#the career guide

[datcravat]

It seems there's a new lawyer in town!!!

[questionableadvice]

~ Pictorial Medical Guide, by Forty-Two Leading Specialists, N. Henry Moss, Ed., 1964

[cosmousee]

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝔸𝕞 𝕀 𝕤𝕦𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖 𝕕𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕟𝕠𝕨?!

Hello cuties! Hope y’all have been keeping well😇

I thought I’d do a reading related to what y’all should be or could be doing, especially if you’re feeling stuck, if you’re feeling you aren’t going anywhere despite consistent efforts or something along those lines. So I thought I’d bring some help! Okay so for this reading I made three chits about whether you should continue doing the thing, or change things up a bit or completely start a new project. I���ll pick one of em for each pile and then I’ll read the tarot~

So let’s get into this! I hope I’ll be able to bring some clarity to you guys!!

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Pile 1>2>3

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ＰＩＬＥ １

Pile 1 your chit is “You’re doing amazing sweetie! <3” Its basically telling you to keep doing what you’ve been doing, and you’re so good at it!! Spirit is actually patting your back and is urging you forward.

I’m getting that image of you know when parents teach their children how to read a bike and they’re constantly cheering you on from behind as you take slow pedals, and you’re a little wobbly. Spirit might’ve guided you at first (and ofcourse they will keep guiding you) but I think they want you to take the wheel (i just wrote week so maybe the coming one is important) and just take your bike wherever you want to go and they’ll always be cheering you on!

Right of the bat guys, spirit is like, LOVE your work you guys!! And not just love ‘the work’, love everything that comes with it, the late nights, the endless coffees, the money, the sense of fulfillment in your heart.

Love the entire process, love the hardships, love the lessons, you’re not gonna get these anywhere else!! I literally cannot stress this in the way they are telling me all this. Whatever it is the good, the bad, the struggles, you gotta love it all to fully capture what you’re doing. What you are capable of doing.

Like its so unique, its so unique to you, its all yours, all those lessons, the success, EVERYTHING is just so uniquely yours. Love that you’re getting to experience all of that!!

I know its easier said than done, obviously who would want to romanticize the hardships, right? I know I understand but sometimes, for the sake of your own sanity you gotta, and it helps in making that moment pass more easily than before.

And you know I had this habit, every night before bed I would just say thank you to the universe, for just about everything, every good time, the bad time, every lesson, every opportunity, because sure in the moment it sucked, but I’m out of it now and I’m feeling better too!

They’re telling you to reminisce your journey from where you started and where you are now, look at those memories fondly, look at your baby self fondly, see how far you’ve come, what you’ve achieved. Remember what your vision was and where you’ve made it.

And look where you finally want to be in respect to that. Send love to all these versions and they’ll send it back to you.

Every time you feel you have a setback, try clearing your head, try visualizing a straight path to where you want to go and just see how easily your energy comes back to you and how easily things start moving and flowing again.

I wish you well Pile 1~

That’s all I have for you today! Thank you so much for reading🎀🌻Please let me know what resonated I love hearing from y'all<3

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ＰＩＬＥ ２

So pile 2, I got the urge to pick up two chits for you and they are, “You’re doing amazing sweetie!” and “Let’s try something new, shall we?”

And um these are two completely opposite chits?! Spirit and their ways man.

Anyways, I feel like if you’re reading this because you’re in a slump and you can’t really get the motivation to do the things you’ve already been doing. Or if you’re working really hard but in the end you’re getting stuck at a wall, it seems like your time of doing that thing is up now, and you might want to upgrade to something, or you know might just start something completely new!

You know how spirit gets when its time to move forward to something else? Yeah, it’s like that. And no, its not like you’ll have to stop doing the current thing for forever. Its like, you know dabble into this new thing because you’re already a master of the previous one, and whenever you come back, you’ll be able to pick it up right where you left it!

It won’t be that oh you’re rusted or whatever, it’s second nature to you. You know its like you’ve cooked in one home for a long time and its muscle memory to know where the ingredients are, where the cups, the spoons, the knives are. But you have to go out to someplace else because it’s calling you.

