Shell Shock

Monday was the first day of classes. By Wednesday evening I was seriously questioning whether I was completely delusional thinking I could do this. After Thursday's Theory class, I was even more overwhelmed.

Did I mention that my class schedule is a mere shadow of the time commitment required by these courses? I'm enrolled in five classes; here they are along with their outside class requirements:

• Counseling Techniques - 2 hrs/week for Triad (role-playing with two other students and TA)
• Career Counseling - Visit Denver magnet school (2X) to counsel students
• Diversity - 6 hrs/quarter spending time w/cultural "pal;" volunteer at soup kitchen or at DU; weekly "Multicultural Adventure"
• Counseling Fieldwork - 30 hrs/quarter locating and training for Practicum placement during winter quarter
• Counseling Theory - None! (I LOVE this class...)

 Of course this is on top of 14 hours/week of class time plus reading and papers (several due weekly). And this is the easiest quarter in the program. Yikes!

I've been trying to get a handle on what's due when - and figuring out how I'm going to do all this along with Blue Moon projects. Not helping the situation was my California client, who emailed Tuesday at 5p asking for web pages for immigration and patent/trademark law by Friday morning. Needless to say, that didn't happen.

The good news: both the school and the program are AWESOME! I'm totally jazzed to be a part of this. 

We had our first Triad on Wednesday. This exercise requires that one student play the counselor and one the client. The third (along with the TA) observes. So the "client" invents a situation and the "counselor" tries to help them understand/resolve it. Then the observers provide feedback.

Sounds hokey, right? Believe it or not, it was a transformative experience. Not because we were particularly effective counselors (yet!), but because of the dynamic that was created between the "counselor" and the "client." Even though the scenarios were fictional, a palpable energy developed between the two role players. I suddenly realized how powerful and truly life-changing a counseling relationship can be. Of course I knew that (mentally) because I've benefited from a number of wonderful counselors, but had never truly felt it.

As most of you know, I jumped onto this path because of a simple news article - counseling psychology just "felt" like the right thing to do. Now I know why. Wow, v exciting!

On Friday I didn't have classes, but I was on campus for my physical and to meet with a research librarian to get the skinny on resources (a million books and 95,000 online journals - should be sufficient!), so I took a few pix for you.

Found this lovely deck complete with umbrellaed tables in Driscoll Hall, the building that houses the bookstore and the library, while the new one is being built.

View from the Driscoll deck. The building stretches across the road; we're looking at that walkway.

The front of Ruffatto Hall, where the Counseling Psych program is housed.

Inside Ruffatto Hall, looking down from the second floor at the central common area. All the furniture is modular and can easily be reconfigured to accommodate whatever size group happens to gather.

Ruffatto is very light and bright. On each floor is a galley that includes a kitchen with sink, fridge, microwave, hot/cold water machine, etc.

On the fourth floor of Ruffatto is the aptly named Mountainview conference room and terrace.

View from the terrace - the mountains are visible to the left. To the right is downtown Denver.

Me "studying" (and missing you!) on Friday afternoon.