1) Passed my NCE and got my temporary license! I am now officially a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern (LPC Intern). This means that I can almost/basically practice counseling as normal, but I meet weekly with a supervisor for feedback/guidance. I have a great supervisor and my time with him has been extremely beneficial so far. Now I just need to complete my 3000 hours of supervised counseling so I can knock that pesky "Intern" off of my title. 
2) Got a job at Sundance Hospital. My official title is "Intake Therapist" or "Access Clinician," interchangeable really. It is a behavioral health hospital (no services for any type of medical conditions). People come in who are dealing with depression, anxiety, anger, chemical dependancy...yeah, those are the main ones. When a new patient comes in, I do the initial interview with them and determine whether they need inpatient care, or whether they would be more appropriate for an outpatient program. It has been a very steep learning curve working there for about the past two months, but I finally feel like I am really getting the hang of things and am doing well. I am WELL on my way to earning my hours toward my LPC, and anticipate being able to knock them all out in the shortest amount of time possible at the rate I am going. I am so thankful to have a job. I just feel very very blessed to be pursuing my dreams! God has been very good and gracious to me, even when I doubted His plans.
3) Ran a half marathon!!!! Immediately after the race was over, I am ashamed to say that I was awash with disappointment. I was disappointed in my performance, even though I finished under my goal time. I was disappointed in the way my body felt. I was sad that I didn't have anyone there to share it with and upset with myself for not scheduling a local race for my first half. But fairly soon after the race, all of those emotions wore off and I began to be thankful that I had the opportunity to accomplish something like that. I remembered all the fun that I had along the way. I was thankful for all of those that did come out to watch the race and encourage the runners. Even though I didn't know any of them, it still helped so much. Some of my favorite signs were held by a dad and his three sons in a random neighborhood in San Antonio. The boys were holding signs that said, "Worst Parade Ever..." and "Run Faster! My arms are getting tired." :) Now looking back, I am pretty proud of myself for accomplishing such a distance, and am plotting how to do it again, or even aim for a marathon. I will definitely do a lot of things differently, but I am looking forward to trying again and making the next experience even better.
5) Donated all of my hairs to Locks of Love. Again.
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| Before |
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| After. I know I don't look as happy as the "Before," but I really do love my haircut. I always feel like short hair just suits me a little better. |
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| Nika got to come and enjoy Thanksgiving with the Sanders and me. :) |
So those are some highlights of the past three months. Currently, I am really looking forward to celebrating Christmas. I have to admit that for several years in the recent past I have been somewhat of a scrooge. I haven't been the biggest fan of Christmas. I would just ruminate on what a disgusting affair our culture had made of such a sacred day: the commercialism, the debt, the stress, the fighting with family, etc, etc, etc. I would let all of these negative things really drag me down and make me grumpy about all of the Christmasy things that were going on around me. But in the past couple of years, I am happy to say that I have been able to enjoy the holiday season so much more. I am able to look forward to hot cocoa, beautiful holiday decorations, lights everywhere, being able to bless people with gifts, and just bask in peace. One of the things that has really helped me in all of this is really understanding the incarnation, and the miracle of Immanuel (God with us). In our church Bible study this Sunday, we were talking about what it means for us to have God with us. One thing that really hit me was again just realizing the miracle that it is to have true access to God at any time. Yes, there are times when we don't hear, feel or see God in our lives. But the difference between those times for us and the 400 years of silence that the Jews experienced, is that we actually do have God with us. This is the miracle of the incarnation: from the moment that Jesus came to earth, we never ever have to go through a period of time when God is not truly with us. His Spirit is on earth, forever! And we have access to Him always. That is truly a reason to celebrate, be at peace, and enjoy a season of advent, no matter how much our culture has perverted it. One thing that has helped me to understand and appreciate this idea of the incarnation is a book that I have started reading through during the Christmas season, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, edited by Nancy Guthrie. It is a compilation of several classic authors discussing different aspects of the advent season. If you have a hard time really focusing on or finding the meaning of Christmas in the middle of a society that so destroys it for us, please pick up a copy of this book. Well worth it.
Okay, I think that is enough for now. Hope you are able to experience His peace and joy this holiday season. It truly is a miracle.
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Love the HAIR! Also so excited for you to be an intern. I must admit, I learned so much during my intern years, but it was very difficult to follow others and not do my own "style" of speech therapy. ha! Again, learned so much as an intern. Thank you for the reminder about those 400 years of silence. We are so blessed that He is here with us!
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