High School REACT

The past is always with us. Time is not a line that moves from point A to point B. It is not a linear movement through one end of a maze to the other. The past is not something to move away from or that we leave behind. Rather, it is something we grow from. It is always with us this way. We are always connected to our past. It is nutrients in the soil that enable our growth, and eventual blossoming.  What makes all the difference is knowledge that we are not confined to our patterns and habits of the past. With growth, our movement is no longer constricted to the muscle memory conditioned by past experiences however recently they may be. Growth promises us this freedom of movement. It may feel like a new way of walking, and so much so that we doubt our ability. Before we can even realize there is growth, so much depends on our belief that growth has occurred at all which make possible those first few steps.  What makes all the difference is Trusting that things hoped for can a...

In my humble opinion...neither is it the job of the counselor to "plant seeds." Just as the healing does not come from us counselors, the seeds of growth don't come from us. As counselors, we are not the sower of seeds. We are not the bringer of photosynthesis that accounts for growth and healing. Then what is it that we do for clients? What we do is we provide a safe environment, rich soil free from elements that would otherwise prevent a seed from sprouting and producing any fruit. As counselors, we have control over whether the space we provide our clients is a safe and nurturing one no matter who it is seeking help at our door and no matter the nature of their suffering. "Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldy anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit." (Mark 4:18-9) "Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked i...

To the things we know now that we wished we had known years ago, the feelings that come up could be challenging and we could end up stuck in bewildered thoughts of self-pity. "How could I have been so blind." As though self-optimization were possible and that every minute of every day is within our control.. Yes, I have been led to believe this and to look at the past with such ingratitude. In response to my bewilderment over being so "late" to realize what work I "should have" done years ago, a good friend sent me this very helpful meme:  "You're not too late. You're just aligned with a future that takes time to build."

"There is a difference between knowing and recognizing. In essence, this difference makes us understand that we can know various things about a person, form an idea, rely on what others say about that person, we might perhaps meet that person every now and then in the neighbourhood; but all that is not enough. This is a knowledge, I would say ordinary, superficial, that does not recognise the uniqueness of the person. We all run this risk: we think we know so much about a person, even worse, we use labels and close the person within our own prejudices. (…) And here, we enter into the true crux of the problem: when we allow the convenience of habit and the dictatorship of prejudice to have the upper hand, it is difficult to open ourselves to what is new and allow ourselves to be amazed. We control: through attitudes, through prejudices… It often happens in life that we seek from our experiences and even from people only what conforms to our own ideas and ways of thinking so as neve...