Jon’s Rules for Being Miserable
[Sarcasm font on] I’ve worked in the mental health field for 16 years. I’ve been a triage counselor at a psychiatric hospital, a school counselor and the past several years I’ve spent as a counselor and director of Peace Partnership. I’ve seen a lot of, ahem, stuff. I’ve been spit on, hit, kicked, and […]
Somewhere Between Always and Never
In counseling coursework, clinicians are charged with setting up ground rules and expectations for clients in our office. The purpose is to promote safety, calm nerves, and provide a structure to our sessions. Several principles run through my mind as I think of these classroom exercises—do not harm clients, keep clients safe, ensure that the […]
Grandma & The Meaning Of Life
In my younger years, my grandmother would tell me how hard it was growing up during the Great Depression. I half-listened to her stories, mostly because I was in trouble when she was telling them. Like many boys, I could be lazy and my laziness really bothered my grandma. When she was young, she didn’t […]
Guilt & Consequence
“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.” – Leonardo Da Vinci – Recently, I have been working with a couple over the suicide of their child. There was no note. There was no rhyme or reason. No foreshadowing. The parents utterly destroyed. Our time together consists of strange […]
Learning to Fall Up
Collaboration is an important part of the Peace Partnership culture. My colleagues and I often find ourselves sitting in one of our offices trying to find best-practice solutions to the difficulties we see our clients face. One of the most frequent issues we try to define and work toward understanding is resilience. Resilience can be […]