And when you come back, things will be exactly where you left it and you’ll work with your muscle memory~

There might be something in the back of your head that you have wanted to pursue since forever, like you know something which now sounds like a childish dream, but you know how serious it was for you when you got the urge to start it. Your adult brain might be pushing it to the side, telling you see it’s not practical, let’s focus on what we are doing right now since we are so good at it.

You know how the brain gets shit scared when you’re trying out something new and it gives you every possible reason not to do the thing? Yeah that’s why we don’t listen to our brains alot.

I also got the feeling that another kid somewhere around you has a similar/or the same dream and you hear them talk about it with so much of passion and even your inner child jumps in excitement and they are just waiting for you to follow that!

Just have that courage and take that leap of faith into doing that thing you’ve been wanting and see how much wisdom you gain, what new experiences you get, the opportunities oh so endless.

And don’t worry, the experience from doing your current thing will help alot in starting this new project. You’ll be able to apply so many things you learnt in such a different way and you’ll be like holy crap! That was amazing.

And who knows, the things you might learn doing this, you could apply to your previous project wink wink

Get out there, let your creativity flow, tell your mind to shut up a little bit. I also just got the image of Iron man, just casually doing impossible things!! So lets fkn goooo pile 2, do your best, we’re cheering you on!

I hope I was of help to you!

I wish you well pile 2

That’s all I have for you today! Thank you so much for reading🎀🌻Please let me know what resonated I love hearing from y'all<3

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ＰＩＬＥ ３

We got two chits for you pile 3, and they are “Let’s try something new shall we?” and “We might need to mix it up a little”

I think its time to start a new venture my guys, and it feels like it’ll be completely new as compared to what y’all have done already. Mixing it up seems like trying to do things you’ve never done before.

It’s like a finance guy going for a marketing thing.

It can be learning a new language, or something artistic, or creative. I can see some paintings, some canvas.

It can also be as easy as changing what you paint with? I dont know my sister is an artist and she does crazy things man. But like, yeah maybe its trying digital art, or going back to paper after doing digital art for so long?

It can also be trying a new thing in the same domain itself if it makes sense, like the painting example you know~

Just find yourself a guiding light. Since you’re trying out something new, it doesn’t mean that you should do it with no help. Find the help, get your tutorials, get those courses whatever it is which can help your journey.

Don’t follow reason, follow your light, follow your guide and watch how quickly you are able to progress, how quickly things move forward. The zeal you’ll get once you get the ropes of what to do next, and soon you’ll be able to be your own guiding light.

You’ll see yourself as the amateur and the expert all in one. You’ll have all the knowledge and still you’ll get to learn more things and feel like a student. It’ll be an amazing energy (i meant to write journey but i guess spirit has taken a wheel on my writing today, this also i wrote as wiring, what is wrong with me).

Okay, this might happen especially in the case if you’re trying new things in your own domain, because you know, you already know every nook and cranny of your domain, and when you’re doing a new thing you’re like! Oh! Oh wow I didn’t know about this how glad am I to find this thing out!!

Be like a sponge, absorb, every single thing. You’ll be surprised to learn so many things and from such unexpected places.

I wish you well pile 3~

That’s all I have for you today! Thank you so much for reading🎀🌻Please let me know what resonated I love hearing from y'all<3

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[mabelmidnight-takeover]

the thing that doesn't make sense to me regarding the "he was putting her career on the line" POV is that there's no previous behavior from abbot that makes that believable to me. abbot faked a teenager's exams (w/o her knowledge) so she could get an abortion, told another doctor said teenager was getting back for the pills and didn't seem to care that robby could very easily find out what he did, reprimanded but immediately praised santos for doing a risky procedure she wasn't allowed to and took every opportunity he got to do procedures the hospital board wouldn't allow on the daily. nothing from his behavior told me he would put someone else's career on the line with something we were shown he's very capable of doing. add that to mohan's arc this season and the possibility of that POV being the case becomes nonexistent to me. it never even crossed my mind before checking what people were saying about the episode. i read it as a joke bc nothing else shown would tell me it wasn't.

