bhadmin, Author at Soul Song Counseling

How To Pick an LPC Supervisor

If you are thinking about becoming a licensed professional counselor, this blog is for you! Further, you will read about the best way you can choose an LPC supervisor and what qualities make them the best fit for you!

It’s kind of like choosing your own therapist, really.

Did you know that the most important key to success is the therapeutic relation? There is research proving that if you want to succeed in therapy, your supervisory relationship should be the best it can be for you. And, since LPC supervision is a required part of the licensure process in Colorado, it’s pretty crucial to work with someone you like and gain value from. In fact – as of this writing, Colorado now requires 2,000 hours of counseling (with 1500 to be under direct supervision.)

That’s a lot!

The following tips will be very helpful when you learning how to pick an LPC supervisor to train with:

Relation: You want to find somebody you can relate with in a lot of aspects, especially in the age group they are specialized in.
High Skills: Somebody who has great counseling, listening and appraisal skills.
Experience: Many years of counseling and teaching would be the ideal.
Effective: They must be effective teachers and know what they’re doing. They need to also have a method for the process.
Ethics: Setting a great example and being above reproach is a must! They NEED to be familiar with the LPC licensure requirements.
Vibes: Does this supervisor give you good or bad vibes? I hope they’re good!
Credentials: Check their info! Make sure everything is in check and also make sure they are trained in supervision.
Red flags: Look for any red flags (signals of danger of issues). Make sure YOU feel safe with the supervisor you choose and know what you can disclose to them.
Published: Find out if they have been published and recognized.
Group vs. Individual: While group supervision is affordable, individual includes greater privacy. So it’s up to you. Make sure you know though that the LPC supervisor your choosing fits this aspect to your needs.

Your experience as a student and learner needs to be the best it can be and for that you need the most well-developed and comprehensive LPC supervisor you can get.

This will allow you to review cases related issues effectively while receiving supervisor feedback. Fellow supervisees will also provide feedback and all of this will provide the connection of the theoretical part of a classroom to the practical world in a therapy office. But also keep in mind that this process has the same importance for learning as the lessons learned outside of supervision with others. Reading and sharing books/journal articles is part of the process.

I hope this was helpful for you in learning how to pick an LPC supervisor and we wish you good luck with your counseling journey! Curious about our programs? Click here!

Postpartum Depression

Real Postpartum Healing Stories

Postpartum depression is real. So real in fact it affects nearly 10-20% of new mothers. If you are experiencing these feelings, Soul Song Counseling is here for you.

You are not alone. Here are two relatable stories from real women who have suffered from postpartum and how they used their journeys on the road to recovery. ** names have been changed

Sarah’s Story

“The day after Vivian was born, I developed severe anxiety. I started to worry that I wouldn’t hear her if she needed me. I tried to sleep with my hearing aids in, but I woke to every sound and got very little rest. The lack of sleep only magnified my anxiety.

I became very sad at the hospital. Again, I had difficulty breastfeeding, which made me feel like less of a woman and an unworthy mother. I was unable to feed my child. I felt overwhelmed and helpless.

When we brought Vivian home, the stress got worse. I quit taking care of myself. I didn’t feel worthy – in my mind, taking care of myself meant taking time away from Vivian. I wasn’t eating or drinking enough water, which meant my body wasn’t making breastmilk. I fretted about Vivian’s nutrition. I was crying more than I wasn’t.

At the end of our second week home, my husband called my obstetrician, and described my symptoms. She wrote me a prescription for an antidepressant and directed me to start taking it that day.As soon as I started taking the medicine, I began to feel better. Dr. Santiago-Munoz confirmed that I had postpartum depression during my next appointment. She also assured me that I would be fine.

I took the medication for a year and I was able to find joy in life and take care of myself and my kids again. I felt so out of control with the postpartum depression, but the medication really helped me feel like myself again.

Postpartum depression is not something you just “snap out of” or deal with. It is a real problem with serious consequences if you don’t get the help you need. You are not a failure, you are not unworthy. Get the help you need – it’s the best way to care for your baby, your partner, and yourself.”

Sarah expressed that her postpartum experience “enhanced” her life and taught her how to enjoy her children and their company.

Janet’s Story

“Janet is a 32-year-old fit, vibrant lawyer. She had been married for more than two years and was expecting her first child, a baby boy. She had a history of depression and generalized anxiety disorder.

She had been doing well with a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for many years. Janet had decided that she wanted to be off medication and worked with her psychiatrist. She gave birth to a baby boy. After the delivery, she started to feel sad, overwhelmed and consistently tearful. She frequently felt irritable and on edge. This feeling persisted for the first 10 weeks after the baby was born.

Janet felt utterly incapable of soothing her baby and would get frustrated and tearful. She felt that it was a constant race against the clock—with nursing, pumping and changing. Her husband tried to be supportive, but also felt overwhelmed by it all. He felt she was inconsolable and they both felt at a loss.

They went to see Janet’s psychiatrist as a couple and to get advice regarding her current mental state. They talked about a variety of tools, including CBT, incorporating 15-20 minutes of daily relaxation, mindfulness skills, hiring help, getting her mom to stay with her for a few weeks and other support.

Janet and her husband shared with her psychiatrist that they were feeling significantly better. They were excited to share that they found a series of self-help parenting books to be particularly helpful and had gotten some helpful tips from others in the mom’s group.”

These two stories shared by two real women highlight how postpartum affects mothers, no matter their history.

It also highlights multiple ways you can learn to cope with postpartum and how to start your journey down the path to healing! For more advice, tips, or information on how to heal or where to start, schedule a consultation today.