Cutest. Party. Ever.
My cake + cupcakes turned out GORGEOUS and were actually enough to feed everyone! 🙌🏼
We had a DELICIOUS street taco bar for my grad party! Fiesta! 🎉
Even my puppy had a good time!
I got a massage, mani + pedi, and my hair cut and styled the day of! It was super relaxing and special. I loved every bit of it.
Finished product!
Guess who graduates in THREE DAYS? 👊 That’s right! This girl right here! 🌻
Never did I imagine people would be coming to ME asking questions about getting their degree or careers in counseling! I’m “little ole nobody.”
Right?
You’ve probably said it before. I did.
Week after week.
Month after month.
Until finally I decided to ignore or better yet reframe those negative thoughts to something positive!
I AM ME.
I AM STRONG.
IT WILL BE TOUGH, BUT SO AM I.
I CAN DO THIS.
Ever since I decided to get out of MY OWN WAY, nothing has stopped me.
Some days have been harder than others, but every. single. one of them have been worth it to get to this point.
This is the point in my life where I show that insecure, doubting girl from 2.5 years ago that SHE DID IT! 🎉
Living with Anxiety
Anxiety is an issue faced by nearly every client I treat. Seldom will I meet with someone who doesn’t identify any struggles with anxiety at all. Key points were when it stated anxiety can be a lifelong phenomenon, but that’s OK! The author speaks about the role of family and the community in the client’s life as well and how a support system and routine can be helpful. Part of a counselor’s job is to educate clients and then help them develop coping skills to utilize for the anxiety.
The bulk of this article focused on the coping skills themselves:
The author reminded counselors to be up to date on their knowledge of anti-anxiety medications as some clients will choose to use them. It can be part of our role to help with educate, stigma busting, and also helping the client cope with their own comfort with the medicine. It is also important to know if a client is on meds so you, the counselor, can keep an eye on the dosage. No, you are NOT a medical personal nor are you a prescriber, but you should have a general understanding of how they work and can refer them back to their doctor as needed or work with them more on coping skills if symptoms seem to be increasing.
Lastly, remember that the person in front of you is that, a person. Ultimately, what most matters is their presenting problem and how the two of you can develop and utilize a recovery plan to accomplish their goals.
Bray, B. (2017) Living with anxiety. Counseling Today, 59(12).
Greetings all, my name is Tana. I am the creator and curator of the Compos Mentis Counseling page. I am a graduate student just shy of completing my Masters in Counseling. I’m addition to my school work, I work full time at a community mental health agency and I am a big on family life. I live in Texas so if you follow my blog, you will see some y’all’s, Bless Your Heart, and a lot of referencing sweet tea.
My career intentions are to obtain my LPC and practice in a mental health setting. Having worked at a mental health agency, in different capacities, for nearly four years now, I love my agency setting. However, I am open to where my journey takes me in my counseling work.
Compos Mentis comes from interpretation of my theoretical background, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). If CBT had to be summarized to its most important component, I would argue learning to control one’s thoughts (which in turn controls their feelings and behaviors) is the most vital piece.
Compos Mentis (see Origin Post) loosely translates to of sound mind or master of the mind. It is this idea that I bring to my webpage.
To learn more about my journey or to get up to date news about current mental health issues, please consider following my page.
❤️T