comparing it to robby and david's situation: it was Not a surprise how robby reacted after david was proven innocent from the shooting. he was a bit more asshole-ish to how he'd probably react in a normal day, especially after a breakdown, but where he stood on the whole situation was not new. we were shown and told robby could react like that; we were shown and told abbot didn't care about what could happen to him or his career if a patient's health was on the way

[botmilf]

tbh I can't recommend becoming a caverns tour guide enough. It's a career that I think not a lot of people think of because they usually don't advertise. But it's such a fun job and believe it or not, it's great for introverts because you basically stick to a personalized script that you've just memorized over time and you get to walk through cool ass caverns/caves, and SOMETIMES you get to work with geologists! also you never need experience cuz they train you.

[theborzoiarebackintown]

My sweet summer child has no idea we’re leaving in less than two hours to gO RUNNIN!!!!!

[midnight-weird-thoughts]

I know it has been nearly a year since the whole thing about Toichi being alive, and I am sorry if anyone said this before let me know and I can delete this, I was just taking a break to engage with the real world, but after rewatching some episodes I decided the only way I will accept this concept, is if they make him the Big Bad. The guy in charge of the Black Organization, as far as I know, is called Renya Karasuma. The earliest I can remember the name being dropped was in the Sunset Manor case with the mansion made out of solid gold. I remembered it because KID disguised as Kogoro. But the point it, he was there. I don't remember if we were told why he was there or on what information was he basing his infiltration on, but it's kinda ""coincidental"" that KID often appears when The Boss is discussed or alluded to in the episodes. This wasn't the only occasion. It is actually kind of a recurrence. Also, we know that Karasuma is in his hundreds at least, and Vermouth's age is unknown either, but she is older than Jody who is in her late-ish twenties (based on how long would it have taken her to become an FBI agent). The apotoxin is an interesting project to be having in a criminal organization even if you spin it as a fluke in a poison-making process, it is still a weird side-effect to have.

A pill that de-ages and seems to have no other adverse effect on the person. Not even mental capacity loss to the level a child's brain would have. And then we have an immortality giving gem also being sought after. And the world does have real magic, as we see with Akako. It is not just supersticion.

Toichi was also suspiciously on time to somehow save Chikage from those men who tried to blackmail her into stealing something. We are told he became a thief for her, which is an interesting impulse from a — presumably until then — law-abiding magician. Plus the skills he had to escape armed members of the organization...

And it is theorized that Chikage was the one to teach him disguise. He somehow came to teach Yukiko and Vermouth and passed on those skills further. How did this arregnement take place? Did he advertize he wanted students? Is that things world-famous magicians do? Doesn't it usually happen by specific tutelage? Wouldn't Yukiko had to have thought him out herself? Where did Sharon come from in that equasion then? Also, in which country did it happen? Did Yukiko move to America? Was Sharon on "vacation" in Japan? Did they track to an unrelated country where Toichi was in that time period just to learn from him?

If Toichi was really helping his wife by redirecting focus to himself, how did he not notice that Vermouth was shady? He was after an organization of people, reportedly. His new student was shady. Both were big name career criminals. Neither of them were careless people. Yukiko was a civilian, it makes sense she didn't know. But these two? On an unrelated note, Vermouth was said to be the Big Boss' favorite.

Also, a little etymology. As we all know anime characters names are all just horrible puns. But this time it is actually pretty funny the kind of coincidences you see. Kaito we all know is a pun on "thief" in Japanese. But it is not just him in that family. Toichi spells his given name like this 盗一 . 盗 means "steal, rob, pilfer" according to a dictionary, and 一 means either "one" as in a numerical or "best in".

A funny name for an internationally wanted thief. A pun from the author, but in-world a funny name to chose for your child. My friend and I actually used to joke that there were an entire dynasty of thieves in the Kuroba family and they just liked to make it subtly obvious.

