Tonight's AA meeting

Tonight I attended an AA meeting at a local church. They had an outside AA group come and speak to the local group. There were two speakers, who gave really interesting, thoughtful talks about what their "bottom" was, and how they'd stayed sober. I really enjoyed their talks. They were very honest about how they drank. One only drank in bars, where the other couldn't stand to drink in front of people. They both stated that they no longer had the urge to drink. Their talks made the meeting fly by.

There were several things that surprised me about the meeting. No one introduced each other, like they had at NA. The crowd was much older than at NA. There were fewer women. At the NA meeting, everyone who spoke stated they had trouble with compulsion. The speakers at the AA meeting never once spoke of compulsion being a problem in their thinking or lives. I found this really interesting, especially as a counselor. It made me wonder if there are different mental illnesses associated with the type of "drug" you become addicted to. (alcohol, of course, being a drug as well.) Another very interesting thing was one speaker talked of being agnostic, and not doing the steps that related to religion. I had wondered what an addict who is agnostic or atheist would do in AA. The speaker just decided to do it it their own way, talk to their sponsor instead of going to confession. The speaker said they learned to say "ok" instead of "I'm not doing that", and to find their own way to handle it.

I thought this evening was very interesting. I would recommend someone going to an AA meeting because people take alcohol for granted. Most people don't think of what a dangerous disease it can lead to. Narcotics are obviously dangerous. Laws prevent us from buying them, there's tons of media discouraging their use, and there are programs in school teaching children to "Just Say No". Alcohol can be far more sinister in that it is easily accessible. It is acceptable to get drunk, and to do stupid things while you're drunk. Its a right of passage in many cases. Especially when you're young.

My resume

For those who are curious, here is a link to my resume.

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1wxWmb1ugqPem2E5uBxPoxpBUk_fEtgHx3FaP2Fb2eo0&hl=en

AA meeting tomorrow night

Tomorrow night I'm going to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in my town. I had a hard time finding a listing for one that was open to non-addicts. I expect it to be a bit different from the NA meeting I went to last week. From talking to my classmates, I know that it is more of a religion based program. NA was very adamant that they were a spiritual, not religious, group. I think will be similar in that people will talk about fighting the urge to drink. How everyday hardships can make it hard to lose their focus on sobriety.

I'm looking forward to going to the meeting because alcoholism runs in my family. I think I can learn from their discussion, maybe gain some insight into my family member's thought process. The listing said there will be a speaker. I imagine that would change the format of the meeting somewhat. I'm just looking forward to having a new experience to learn from.

On a side note, I tried looking into a gamblers anonymous meeting. The majority are down by Atlantic City, which surprised me. I wondered how someone who has a gambling issue up here would be able to get the help and support they need. After all, there are casinos in Pennsylvania that aren't as far a drive as AC.

An update about the Listservs through the ACA

Yesterday I sent a comment through ACA's contact button about how both listservs came back as not existing. I got a very prompt reply from Dr. David Kaplan, the Chief Professional Officer at the ACA. (I have to say I'm impressed!) He stated that they both are alive and well, and that I should try again. I just now forwarded him the original message from American University (where DIVERSGRAD-L originates from) so he would know what kind of response I received originally. I'm going to try signing up again today for both COUNSGRAD and DIVERSGRAD-L. Hopefully it will work!

Sending the advocacy letter

I sent the advocacy letter I talked about earlier. It was incredibly easy to do. I just went to the ACA's website's Public Policy section. They had several options for action, and I picked the Save School Counselor's Jobs option. They had a blank section, where you could pick between several pre-written options that you wanted to insert. In fact you could insert them all if you wanted. I chose the ones I felt best, customized it by including my own thoughts, and sent it on. The only problem I had with it was I saved it wrong. I had to go and re-do it so I could save it to upload to Blackboard. I was actually really surprised they let me do it again, usually if you had already sent one letter they remember. At least they do at other advocacy sites.

The thing I learned doing this is that this is a nationwide problem. Living in NJ, with all the education cuts Governor Christie has put into place, I just assumed it was a more local issue. Its scary to think that other states are doing the same thing. I think its very important that counselors nationwide band together and advocate about this. School counseling should be a recession proof occupation. We always need mental health providers. Its stunning to think that anyone would feel cutting school counselors is an appropriate decision.

The advocacy letter is such an easy and effective way to get word out locally, and to D.C., that this is unacceptable. I think its great that the ACA has made it so accessible.

Post edit for ACA

Well, not only does the DIVERSGRAD listserv not exist, but neither does the COUNSGRAD! I'm pretty disappointed. I sent a message to the ACA. Hopefully its something silly, like the email address has changed. Otherwise, those are unfortunate resources to lose.

