywood movie, sometimes it feels like if only I could rearrange people’s lives everyone would find happiness. Joe was sitting in my office bemoaning his life. He was stuck in a job...
It’s not the wildflowers or the long sunny days that let me know summer is in full swing, it’s that Susie has stopped coming to counseling. Many of her complaints—dissatisfaction with her house, her family, her job, her friendships—can be “fixed” by the change in...
Susie sits sobbing talking once more about her husband. “He’s a good father and a sweet man. He’s never cheated on me; all my friends tell me I’m really lucky to be married to such an amazing man.” I sit quietly, waiting for the kernel...
A man sits in front of me exploring if he wants to leave his wife. Before he came to me he weighed the pros and cons, had an affair, re-committed to his wife, talked with friends and searched for advice on the internet. But now...
Here I was, 20 years old, volunteering in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico at an orphanage and medical clinic. It was two in the morning and I was waiting for bread to rise with a group of Mexican women. We had just gotten a large donation of...
What caught my attention was her fluffy fur hat in the midst of worn-out bathrobes, falling-down socks and shapeless winter coats. I was sitting with a group of ladies at an assisted-living facility, trying to survive the freezing cold temperatures on the smoking porch. Every...
Before we know it the New Year is well on its way and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. People’s experiences and opinions about this day are a lesson in extremes, much like our mountain weather. I once had a co-worker who religiously hosted an...
A few years ago a young woman, Sally (not her real name), came into my office and began to talk about her favorite aunt. “When I got that bad perm in middle school she was there to show me how to make it look better....
Recently I had a woman in my office anxiously talking about the holiday season. What if her friends notice she isn’t giving gifts this year, and guess that she is in financial trouble? What if her mother-in-law realizes her pie crust is store bought? What...