But that is not the only thing. Kuroba is spelt like this 黒羽, where 黒 means "black" and 羽 means "feathers". Funny when the Big Bad's name is Renya Karasuma. Where Karasuma is spelt like 烏丸 where 烏 means "crow, raven" and 丸 means "circle". And Renya is spelt like 蓮耶 where 蓮 means "lotus" and 耶 means "questioning, question mark, interrogative". The question mark is KID's symbol in the ironic "?" "!" exchange that Toichi and Yusaku came up with. Chikage, for the record, is spelt like this 千影 where 千 means "thousand" and 影 means "shadow, silhouette, phantom", but that is neither here nor there. It could be her real given name or she could have changed her name, because what are the odds that the two best thieves in the world come from the same country and happen to be in the same part of a huge city at the same time? (Half-French Kaito, my beloved, but this isn't about that.) If she did change it, it is also a play on the organization. If she didn't her parents maybe wanted an actor and got a thief. Cursed by a name and all. I know this is all over the place, and I am grasping at straws and probably sound like a conspiracy theorist, but that reveal really destroyed me. The Kaitou Corbeau episode was a betrayal, and I can't even think of what Kaito's mental state was like then under the Poker Face. I saw fics where it was actually Chikage who dressed up like that which, coming from a mother, I would consider a form of psychological torture even playing with your child's trauma like that. So if Toichi does wind up being alive, I hope for nothing less than him being the Main Antagonist of the entire series. I know this is unlikely to happen, given how Karasuma's silhouette was drawn as an old man's and Gosho has proven to not be able to write healthy relationships of any kind (from Kogoro and his hitting of Conan and his alcoholic womanizing tendencies to the abandonment of parents being played as a quirk to the jealousy and dysfunctionality between Shinichi and Ran and other couples being shown as "cute" and many other instances), he will probably have Kaito forgive both Toichi and Chikage, but damn... But well, the Kurobas have proven to be masters of disguise and Vermouth doesn't seem to age, so there's that

[moonsunmermaid]

Career Advice for this season .𖥔 ݁ ˖🍁๋࣭ ⭑🍂༘⋆☕️⋆

Disclaimer: Please remember, this is just a general reading from the collective, apply how it might resonate and take in consideration that tarot readings are not 100% real, you have the power to change your life anytime. Also please, regarding any kind of health issues this is no game, go to a doctor, I or spirit will never give you any advice regarding your health in this blog.

1-2-3

These are supposed to be career advices, but for some reason they seem to be very general. If you want to apply to what resonates the most.

Pile 1 - butterflies tattoo

Hi Pile 1, you went through a lot of ups and downs this summer, easy, things are getting ready. I see you were fooled at work with promises that lead only to working way too hard to defend your position. Spirit says it's possible to see all the hard work you endured as preparation, as the transformation and the pressure you needed to become the king of swords you are. Use your words to comunicate your truth you are aleader in your field and never let anyone say otherwise!

As I was writing, Ateez's Turbulence played. in the back I don't know if you are familiar with the song, but it really matches how I think you feel. Don't worry, this time of difficulty and trouble isn't forever.

The advide here is: Everything that comes must go, and your pain is now in the past if you allow it to be. Allow yourself to breathe, you're ready to feel the breeze again. Transform and grow at your own pace.

Pile 2 - I am succesful at everything I do

Pile 2, it is hard to make your dreams come true isn't it? seems funny the quote says "i'm succesful at everything I do" because people tend to believe this comes magically into your life, but you know what it feels to not have a thing and to be left out in the cold, don't you?... though of course there's magic and surprises in life and all your hard work is leading to a magical suprise.

Taylor Swift's Change sounds in the back and this is what I can tell you, your wish is coming true. Your own personailty and your confidence in yourself are the ones who will help you to continue. There's power in being yourself and you are acing it.