Advocacy Act

Last week, I was talking to my son's case manager. She is a social worker, who functions as a social worker, school counselor, and case manager for our school district's 3 elementary schools. She was telling me that due to budget cuts there was talk about letting either her or the other school counselor go. This would mean that there would be only 1 counselor for 3 separate schools. That is a lot of children for one person to be able to effectively help. I was appalled, to say the least. After that I've been trying to think of ways to keep this from happening. I was looking around the ACA's public policy website and noticed their "Take Action" button. Imagine my delight, when among several options, was one for "Saving School Counselor's Jobs". There is a link to a letter to the House of Representatives and the Senate asking them to include a $23 billion Education Jobs Fund in the emergency appropriations bill. (Say that 5 times fast) I should say that I am a big armchair activist. I love that I can send letters to senators from my computer, and that it is so incredibly easy. I don't understand why there are so many cuts being done to education lately, especially in our state. I find its setting us up for failure. How can we expect our children to thrive if an essential part of their growth is cut? School counselors play such a vital part in healthy emotional growth for children. A child is learning about their emotions and how to display them in a productive manner. Taking away school counselors puts a huge burden on teachers, who already have a huge burden to begin with! There is a lack of respect for the importance of our educational system. The idea that getting rid of school counselors is appropriate shows a lack of education, responsibility, and a large amount negligence on the part of our administration. That is why I am going to send this letter, and do what small part I can to try and stop this.

I just joined the ACA!

I just got done paying my $89 membership fee, and now am an official member of the American Counseling Association. Its interesting to think I now have malpractice insurance. Makes things even more official. Even though I'm in grad school, I'm still cocooned from the professional practice for a little bit. Since I am now a member, I immediately signed up for 2 counseling listservs. They're newsletters that get emailed to me. The first one I signed up for is called COUNSGRADS. According to the ACA website, its a forum for students across the country to discuss issues or ideas about counseling. I thought that would be a great resource. I also signed up for DIVERSEGRAD-L, which talks about multicultural issues in counseling. I was so pleased to see this, because we have so much emphasis in our program placed on being culturally competent. Oh, just as I wrote that I got an email saying it doesn't exist. Well, that is really disappointing! I am going to email the ACA later to let them know.

I'm also pleased that now I can listen to the podcasts they have. The website has a large section of podcasts available for free to members. The subjects look really interesting and diverse, from addiction counseling to a podcast about confidentiality. The website also has a section about the ACA foundation, which students can apply through for grants to go to the ACA conferences. I have a feeling I'll be looking into that. I also did a quick tour of the site (there is a link under the student section) and it pointed out public policy and advocacy. I plan to take an active role in that, and I love that the ACA makes it so easy to do.

I am really impressed by the ACA. Its important to have a group for your profession that you feel you can connect and grow with. I think joining will enrich my academic and professional career in many ways. I highly recommend anyone in a counseling program joining. There are no negatives!

Looking into joining the ACA

Today, as part of continuing my professional development for my current class, I checked out the American Counseling Association website. The ACA is an organization for that educates and supports professional counselors. If I join, my membership includes free malpractice insurance, which you really can't beat! The ACA also hosts conferences once a year where people present papers on different topics in counseling. I went to a conference once for the American Anthropological Association, and really enjoyed hearing all the different papers on subjects in anthropology and archaeology that I wasn't as familiar with. The ACA conference serves the same purpose. Plus, the conference in 2013 is in Cincinnati, my hometown. Definitely an extra encouragement to go!

As I surfed their website I was really overwhelmed by all the services they offer. Their webpage stated they have free ethics counseling 5 days a week. There are newsletters and a journal, along with online newsletters. They also offer career services. One of the bigger draws for me is the podcasts for members about different counseling topics. I scrolled through some of them and they look really interesting. There are also links to other counseling associations, and as an ACA member I would be able to join the other associations at a discount.

After doing the research, joining the ACA seems like a smart choice. I'm looking forward to utilizing all their resources. I think it will be a great help during my graduate studies and professional career.

NA meeting

Last night I went to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting for the first time. It was in a room at the back of a church. I was surprised because they had tables set up in a circle, and then chairs at the back of the room. I expected chairs only. Tons of literature at the front of the room for newcomers. Info about NA, their mission, what addiction is, the different types of addiction, etc. There were 21 people to begin with, but by the end of the meeting there were 24.

The biggest shock to me was how young everyone was. There was one person there who had to be 15 at the most. However, I was so glad that at 15 the person realized there was an issue, and was able to find help. I don't know if I would have had the same maturity and strength at that age.

