mentoring.........

Yesterday, I had a quick conversation with the student intern who is working with me about the development of a counselling relationship. Normally our conversations are much longer, but we were tight for time and it was the end of the day..............one that had begun for me in the wee hours of the morning due to time changes and jet lagness and whizzed by with many tasks and several drop ins from friends and colleagues to hear about my trip and to find out about my husband's health (which is improving by the minute btw).

My student intern has been hanging with me for a month or so and I've been thoroughly enjoying working with him...........teaching a bit, assessing a bit.....learning A LOT....but mostly enjoying our time together getting to know one another. This is what is so cool about counselling...........in order to develop your skills, you have to be open to being open.........you have to be able to be reflective as you continue to hone the craft of engaging with others.

This is his first foray into the frontlines after much time in the classroom learning theories and discussing the process. Now, he's getting his feet wet...............seeing how the theories apply in real life.........learning how challenging it can be to encourage someone to share their stuff, observing me and now taking some of the lead. I asked him today to compare how he felt two weeks ago before he had experienced his own counselling sessions with people, to now. And lovely Nolan answered the question with reflective grace.

He told me that two weeks ago, he was feeling much more comfortable in the internship.......... taking a bit of a back seat observing and conversing with me on a cognitive level. He was keen to challenge himself by taking the helm but now was feeling very uncomfortable and a bit out of his depth. I smiled and nodded..................told him that is EXACTLY where he needed to be! It's where learning crosses paths with our yearnings and desires to stretch ourselves.

It's so easy to sit back and observe from the sidelines. But to really get a taste for life, especially in the trenches of the frontlines, one has to jump right in there knowing full well that you'll NEVER in a million years be able to second guess and plan and prepare for the unknown that is bound to pop up when interacting with another person. And I know this is why he has chosen this field. It fits his personal make up..................his effervescent curiosity.........his ongoing churning in his mind. He's completely up to the challenge and like all seekers and learners, is willing to feel a bit of insecurity along the way.

Counselling is not something you can teach someone to do. Sure you can provide the theoretical frameworks, and you can even demonstrate the various techniques. You can offer insight into better communication techniques too. But, the true ingredient of counselling is found in the soul.

What I am loving right now as a mentor for a very gifted soul full person who has chosen a calling and the right one at that, is the time I get to spend talking............we have formed a wonderful rapport. He has brought to me a chance to evaluate my own chosen calling again at a time when I think I needed to touch base with why it is what I love to do.

I've been very lucky in my life to have had a few really good mentors along the way..........people who have taken the time with me to guide and to listen........my role now as the guide continues to offer up many opportunities to relearn, to challenge, and to personally feel the keen discomfort of the learning process. Can't wait to see where the rest of this internship leads. One thing I'm certain of is that counselling and teaching is what i love to do, and it is what i am meant to do.