Скачать или смотреть Zac Grisham, MS, LPC-S

[As transcribed by Alex Carland]
Zac Grisham
WHAT PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES HELP MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL?
One of the personal attributes that make me successful is my flexibility, my ability to see things from multiple points of view, the ability to emphasis with my clients and the ability to not take these problems home. We are dealing with some significant issues and if you personalize it too much you are going to burn out. The ability to be there, be present with the client, the trial, the moment and be able to go home and be present for your child and wife.
WHATS A NORMAL DAY LIKE?
A normal day for me in private practice is.. Everyday is different. My schedule is different everyday. I can work when I want to but the downside to that is you don't get paid. I would say the normal day for me is I wake up , play with my child, help my wife get out the door, check my calendar see what time I have to get up for clients. Sometimes I have clients from 8-8, sometimes from 12-8, sometimes just in the morning, sometimes just in the evening. That's just the way it is for me right now. I probably work 40-50 hours a week. There really is no normal day. Once I come to the office I'm here doing something 24/7. I'm either attending to clients, scheduling, answering emails, trying to email people about marketing opportunities, finding ways to advertise myself and the practice here. So there is just always something to do. There is never a dull moment.
WHAT'S THE HARDEST PART OF YOUR JOB?
The hardest part of my job, I would say is self care. As a counselor being able to take care of yourself when you are attending and being present for so many difficult situations, difficult diagnosis that you are dealing with. Being able to take care of yourself is something that you really have to be intentional about. It is difficult to find time . Sometimes you will get in the habit, the day to day routine and forget to take care of yourself. I think that is something every counselor needs to be aware of.
DESCRIBE A TOUGH CASE AND HOW YOU HANDLED IT?
Wow, there ar so many different types of tough cases. I have dealt with many different children, adolescence, teenagers that have presented with suicidal ideation. We have to access if this is a significant threat, clear and present danger to them or not. When I handle that I have to do my best to make sure that I am bringing in all the resources possible. If that means i have to refer them to an inpatient facility then that is what I have to do. Another touch case, these days we are dealing with a lot of high conflict divorces. Dealing with two parents who do not see eye to eye, that have difficulty collaborating and parenting their child is very difficult. For me I have to check my own bias, make sure I am not aligning with one parent over the other, make sure that I am very careful about what I say since it can be used in court. I try to be there and present as an outside resource that is neutral to help the child because that is who my client is. Those are always really though cases.
WHATS THE BEST PART ABOUT WHAT YOU DO?
The best part about what i do is the relationships. The relationships with my coworkers, with parents of children that come in and with the children. Getting to see them grow. A lot of times in therapy things will go well and then you check in with a child and it seems like they've grown up out of nowhere. Weather it is significant or insignificant to be a part of the child's life is extremely rewarding.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE?
What advice do I have for students? I am trying to think back to when I was in Grad School, what I would like to hear. Being in private practice there is a business aspect to this. You have to learn to be comfortable with yourself, confident. Be able to market yourself. I always told myself in the beginning to fake it to you make it. Even though you are new and a beginner, realize that you are a professional. To many people you are an expert and a resource they are using to help themselves. You have to continue to help yourself and tell yourself that you are a professional, an expert and have a lot to offer. Making sure you don't drown and keep your head above water. Another thing that would help me when I was getting into the field is realizing I am not going to fix every problem. If I can help a child grow 2%, 5%, if I can help with a difficult situation... I'm not going to be able to save them. It is not my job to be a super hero, it is my job to be here for them. That is something that I struggled with in the beginning. I saw something I thought was wrong and wanted to get in there to fix that problem. Sometimes that is going to overstep bounds and you are not going to be able to be as good of a counselor as you would like because maybe the parents won't want to bring them to counseling anymore. You have got to learn that you are an expert, a professional, but you are human too.

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