JG Gillis Counselling

  Perhaps it is a function of the busyness of life that I've not written on this blog for over 4 months! Oh well, I find myself up early this morning (not a morning person, but I'm 65, so ... whatever.) And I've been doing a lot of thinking the last couple of days. Last fall, I spoke at the annual conference of the local Alzheimer Society on honouring emotions in dementia with grace. That presentation went over very well, even if I had to rush through it a bit to stay on schedule. (Lesson learned.) Anyway, when the (national) Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association reached out for ideas on session topics/content last December, I followed the urging of my therapist and sent in a summary of my presentation. I didn't hear from them for days, weeks, and months. I assumed that they were not interested. I was even considering not going, and even moreso when they sent out a general email saying that it was "sold out"! Then, 2 days ago, I got an email from...

Transitions - even nice ones - are hard. Just ask any mother who has ever given birth... the term "transition" is considered a stage of labour during which the cervix has dilated and the mother switches from breathing to get through the pain to pushing along WITH the pain. And yes, it's painful, very much so. And yet, it is also purposeful.  Transitions happen frequently. The only constant, it's been said, is CHANGE - and some of us have more difficulty with it. Including me.  For me, it's kind of like when a baby bird has been in the nest, a source of care, food, and comfort, growing the whole time, growing bigger, growing feathers, and all of a sudden, it comes time to leave that nest and embrace the skies.  Scary!  And yet ... it is exhilarating. The first realization that the air is holding up the bird's body, buoying up under its wings, must be a source of incredible joy. And yet, it is different - and carries responsibility for self-care, depending on it...

  What an ordeal the last few hours has been! First I discover that my WordPress site at judygilliscounselling.wordpress.com is inaccessible to me, then I discover that I cannot report this fact to them without logging into my wordpress account, which I cannot do. Anyway, you'll note some of my archived information in my previous post. :) Since the last time I posted, in the summer of this year, much has changed and I wanted to update my readers, if they ever find me (LOL).  I'm now almost a year into private practice. I wrote my entrance exam to the PEI College of Counselling Therapists on October 27, 2022, and I am awaiting the results. Passing the exam means that I will be able to become a member of the College (like the College of Physicians and Surgeons, only for Master's level counsellors!) and use the title, "Counselling Therapist." It also means that more health insurance companies would be covering my services for those with such plans. So if all goes wel...