I also wasn't expecting everyone to introduce themselves. I guess this is where I put more credit in movies than I should have! Everyone was extremely nice and welcoming. At the start of the meeting different people shared things that had been bothering them lately, things that could potentially cause them to use again. Every single one of them talked about how they have obsessive compulsive leanings, and that they focus on tiny things in their life now because drugs are gone. They sounded frustrated by it, wishing they didn't have that voice constantly in their heads. I was impressed that they were so honest with their shortcomings. Thats hard to do to yourself, let alone to a group of people. I was also really proud of everyone there. One person had reached 30 days that evening, and got their chip. Another person it was their first meeting. A lot of people were over the one year mark. They all talked about how much work it took, and how they had to wake up every day and choose not to use.

After the initial airing of issues, the topic of gratitude was brought up. The main theme people spoke of was being grateful for being free of addiction. Grateful that they were gainfully employed, had a car with air conditioning, had people who cared about them, and had clear thought.

I have worried that because I've never done drugs, and am not an addict, that I would have trouble relating. Then, in turn, my future clients would have trouble relating to me. Listening to them last night I realized that I could easily relate. I am grateful for the small joys in my life too. Grateful for my health and family, and grateful that my car has air conditioning! I could also relate to the frustration they felt about life. Just because I haven't done drugs doesn't mean I can't help someone who has. Last night gave me confidence in that.

I would definitely recommend people going to a NA meeting, or really any type of addiction meeting. The people were impressive, the strength and maturity I saw was something I'll never forget. Its a side of life many people know nothing about, and its important to expand your base of compassion.

Last night definitely met my expectations. It was very interesting, and definitely had some dark elements. I heard about people grappling with suicidal thought and low self worth. What was important was the people who shared that realized that it wasn't right, and said how they came to the meeting to work through those feelings. Almost everyone said that NA had saved their lives.

I'm looking forward to going to more addiction meetings. I think they are great experience, and give me real insight to my future profession. I'm planning to go to either an Overeaters Anonymous or Gamblers Anonymous meeting within the next week or so.

http://www.NA.org

Tonight, as part of my professional development for my current class, I'm attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. I'm really looking forward to going. I think it will interesting and possibly dark. Interesting in that people will be sharing their experiences with substance abuse, and possibly ways they have avoided relapse. It could be dark because people might share truly traumatic experiences. I really don't know how these meetings go, other than what you see in movies and on TV. "Hi, I'm so and so and I'm an addict". I wonder if most will share, or if maybe one or two will. I also have no idea how long these meetings last. Do they make time for all who need to share? Or do they make them wait until the next meeting. I'm very curious about how many people will show up. The meeting I'm going to is labeled as a discussion/participation. Some other ones have the label of speaker, step, tradition, it works study, and step working guide study. I feel like tonight will be an important first step towards my becoming a professional counselor.

CACREP

After hearing and reading about the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs (CACREP), I went and checked out their website today.

CACREP represents the national standard for the education of professional counselors. In order for a counseling program to become CACREP accredited, they have to go through a lengthy process, which the whole department has to be involved in. According to Dr. Renfro-Michel, the writing was extreme. On the CACREP website, it said it can take up to 24 months to be approved for accreditation. Everything I read on the website impressed upon me how selective a process it is, and how beneficial it is for both the program and the students who graduate from it. The main webpage lists that CACREP grads score better on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification. Montclair State University's counseling program was accredited about a year ago, and I feel fortunate to have been accepted. MSU's counseling program holds distinction above other programs because it shows the dedication that the faculty have to their students, and to their profession. Its not an accreditation to be taken lightly, and means the faculty will constantly strive to implement the best techniques for professional counseling education.

Knowing this gives me such hope for the future. It means I get to work with professors who truly believe in, and enjoy their field. There's nothing better than learning from someone who has a true passion for their work, and CACREP accreditation is proof of that. I know I will have a thorough and focused education in counseling when I graduate.

After reading all of their website, I, of course, signed up for their newsletter today. I noted they have a $500 scholarship for student projects that are beneficial for CACREP. It made me start to wonder about future projects, and if I would be applying for that one day.

For those who are curious: http://www.cacrep.com

Welcome

Hello all,

My name is Brooke, and I'm a masters student at Montclair State University. I'm working towards a masters in addiction counseling. My BA is in anthropology with a concentration in archaeology. Addiction has its own culture, and since anthropology is the study of cultures, I feel there will be a nice compliment with the knowledge I have. I've had family go through treatment, and have always held addiction counselors in a special place in my heart. They do a vital service to our community. I'm looking forward to becoming a counselor and helping people learn how to overcome their addiction, and equip them with tools to lead a productive, healthy life.
A little bit about me: I'm 31, married, and a stay at home mom. I have a 5 year old son, Max, who has autism. Definitely makes for a more interesting life. I love reading, video games, and chocolate. I'm very excited to be in grad school, and am looking forward to all the great experiences it will bring.