The message here, because it's more an encouragement from spirit than actual advice is magic is everywhere and your are atracting the best possible outcome for your situation at work. Your dream is coming true and your guides are making sure it's happening because you are doing it so they are going to remove all the blockages as you go. Get ready because you are at the start line of a new adventure to achieve your dream.

Pile 3 - Euphoria

Strong and ready my pile 3, your message mixes the both other piles, so read them if you also feel inclined to do so.

I see someone siting in her throne and knowing it's worth here in this world, maybe you went through the phases the other two piles went through, or you are going to in this season. I see you are leaving behind a lot of people and situations that weren't as good as they promised, but hey! you were trying!! Right now you know what you don't want, and you have to keep looking for what you want.

Maybe you need to get out and allow yourself to get an icecream or go and get that special coffe you always wanted to taste. Let go and show up for yourself because you're the person you need the most and the one who will love you the most always.

The advice here is simple: Every one of your tears is valuable, every pain you suffer is teaching you something. And what I mean to say is the most important leson you are ever going to recieve is you are love and you deserved to be loved. Give yourself that gift because we all come to this world to learn, but specially and specifically to learn what love feels like when we are separated from source.

[isalabells]

- And we pulled that stupid prank on you. - Wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut. - Yeah, we thought we were so clever. Eva von Braun, right? But you– you just set it aside, and you put your head down and got to work.

FOR ALL MANKIND 1.02 He Built the Saturn V || 3.03 All In

[jarayasha]

Sims 3 kinky pinkies return

[interrogatormentors]

a-ny words of ad-vice for some-one a-bout to be sent off to be-come a helms-man soon?? it was al-ways my dream.... un-til i found out what it tru-ly means - DS

ii'm not goiing two wa2te your tiime wiith condolence2 bc thii2 2hiit ii2 ju2t iineviitable for people liike u2. 2o 2ound2 liike you ju2t deciided two roll over and diie whiich mean2 you've 2ucce22fully 2kiipped over the fiir2t 2tep whiich ii2 enjoy the tiime you have left and pretend iit'2 not happeniing. bc that'2 not goiing two get you anywhere.

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Cry whIIle your lung2 can 2tIIll IInflate--

or ii gue22 you could 2ee iif a hiighblood wiill deiign two hook you up wiith a fake vii2a two the far coloniie2. never met anyone that triied two do that and liive though. once the drone2 arriive that'2 iit. my adviice ii2 two...

--a2 mournIIng the pa2t 2hall be dII2couraged movIIng forward IIn your career a2 a helm2man. DrIInk--

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...eat before you go 2o you can puke or 2ometh a2 one la2t act of rebelliion bc you're goiing two forget your own name iif the programmiing work2 riight.

--plenty of electrolyte2 2o they can fIInd your veIIn2 ea2IIer two make the proce22 a2 paIInle22 a2 po22IIble before you become part of our glorIIou2 EmpIIre

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iidk. ii'm not the be2t per2on two a2k bc ii got out. iit'2 not 2omethiing you can really prepare for.

Not 2ure why you a2ked thII2. II have been here 2o long that my corporeal lIIfe no longer hold2 relevance two me.

[gordonstanheight]

we have to figure out a better way to refer to JV (jacques villeneuve) and JV (james vowles) bc JV and JV is not working for me

[pansoph]

people who are “life coaches” or taking a course to become one: -2000 credibility immediately

[jack-kellys]

i am this close on posting a step by step example of how to direct a scene because some people are really out here interpreting theatrical scripts like they’re a wikipedia page lmao.. you know that words mean different things when they’re said in a certain way or context, or depending on someone’s posture- depending on their scene partner’s posture/presentation? or where they’re even physically standing on stage? like supposedly we’re all “theater kids” right so you must like. know that. right?

but if you don’t know that then that’s cool /gen!! i will genuinely teach you. if you want. as a theater professional adjacent to directors for most of my career. (stage manager. so sometimes i give actors notes. direct from the director. and i’m in rehearsal every day. and talk more to the director than the actors. etc. etc.)

