I feel that I need to write in order to discover and uncover the truth about where I am in reference to my work as a counselor. Working in the public sector, providing career advice and services to persons with disabilities is extremely challenging and is a very heavy load to carry. Our goal is to support persons with disabilities to gain and maintain employment. Most often the support includes anything that the client needs in order to fulfill their vocational goal. While, I believe that our program is fantastic and it gives me the power and ability to give in a way that I might never have been able to, I have found that programs such as ours is used and abused by many. Many feel entitled to the services that we provide, so they use and use and use and use, without successful outcomes, ever. Many, for a lack of knowing what to do with their lives; how to pick up the pieces of their lives, come with the expectation that we will be able to fix it all. And we are blamed for not being able to. There are others, that get what they need and use it to forge ahead, successfully. They are responsible and diligent about meeting their goals.
I am most frustrated with the numerous complaints and threats directed at compassionate counselors like myself. Counselors that really love what they do and got into this to make a difference. And most of all our goal is to help and "do no harm". Granted there are few counselors that really understand the depth of the calling of a counselor, but there are many that have good intentions. The good along with the bad, are being dragged through the wringer. The fact that I still love my job, tells me that I am answering my calling. My question is, "Is this a part of my rites of passage as a healer? I believe it is, yet, I think it is time that I prepare to move on; to practice the art of healing rather than providing services of monetary value that do nothing to heal the pain and trauma that is the reason that many of my clients are where they are today. It is the reason that they continue to return year after year after year, with the same set backs. They have yet to work through their pain and trauma. They have yet to begin the healing process. While money can buy you some things, it can not buy you peace of mind and spiritual healing. Until the people are healed, the dysfunction will continue; our doors will be a revolving door.
I've found that although clients are seeking services that will help them attain gainful employment, such as vocational training and post-secondary education; they most appreciate a caring and compassionate person that can relate to them on a human level, a spiritual level. While employment is an immediate need, spiritual healing is what is most need. There are underlying spiritual issues that have dominated their lives and has had an extremely destructive impact, in some cases a life time of destruction, generational destruction. Addressing these underlying spiritual issues is my main concern because I know that within these issues, lies the truth of the matter and the truth shall set you free.
I don't want to continue with case management and management of various services that are undermined by the presenting and dominating issues. What I really want to do and am good at doing (Counseling) is being smothered by paperwork, processes, calls, complaints, walk-ins, meetings and politics. I liken my current position and responsibilities to heavy winter clothes and I need to shed these heavy winter clothes, for something new and of lighter weight. I need to be aligned and involved in activities that not only feed my spirit, but will help me to grow and be of spiritual service.
