One Year Anniversary Thanksgiving
A year ago, I started my own private practice after more than 20 years of employment as a social worker or therapist with various social services organisations. I would have never imagined myself starting a business, especially one that is related to counselling. And here I am - a year of new experience, adventure and fulfilment.
My experience as a freelance therapist allows me to provide a more personalised therapy, strengths coaching and clinical supervision to my clients with greater flexibility and regularity as compared to when I was practicing with other organisations. Yet at the same time, I have to acquire new skill sets such as website design and marketing.
The new learning curves were steep but also exciting. I am not a business person at heart. Hence, the toughest part for me is the journey of making the business sustainable and learning to trust in the process. The best and most fulfilling part is the journey with each of my clients and supervisees, facilitating emotional, relational and vocational wellness and growth. The joy of using my professional skills and who I am to serve my clients and better their lives. This is what made the journey so meaningful and worthwhile. It feels like I am going to love doing this for a long time.
I want to celebrate my first year anniversary, commemorating the beautiful things I experienced, the resilience and growth I have the honour of witnessing. Here are some of my clients’ words that I want to share in celebration of human resilience and also the craft and trade of counselling.
“Through the counselling, I became more aware of what contributed to my sense of helplessness. Grace’s skills in listening, asking relevant questions and paraphrasing some of my comments helped me reflect on my tendency to feel unnecessarily burdened. Her analysis of my emotional reactions and feedback to me was helpful for me to see how I could cope better with such situations.”
“The counselling process helped me see things more clearly from a different viewpoint. I was able to discuss my early years experiences and explore how these experiences affect my current situation.”
“The counselling sessions have prompted me to think through my emotion towards certain situation and possible causes of such emotion.”
“Counselling provided me with a safe environment where I could share and work out complex emotional problems with an experienced professional.”
“The counselling sessions helped me make sense of the complex emotions that I experienced. The sessions also provided me with useful advice on how to manage my emotions in a healthy way without causing additional stress or anxiety to my family, friends and colleagues.”
“There were challenging periods of my life when counselling has provided me a safe space to process my inner thoughts and co-regulate my emotions. I do find going for counselling has helped me enhance my psychological (mental and emotional) resilience.”
I invite you to read their full testimonials on my website’s testimonial page. There, you would also read more about my clients’ experience and affirmation of me as their Counsellor. I feel encouraged and blessed. Beyond these posted testimonials, there are many more written and spoken affirmations stored within my heart’s treasure chest – from my current clients and clients from before.
I want to thank my clients, for being vulnerable and yet so resilient. I am encouraged by their openness to change and grow through counselling, and blessed by their generosity to offer affirmation. Through their voice, my clients also taught me to be a better counsellor. I want to continue to be and grow in being a counsellor who facilitate for them the experience of - “the confidence to talk about things in a deeper way, not just on the surface”; “feeling counsellor ‘got me’ in a way that I felt heard, understood and supported”; “the strength and courage to take stock, and to make necessary decisions”.
My anniversary celebration and thanksgiving would not be whole without thanking my community of love. My family who has given me the trust and freedom to pursue my vocation and even this different path as a freelancer. My friends’ encouragement and support in the past year which meant a lot to me – from the very beginning when two dear friends first mooted the possibility and idea of private practice. And many other friends who believed in me and recommended or referred clients to me. My heartfelt appreciation to each of you.
When I left my full time job last year, it was a big transition for me. As with most transitions and changes, uncertainties and doubts would find its way in. God’s word comforted and anchored me:
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; Yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – that is the gift of God.” - Ecc 3: 11-13
I am thankful for God’s gift. For the past year, I have been happy and I have done good, finding satisfaction through my vocation.