[willowsallen]

counseling 101: the background.

hi everybody! my name is riley, and i'm a substance use counselor. i've worked in both inpatient and outpatient, i've been in this field since i was 19 and have been professionally working for 2 years. i'm currently in grad school for clinical social work, pursuing my lsw and my clinical licensure (lcsw). i wanted to write a guide on what it "means" to be a counselor! i will be discussing the specifics of a substance use counselor in another post. (it will be linked below.)

disclaimer:

do not take this as professional advice for all counselors, therapists, psychologists, or social workers. this is my background, my information, my experiences, and my specific expertise. this will include the basics of schooling, training, certifications, frequently asked questions, and things you might not realize, as it all pertains to me! what works for my patients and i may not work for you, so be mindful this is not a "my way is correct and your therapist is wrong," as i believe in the pct model of meeting everybody where they're at.

even counselors at my exact experience level and education level may do things differently than me, and that's perfectly fine! i just wanted to write this to give some insight if you're interested in writing a character who is a therapist, or who goes to therapy. or if you're just interested in general! i could give reminders upon reminders but i just need to say that this is all my thoughts and path in life! this is not the end all, be all. and with that, let's get started. (if you have further questions or need something clarified, please feel free to reach out but just for clarification: i'm not your therapist, i'm not being paid for this, please don't trauma dump, and always remember i'm a human just like you!)

education:

your education is based a lot on your "experience" (which i'll talk about next) and i know that doesn't make sense but just stick with me! the very basics of what you need is a bachelor's in a "social work" setting. which includes, but is not limited to (because i forget): psychology, social work, sociology, criminology. these are the foundations for your specific field of work! i'll just be talking about counseling in general, or about substance use, as i am unaware of the other jobs / fields you can get with different degrees.

if you're trying to get a "good" job (livable wage) i would suggest getting a master's degree in your field of work. though, i will say, you can get lucky and survive off of your bachelor's (like i currently am!) but i would strongly, strongly encourage further education which will lead into certifications and licensure, and that will cement your place in the field and open up the job field entirely. with a bachelor's, they often want anywhere from 1-5 years of experience. with a master's, many places will take you with 0 years of experience, up to 5 years, depending on your field and what the company wants.

i currently have my bachelor's in psychology. psychology is such a broad degree that unless you're specifically going to be a clinical psychologist or gain your doctorate, i would choose another field. i didn't know i wanted substance use specifically until i was 19, which i'll speak about in experience, but if i did not choose the substance use field, i would most definitely would have had to immediately get a master's and be licensed in order to receive well paying jobs with just a psychology degree.

experience:

you don't need a master's to get a job in this field, but you do need experience (there will be places that take bachelor's with little to no experience, but will pay you next to nothing). the best thing to do is find an internship! i think the easiest way will be through your school, and when you're picking one of the aforementioned degrees, it should be an option when picking out classes - many times, universities have people that specifically work with internships.

when i was getting my bachelor's degree, it was my first semester and i was 19 when i was offered to interview for an internship through my school. i got accepted on the spot and was apart of it even after i got my "credit" for the semester and continued for two years! i worked in houseless shelters in my county and was running daily men and women's groups, 2:1 sessions (2 counselors to 1 resident), debrief sessions with the other interns, and supplying a resource booth for the residents.

without this internship, i truly and wholeheartedly believe i would not have gotten any job in this field. it's a dog-eat-dog out there in the realm of psychology (which includes all those fields above) and i truly got lucky to get my start this way. if you don't have the time, motivation, or money to gain a master's, i would highly suggest getting involved in internships as soon as possible in order to get those years of experience!

certifications:

this has a wide range of things! i can only speak to what i've received, and what i know about. this also includes specific training to the sud field, but i won't go in depth about it until the next post i do! the certification i will always need is my cpr. i know that sounds silly, but working with people, in general, i feel like everybody that is able to should receive their cpr certificate!

