One of the requirements of my internship is to co-facilitate support groups. During the summer I worked with a counselor on a typical support group, where everyone sits in a circle and talks, pretty standard. When I first started in June, there was a different kind of group that was finishing up, and I knew that the next time it started, I had to be a part of that group.
Saturday morning was the first meeting for the Fall version of this group. They meet at an off-site location and either run or walk for 30 minutes, listening to certain songs, and looking for things in nature that remind them of what they are going through. Then we get back together and talk about what we saw, what we heard, and how it relates to what the members are going through. The counselor who is the official leader of this group was unable to attend the first meeting, so I got to run it by myself. I was a little nervous, especially when I woke up Saturday morning and it was raining and cold.. but a few women braved the weather to join me, and it turned out to be a great experience.
Ever since I joined the counseling world, I have wanted to incorporate exercise and counseling together in some way. This group is definitely a step towards that dream for me. Now I just need to graduate and find a job where we can do this every day! I'm a firm believer that mental, emotional, and physical health are all tied together, so when one suffers, they all suffer. I definitely see that in myself. So when one is strengthened, they all should get a little better, right? What a joy it was to see smiles and hear laughs from people going through probably the hardest time in their lives. And all because they got up early, put on their sneakers and their rain coats, and went for a walk in the rain.
Can't wait for next week!
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