Vestige Counseling

✨What are your favorite forms of self care / coping?

☕️ I’ve been out of the office studying this past week for the biggest test of my life. This test was a huge puzzle piece in me going from an LPC to an LPCC. It represents the culmination of 3,000 hours of clinical work, diagnosing and treating mental health struggles as well as 150 hours of counsel from wise supervisors that have played a huge role in my clients’ healing. (Amy Moreno and Molly Brandt Fields - thank you so much for your investment in me as a clinician!)

During this test I had to put to use a lot of the coping skills that I preach to my clients about (deep breathing, thought stopping, positive self talk, etc) in order to stay focused and in the right head space. I made it out on the other side and passed that beast of a test.

I’m cherishing the feelings of relief and pride until my next challenge in life presents itself.

Anxiety is not an emotion to avoid - it’s an emotion that can challenge us to work hard. It certainly played a role in my motivation to study. But sometimes it rears its head at the wrong times (like while we are taking tests for example). In those moments, be kind to your anxiety. Soothe it, speak warmly to it, and re-focus on the task ahead. ✨

As kids we were motivated by marble jars, weekly allowances, and yummy desserts. As adults we sometimes forget that we need rewards and incentives as much as our younger selves did. Now it’s just up to us to provide that incentive. Today was my last hour of supervision after 3 years of (licensed) practice, and while I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, being done is still a huge accomplishment that I wanted to reward myself for. So naturally, I took out a second mortgage to get my very unique and complicated venti Starbucks drink to celebrate. How do you reward / incentivize yourself?