now, with a bachelor's, they're not really expecting you to have anything else. but! you can. i currently have my milieu certification. which sounds fancy but it just means i'm certified in "psychotherapy in which the patient's social environment is controlled or manipulated with a view to preventing self-destructive behavior." i could've explained it myself, but google does wonders and makes me sound smart! i got this through my internship. it was required and within the first two weeks, i went through trainings and seminars to receive the certificate.

another thing i can receive with only a bachelor's (that's specific to sud) is my cadc certification. it stands for certified alcohol drug counselor. in order to do this, you'll need supervision hours from a clinical / licensed or otherwise appropriate supervisor or director. once i receive upwards of 300 hours of documented supervision, i can take my cadc exam and become certified. this can also enhance what jobs are available to me because many jobs ask for this certification in place of a clinical license (some don't, but you know... some do!)

currently, i'm working on my master's and may potentially work towards my cadc along the way, but once i receive my master's i can get my caadc, which is certified advanced alcohol drug counselor. it's just more hours and an exam! not sure which path i'll take yet because grad school is killing me, but those are what's offered in my field and what i'm interested in! of course there's other certifications involved, but that's for you to decide.

licenses:

now comes the fun part. again, what license you want or go for is specific to your field. there's a ton of counseling licenses, but the main ones that are down my path are lpc (licensed professional counselor), lsw (licensed social worker), and lcsw (licensed clinical social worker). so let me explain a little bit about each of them, and what i'm personally doing!

lpc: licensed professional counselors "are trained to offer assessment, therapeutic interventions, consultation, program evaluation and follow-up services in a variety of settings including schools, hospitals, community agencies, private practices, religious centers, group homes and more. lpc's can also independently practice counseling, meaning they can establish or join a private practice and directly bill insurance companies or receive cash for counseling services." can: work independently, diagnose mental health conditions, and supervise for clinical hours. this license is primarily for direct mental health care.

lsw: licensed social workers can "render services that rely on a special knowledge of therapeutic techniques, human personalities, and social resources. this includes: helping people become socially adjusted as individuals and members of a family or community, you cannot work independently; you must work in the affiliation of an agency or social work service provider." cannot: work independently or diagnose mental health conditions.

lcsw: licensed clinical social workers "support people through various challenges by providing general counseling services, crisis intervention, mental health therapies, substance use support, and other key services. lcsw's may also supervise the work of lsw's. they may work in schools, hospitals, elderly care facilities, private practices, and even the courtroom—social workers are often called upon as witnesses in court cases. the main thing to remember is that this license gives them freedom and responsibility to make independent decisions about diagnosis and treatment plans." can: work independently, diagnose mental health conditions and supervise for clinical hours.

difference between lpc and lcsw: though both are similar in their ability to work independently, diagnose mental health conditions, and supervise for clinical hours, there is one main distinction between the two. lpc's are more patient focused and lcsw's utilize a patient's entire life. to put it, well... better, i've turned to google! lpc's "focus on helping clients with specific issues, such as mental health diagnoses, substance use, or behavioral issues. they also can specialize in different types of counseling, including substance use or marriage and family counseling." whereas lcsw's "assist their clients with finding and accessing resources that promote a client’s quality of life and may be involved in the legislative process dictating these services. social worker training usually includes counseling techniques and training, best practices, and finding resources for clients."

general overview:

so, with a bachelor's and no cadc or license, what can i do? well! i counsel<3 i speak to my patients about their substance use, i speak to them about their family, i conduct family sessions, i delve into their trauma, i utilize cbt, pct, mi, and grounding techniques. i run daily groups with my caseload, i run bi weekly groups for the entire community, and i initially assess them for proper level of care. i submit asam's, prepare treatment plans and update them weekly, and work with them on their goals while in and outside of treatment. all of this will be spoken about further in my sud counseling guide.

