President's Message March 2011
Meetings
Don't miss our March 18th presentation - "Your Client's Attachment Style: What It Means And How to Work With It In Treatment", by Judy Burr-Chellin, LMHC. Get more information about the presentation and Judy Burr Chellin on our website under Meetings and Presentations. Remember you can now pay for meetings online!
Membership News/Leadership Opportunities
Spring is in the air and it's that time of year when we start looking to fill the SCA leadership positions that are coming available for next year. We are looking for a new Treasurer and one or two folks to share the Hospitality Chair position. Also, opening up is a space for someone to step forward as Vice President. This is a 3 year commitment, where you move from Vice President to President and then Past President in the final year of your term. These positions are a great way to become more involved at SCA and the greater Seattle counseling community, have influence over the direction of our organization, get more exposure in our community, sharpen up your leadership skills, meet new people and have some fun along the way.
I encourage you to consider one of these positions. If you are interested you can contact me or anyone on our leadership team. We are all available for any questions you may have. A good way to start is to speak with the person who is holding the position you are interested in and ask them for some information about their experience. Our names and contact information are listed in the right hand column of the newsletter and on our website as well. Also, consider coming to our membership meeting, Friday March 18th, earn some CEU's and check things out. We hope to hear from you!
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Letter From the General(ist)
Do you consider yourself a specialist or a generalist and would you prefer to be one over the other? What if you were looking for your own counselor?
At our last SCA meeting that word generalist come up several times from folks who introduced themselves and their practice. I've been wondering what that really means and how I would classify myself. I noticed I wanted to be able to say I specialize in something, as if that would mean I was a worthy counselor.
It's been 5 years since I earned my degree in counseling and during that time, I've been working to find my niche or specialty. When I entered graduate school I had the idea that I would work with parents and families. Having just been through some challenging years as a parent of children with learning differences I wanted to be a support to other parents and families trying to support their children getting through the school years successfully.
During my internship I got the opportunity to work with just that population along with a wide range of folks including many families as well as couples, individuals, young adults, older adults and kids. The issues they brought to counseling were diverse and I found that I loved working with all of them - the variety was very stimulating and energizing to me.
However, when I finished my internship I didn't give much weight to the satisfaction of the variety. Instead I wondered what I should specialize in if for no other reason, to appease my ego and give me something to call myself. "I am a grief counselor, I am a child therapist, I am a couples' counselor, I am a family counselor, I specialize in trauma or PTSD. " That is what I've been aspiring to achieve, however I think the universe is conspiring against me or maybe I should say for me in this effort.
I've participated in many trainings and explored many different modes of therapy during these past five years, wondering if this is "the one", but my search has brought me back to the place I started when I concluded my internship: I'm deeply enjoying my work and am currently doing many different things.
Perhaps it takes more time to be a specialist and my path may move in that direction over time, but I hope I'll have the opportunity to enjoy the variety as well. One definition I found of the word generalist is: "One who has broad knowledge and skills in a variety of areas." For me, for now, that seems to work.
Gila Fein, MA
SCA President
