The doctor is [in]

Our practicum format this term is different than it was in the Fall. While we still continue to meet for two hours a week with the same group of peers and leaders as we did last term, we have an additional component this time around. Added to our practicum agenda is another weekly, two hour meeting in "quads" - we meet with three peers from our practicum group. During this time, we participate in counseling each other. Madness!

Today was my quad's first meeting. How it works is this: we commit to counseling one of the students in that group for the rest of the semester, however, you cannot counsel the person that will counsel you. During our two hours, two pairs of client/counselors have one session each (for 30-40 minutes) and the other two students observe the session and then give feedback to the student who was the counselor. The next week, the other two pairs of client/counselors have one session each and receive feedback. Therefore, it works out that I will counsel the same student six times this term.

Not only was today the first time our quad met, but I actually ended up doing my first session as a counselor as well. It was so terrifying! My Practicum Facilitator put it well: the first few times are like being in a golf lesson and trying to remember all of the things your instructor told you to do when you get up to the tee - straighten your elbow, bend your knees, turn with your shoulders, use your wrists... When you approach the tee, though, it's almost impossible to remember all of that information while trying to actually perform well! I definitely was aware of this while our session was in progress today - I had a million things going through my mind about what I should or should not do, my body language, how awkward it was, what my observers were thinking, and how I was probably a failure of a counselor.

It's just amazing how different it is to talk so conceptually about a therapeutic encounter than to actually experience a therapeutic encounter. This is one of the things I love so much about Mars Hill is how hands-on it is. How better to learn than to just do? Then to get feedback on what you did? What a concept! And not only do we get immediate feedback from our peers during the two hours, but we also are required to record the sessions in which we counsel someone and then playback a part of the session for our one-on-one meetings with our Practicum Facilitators! While, yes, it's absolutely terrifying and humiliating, I can only imagine how wonderfully invaluable this learning process will be.

Another different component of this term's practicum is that we have to counsel someone in front of our big practicum group - about 10 people - twice. And for whatever reason, I volunteered to be one of the first two to do it next week. So I will have a "session" with one of my peers while my entire practicum group observes, and will then give me feedback. It sounds so crazy - and it is!

Jet lag is a beeotch

It's 7:15 and I've already been up for over an hour. I went to bed around 8:30 last night. Time zones are from the devil. So why not make the best of the situation and blog, right?

FYI, my classes for this upcoming semester are as follows:

• First Year Practicum II (meeting with the same leader and group as last semester but with a different format)
• New Testament Genre
• Marriage and Family
• History and Therapeutic Perspectives

Another FYI, I got straight A's in my first semester of grad school - HUZZAH! (Well, two A-minuses but who's counting? You better not be...) Below are a couple of pictures I took from the all-nighter that my roomies and I pulled before our last papers were due:

The picnic that Dana and I set up in my room

The healthy snacks we made to keep us awake (accompanied by several cups of coffee and, later, cereal): apples, cheese, and bananas. Yum!

I am certainly starting off this semester (and this year) with high hopes. High hopes for continued good grades, for keeping my sanity, for learning to better communicate long-distance (especially with T), and for more joy. After all, I am getting married this year!!! You should look at our wedding website - it's coming along: http://kelseyandt.com/

I'm starting this year off feeling encouraged. T and I had a wonderful meeting with our pastor over the Christmas holidays that was really affirming and reassuring. He pointed out that we have come over such a difficult mountain in our relationship because of how difficult graduate school is for the student and how it can take such a toll on a relationship. Tim told us that during his seminary years, he was astounded at the amount of couples that broke up during their first semester of classes. So, it felt really good to actually hear someone say, "What you guys are doing is hard - really hard. But you've passed through one of the toughest parts." To hear someone acknowledge our challenges as being great (because they certainly felt that way) was comforting. I feel so much more at peace starting this semester because I know that we have done it once; I feel more prepared and more at ease. But I am certainly counting the days till the wedding!

So, maybe jet-lag isn't such a beeotch. Although I think I'd rather be sleeping right now, I've been able to lay in bed and reflect on what the past semester has meant and what the next one promises to bring. There is no way of knowing much because my expectations for last semester were twisted and reshaped, but just to have the expectation of something great, something hopeful, is enough.

One for Christmas!

So, I took pictures before Christmas of our house and the MHGS Christmas party that I have yet to post. I figured Jan. 1st, 2010 was the perfect day to do it - starting the new year off right!

Pretty outfit after getting ready in the bathroom (note: I have a sweet feathery thing in my hair, but it's hard to see).

Part of a set of Christmas cards for sale at the art auction at the MHGS Christmas Party ("You must be shorter than my hand to ride the Heaven Funland Kiddie coaster...No sneaking in on your knees you two! You can't fool me, after all, I am Jesus!")

MHGS lobby decorated for Christmas!

You can't see very much - but the sound is great! MHGS hired the same Starbucks quartet to sing at the party that I posted about a few months ago! They rocked it

This one is for you, Dad! See if you can recognize the song.

The nativity set on the hutch in our living room at the House of Love.

Our Seattle-style Christmas tree! Natalie is so smart - it's a gathered set of branches in a big flower pot with lights and ornaments. So what if it looks like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree? It's awesome!