a day-in-the-life timeline looks like: clock in, check any updates / notes on my patients, go to treatment team with the clinical staff / case management / nursing and doctors (which pertains to the level of care my rehab is - you will not always have this, dependent on inpatient or outpatient and other factors), i run my daily group for an hour with my patients, i do group notes for them, i have my lunch, if i have that afternoon group for the whole community i run it, then i fit in any individual sessions or initial assessments that i need, i complete all progress notes for the day, and i clock out. in between, i handle patient crisis', ama's, behavioral issues, and general questions.

modalities:

what are modalities? "modalities are approaches or methods that a therapist will use to help you reach your goals. modalities fall into broad categories, such as cognitive and behavioral, somatic (body awareness), experiential (play or art therapy), and more." these vary by counselor-to-counselor. this is what works for the counselor and the patient and instead of including the quadrillions of therapy modalities, i'll just talk about the ones i use the most! (also side note that i believe most therapists, within reason, should be utilizing pct and mi but... that's a soapbox for another day). i'll be talking more about why i use - these in relation to sud - in my other post.

cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt):

i want to start this off by saying that cbt is very useful in the beginning stages of therapy! oftentimes, people utilize dbt or somatic therapy after they've "accomplished" cbt. i employ cbt due to, more often than not, patients not having a solid foundation for recovery or changing their ways. so what is cbt?

"cbt is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective means of treatment for substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders." in a shorter sense: i use cbt in order to "change" the way somebody thinks.

things that are apart of cbt therapy (and can be incorporated in other forms of therapy) include cognitive distortions, grounding techniques, actively engaging in combatting their automatic negative thoughts (ant's), and encompassing pct and mi in order for the patient to understand why they need to change their thoughts / actions, how they can change them, and the results of changing them. this will go more in depth in my sud post!

patient centered therapy (pct):

pct isn't necessarily for everybody, as many patients may have difficulty even coming up with what their issues are or potential solutions. but by utilizing pct, counselors may be able to support a patient to an "answer" or realization without giving them the answer - i find it beneficial to voice my issues and concerns so i'm able to form my own solution even without my friends saying anything! it's very limited involvement from the counselor as far as "telling them" what's wrong and giving them "choices" to fix it.

"during person-centered therapy, a therapist acts as a compassionate facilitator, listening without judgment and acknowledging the client’s experience without shifting the conversation in another direction. the therapist is there to encourage and support the client without interrupting or interfering with their process of self-discovery, as they uncover what hurts and what is needed to repair it."

pct is really important, in my opinion, because it allows patient the autonomy to make decisions for themselves, while also giving them support. a counselor is supposed to help, not be a brick wall, so as much as the patient is allowed to freely roam through their thoughts and feelings, i've found a nice balance between pct and cbt when the patient may not have a specific answer or understanding for themselves.

motivational interviewing (mi):

"mi is a guiding style of communication, that sits between following (good listening) and directing (giving information and advice). it's designed to empower people to change by drawing out their own meaning, importance and capacity for change. mi is based on a respectful and curious way of being with people that facilitates the natural process of change and honors client autonomy."

when i speak about "guiding" a patient to a different way of thought, or to a "solution", mi is what i'm talking about. my entire approach to counseling is not to give them the answer, because many times they may know the "right" thing to do (stay away from drugs - duh, not explode in anger, not cut people off, etc.) but allowing them this space to speak freely so i can ask them questions for clarification, let them know somebody is listening to them, and building up that therapeutic relationship is the entire point for me.

mi is where the trifecta of these modalities lays. i can utilize cbt in an effort to change their mindset or offer new ideas or "reasons" why they may think / act like that, as well as incorporating pct so that they can come to the realization themselves! it's all about balance and which modality is right for that exact moment, for that patient. it also allows me to be entirely present in the conversation. i often find myself dissociating in my day-to-day life, as many people do, but by using mi, i have to listen in order to ask questions or repeat what they said back to them. it's beneficial to all!

the end:

thank you so much for reading this! i know this was just the basics, but if you want to write a character who's a therapist or who's going to one, i hope this helps beef up that background for you! again, this is specific to me and my sud field, and there's a million other certifications and licenses for general counselors.

substance use disorder counseling post. (will update when post is done).