Riding The Storm

Spanish froth 

Sometimes Counselling is all about helping a client look for patterns of behaviour in their lives. Ways of coping, ways of thinking, developed often in childhood can often be the go to in adulthood, ingrained patterns that are often comforting habits which are not always healthy places to go.

Understanding why these behaviours develop is pivotal when exploring self awareness and tapping into old hurts, and losses and pain, much of it hidden away in locked boxes can be hugely emotional moments within therapy. Visceral and frightening, powerful and sometimes strangely wonderful.

I witnessed such a moment today. The client so upset that support staff had to be waved away when they came running “ to help”. I’m learning , that you have to “ ride the storm “ with your client and be the rock they can share with. Inside, every empathetic fibre has been stretched to its limits and your eyes well just a little with understanding tears but you remain stalwart and kind and strong and professional and hope that the “ah-ha” moment is not far away

If you are lucky you can talk the session through with your supervisor or colleague soon after, today I didn’t have the opportunity so I videoed my German friend who works from home . 

“ vat can I do for you?” he asked not unkindly, but to the point.

“ Talk to me about some shitty 1980s movie you have seen recently” ( he is a movie geek and loves cheesy films) 

Without asking why he launched into a review of some teen movie featuring aliens and busty cheerleaders and with a coffee in hand I decompressed and laughed and get bored with the light conversation until the ghosts of the session were dustered away