Leaning into Learning (A Counseling Interns Learning Journey)

Leaning Into Learning (A Counselor Interns Learning Journey) 

For this Life’s Learning blog series, Rubjoyt Singh, Master Level Counseling Intern (Gonzaga University)  will share about her learning journey as she transitions into her role as a counselor.  I have the honor to have her join my practice until June of 2020.  I may also write a lead in or comment about my learning and observations or our learning together as a part of this series.

For Rubjoyt’s first few months at my practice, she has shadowed over 40 sessions, provided some modalities (with me in the room) and began to see clients.  She has also taken both an EMDR and EFT course and assisted with a couple Counselor Conversations around Yoga and Vicarious Trauma.

I was struck by the parallel learning that occurred for Rubjoyt as she was writing about what she learned the first two months of her placement. She wrote 3 drafts for this, taking each one of them a little deeper. I asked her to think about what she most would share with others about her greatest learning if they were sitting in the room with her in general or with interns/counselors.  I witnessed as she wrote this final version and embraced her growth and the process of learning.  And with this, grace for herself.  I was in awe when I read the depth of her sharing and honored to be witness to her leaning into her learning and her role as a counselor.

Here is what she has to say.

Leaning into Learning, by Rubjoyt Singh, Master Level Intern

I have been a counseling intern for over two months now. During my time as an intern I have learned and grown in various ways. One of my biggest learning points has been the importance of being human. By being human, I mean removing the pressure of being perfect and starting where I am in my journey of becoming a counselor. I have always put the pressure of being perfect on myself in all aspects of my life. In graduate school I am constantly critiqued on my posture, facial expressions, word choice, pace, etc., and through this process the pressure of being perfect was solidified.

The pressure of being perfect has always been the root of my anxiety and I realized that I was taking this into session with clients. One day I was asked to lead a mindfulness imagery exercise with a client, and it was far from perfect. I forgot to tell the client that they did not have to answer any of my prompts which caused some confusion. I forgot to bring them back out slowly from the meditative state. The client still took something from this experience.  And they were very gracious and let me know how I can do better. And it didn’t break me. I had this fear that if I didn’t do it perfectly, I can’t do it at all. But I did, and I used the feedback and did this with another client and it was even better.

I realized that I wasn’t giving myself space to make mistakes and be human. One thing I have learned is that I will only become a better counselor when I put aside the need to be perfect and try to learn from every experience. Like everything else in life, becoming a counselor is a process, one that I cannot learn overnight and one that I cannot perfect because counseling is not about perfection. The best thing I can do for my clients is let myself be me and continue to learn and grow as a counselor.