Part 1:
Report on either Exercise 7.4 Grief Therapy or Exercise 7.5 Spirituality answering the questions from page 179 (see page 179,
Exercise 7.4 Grief Therapy and Exercise 7.5 Spirituality as the last two sections on page 179) (5 pts). ~~ Respond to 2 other classmates’ postings for full credit. Response credit follows Discussion rubric available on Canvas. Remember: 1) The discussion deadline for all initial discussion posts and response posts is 11:59p CT on the Sunday that marks the end of each class week (see syllabus for discussion deadlines). 2) You must respond meaningfully (no simple “I agree” replies) to 2 classmates for full credit on discussion posts (3 pts for the original post, 1 pt each response to the discussions).
6-10 paragraphs
Remember:
1) The discussion deadline for all initial discussion posts
and response posts is 11:59p CT on the Sunday that marks the end of each class week (see syllabus for discussion deadlines).
2) You must respond meaningfully (no simple “I agree” replies) to 2 classmates for full credit on discussion posts (3 pts for the original post, 1 pt each for each response to the discussions).
3) Also remember that the Rubric for Online Discussion Posting (in the Files section of this course) deducts points for discussion or response postings late in the timeline for the week’s discussion assignment as last day/last hour postings restrict other student’s opportunity to read and respond to your posting, or to read your responses to their postings. As discussions are most beneficial when the discussants are able to interact in the discussion, I am using the Discussion Rubric to engender a greater opportunity for them to do so. So please be aware that posting within 12 hours of the discussion deadline will deduct 33% of the available points and posting within 4 hours of the deadline will cost from 66%-90% of the available points.
4) No discussion or response points will be gained if the discussion post, or the response posts are after the discussion deadline.
Part 2: Respond to two other students’ response.
Student #1 response:
Exercise 7.4 Grief Therapy
This was an uncomfortable section to read as I feel I am in this place right now. I am mourning the apparent loss of two significant friendships.
Recently, I have experienced anxiety in both of these situations, wanting to find a resolution, but knowing that I cannot control the wishes or behaviors of others. There has been a lot of self-doubt as well as ruminating and wondering “what if?” I have created narratives on both ends of the spectrum of a happy outcome and a disastrous outcome.
There are so many “messages” that could speak to my anxiety and grief as well as how to approach these situations for a positive outcome. It can be confusing and frustrating as they are all over the spectrum and not necessarily helpful.
However, I actually had this thought earlier, how would I counsel someone in my shoes? I think ultimately is to understand that situations can change, so never close the door to the future. Because of that, I think a person (myself in this case) should guard against false hope while recognizing that sadness of loss. Fight acting out in a way that makes things worse. Don’t seek revenge toward a person. Don’t seek coping or medicating through unwise or bad behaviors. Feel it. Grieve it. Leave an opening for reconciliation in the future, but knowing it may never come. There’s also a need to own my part of the conflict. I should make peace with myself over those actions and forgive myself. I should write a letter or inventory of the friendships, acknowledging their great value and the sadness of their great loss.
Student 2 response:
A weakness is that I do not know much about spirituality, but a strength is that I do have a strong desire and the curiosity to learn more about it. I do believe that my curiosity to gather information in my daily life will be helpful in terms of future work in whatever work environment and population I will work with. Strength – I like being prepared, having a variety of info, and I don’t like leaving things unfinished, so I think I can draw on that to focus on a client situation on spirituality. Really get deep into a specific topic or so, though hopefully I don’t get to zone into one area that I lack balance with other tasks such as my health or with other areas of spirituality which is a weakness. It depends on the specific topic and my level of interest in it (a little bit of interest, a lot of interest, etc.) which would influence my level of knowledge in an area of spirituality. Another weakness is that even if I do expand my knowledge on the topic, there is that slight worry in the back of my mind that I may still feel that I don’t know enough to be able to connect with my client – that there will be a feeling of inadequacy I suppose. Though, hopefully with time and with steadily learning more, this worry will lessen. Yet another strength is my religion I suppose. Religions vary and it’s different yet also similar to spirituality in that there can be shared values. Those values such as empathy, hope, compassion, and gratitude can be helpful for myself and with working with clients. It could help the client feel hopeful about their situation and help me stay encouraged in my role in helping them and also my job as a counselor. Counseling can be hard on a person, especially with certain work environments and cases. Having compassion for yourself, especially when things don’t go as one would like is important. A lot of values emphasized in religions can be seen in counselors and even expected from them (e.g. empathy, respect).
When it comes to reducing the impact of my weaknesses, I could develop some kind of outline and plan of study for spirituality. That way I could decrease the feelings of being overwhelmed while also being able to steadily improve my awareness and knowledge in spirituality which would then lead to an increase of self-confidence in this area as well as my overall ability to aid clients. Another thing I can do is work on my own spirituality as self-awareness is important as a counselor. It would also help me better understand spirituality overall and be able to understand others with their journey in spirituality as well. If you have experience in something, it can help you better understand it and connect with those who have similar experiences and struggles too. Also there is the whole practice what you preach kind of thing here too.
