Today I finished my Level 2 (Concepts of Counselling) Course – which is basically an introduction into the integrative model of counselling. A dip in the water of what counselling is and what it should.
Before undertaking the course, I thought it was to give advice and help people fix their problems. It’s not! Counselling is a process and a journey where you provide a safe environment for someone to talk through their problems, and help bring about change from within. Helping them understand where they are and the steps they might take to change.
Oh and the biggest thing is listening and I mean the kind of listening where you are hearing nothing but the other persons voice, being with them constantly and not letting your attention drift. It sounds easy but holy moly, its not!
When you are listening to someone normally you interject with your own ‘stuff’ and think over what you are feeling or going to say. This may come across as if I am self-centered, but I find I am in a constant battle to keep my attention on the other person. Which really shouldn’t be as hard for me. My whole acting training in the Meisner technique is about putting your attention on the other person, in that case the other actor. However, I have really struggled with actively listening to the other person. Something to work on…
So as it stands I am moving onto my Level 3 and the first year of a three-year course in counselling.
For me it means, I have three years to have been in something ‘big’ within my acting career, enough to keep it as my career goal. Or diversify and be a counsellor for a while.
Acting is my passion and one that I hope materializes out from my dreams into reality. I know so many girls are probably writing the same sentence but I am not willing to put my whole life on hold waiting for my chance. For now my timeline is set and in the next three years, who knows what will happen.
Lets see where my footsteps go …
