Sometimes something seems too good to be true…except that it is!
Linda Churchill started her internship with us today. She in an advanced intern…we weren’t quite sure what to call her. Our position has always been that we only hire therapists that have Master’s level of counselling/therapy training to be counsellors at Bergen and Associates Counselling. Linda expressed some interest in working with us…she has completed all the academics required to complete her Master’s of Marriage and Family Therapy at the Aurora Institute, the counselling school connected with the University of Winnipeg. It is a great program that I have deep respect for–and it consistently produces quality graduates. However, she has one more clinical placement to go–and that doesn’t happen until February 2011. But she’s SO CLOSE to being done that she asked me to consider finding a way for her to see clients in some capacity.
Here is where it gets interesting…Linda may not have her Master’s degree in counselling, but she does have a Master’s degree in Divinity. She’s been working with people in crisis, doing marryin’ and buryin’ and all of the emotional support that goes along with it, longer than I’ve been doing counselling. She has decades worth of experience working with people in the trenches of life, as they struggle with crises, family situations and conflict, depression and so on. She works with people regularly in one of our city’s fine care facilities, helping people cope with loss, disappointment, and personal struggles. Her life experience and the wisdom that is clearly apparent when one speaks to her, gives her one of those honorary graduate degrees of a “Master’s of Life Experience of Supporting People Who Need It”. She’s so intuitive–she gets what I’m trying to say sometimes before I get it. She’s calm and patient and very attentive–able to hear what clients are asking for, even if they don’t put it into words.
So, Linda Churchill is our “advanced intern” allowing us to offer services at a reduced rate of $50.00 (including GST) per 60 minute session. As an advanced intern, she ensures that she is providing the best service possible by consulting with an experienced therapist. However, given that in many ways she is more experienced than many experienced therapists, a client of Linda’s gets the enthusiasm of someone that is newer to the field along with the wisdom and composure of someone who’s “been around the block” of life a few times (and no, her hair is NOT all grey!) It’s the best of both worlds…almost too good to be true–and it is absolutely true that we are able to offer her services this year to clients.
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