It has been some time, friends. Quite some time. And mooost of it has been spent at work on the behavioral health unit, especially since December. And yet, here I am, updating my site. What makes today different?
For starters, we have a full staff again, so I’m working a “regular” hospital schedule once more. This means I’m not spending all day every day there, and I am now somehow awake enough to type a sentence that doesn’t begin with “Patient is” or “Patient reports”. It also means that I have the time in the day for it again, too; I value my family time, and during that period, it was either spend time with my family or tend to things that are ancillary to my non-hospital endeavors. I didn’t even bother trying to schedule a private client for at least 3 months, because I knew there was no way I could see them consistently. And lastly, there is space in my brain for critical thought outside of Patient care, which is not something I have excelled at, lately (ask my wife; she’ll be glad to tell you).
So that’s where I’ve been. Where am I going?
Well, I’m happy to announce that, as of today, I have been approved for my LPC. You may remember when I got my ALC. The ALC was pretty much an LPC with training wheels. So, an ALC requires that one have a supervisor. Mine is/was the INCREDIBLE Roxanne Wysock, with whom I met once a week for at least an hour of guidance about counseling, career, and general personal growth. Once you have a supervisor, you then have to work 2,250 of direct contact hours – which is direct, focused interaction with patients/clients – and 750 indirect hours – think paperwork, arranging follow-up care from the hospital, documentation, etc. Thanks to the way things worked out at the hospital, I was able to work significantly more hours than normal (my wife is a saint), which hastened this whole process considerably. Now, all that’s left is to wait on the physical license in the mail. But I’m done, and just in time for spring break with my wonderful teacher wife!