Have you ever wondered what a typical day is like for a counselor working in a community agency? I clearly recall my tenure as a full-time counselor in a residential substance abuse facility. Here is a typical afternoon:
12:55pm: Finally got through my mail. I stamp everything requiring my signature (my hand would fall off if I didn’t use a signature stamp) and put it in a pile to go back to the clients. I use the remaining 5 minutes to prepare for my first individual session of the day. This is my favorite part of the job.
12:57pm: I realize I forgot to eat. Hurry to microwave to heat food, and try to eat it before client shows up (sometimes they are a few minutes late).
1:05pm: Start my individual session with my client. Here is the heart and soul of my job. These clients are so raw, they have had such a hard life and lived through things we barely imagine. Yet, here they are sitting in front of me, functional. A lot of my time with clients is spent normalizing, that is, assuring them that most people would turn to alcohol or drugs to cope with a situation like theirs. Of course it isn’t the best solution, and a major part of my job is helping the client find ways to cope that don’t involve substances. But sometimes through normalization alone, with a professional person sitting across from them who doesn’t judge or condemn, you can see the light go back on in their eyes. It is these moments I live for, and make all of the rest of the job (paperwork, chaos, etc.) worth it.
2:45pm: Just finishing with the paperwork for this client. I have to write detailed notes after each session, and they have to follow a particular format. All in all, there are about 15 separate paperwork deadlines I have to meet per client. I must also track their progress through their treatment plan, and keep that plan updated.
2:45pm: The telephone is ringing, and I am asked by the other counselor to answer it. (It seems the techs are busy giving drug tests or whatnot.) I put down my paperwork and take a message. Now I have to make sure I remember to deliver this message in a timely manner, so I place it on top of the papers that go back to the clients.
4:20pm: One of the techs calls to inform me I no longer need to answer the agency’s phone, but I have a new client. I am allowed a 24 hour window to do an intake on new clients, but since my day is full tomorrow I decide to do it now. Plus, I think it helps significantly reduce the clients’ anxiety level if they can talk to a counselor as soon as possible. (If I had prior notice I could have scheduled time for an intake, but that doesn’t always happen.) First I have to get her folder and make sure all of the papers I need are in there. They aren’t, so I spend about 20 minutes or so getting the folder together, then I go and look for the client. I find her, and introduce myself. This is my other favorite part of the job. All clients are relieved to talk to their counselor, but this is especially true for new clients. They are anxious and nervous, and part of my job is to help them relax and learn to fit in.
6:05pm: I finish my intake with the client. I now have to write up a summary, create a treatment plan, put all of her deadline dates into my calendar. Although there is a mountain of paperwork with this job, one great thing about my position is that I can decide how and when it gets done. I have the freedom and flexibility to set up any system I wish, and I can choose to stay late or do it tomorrow. There isn’t someone standing over me telling me what hours I have to work.
6:45pm: I postpone what I can and leave for home.
As you can see, this agency, as well as most agencies, have complicated and onerous paperwork requirements. But just being organized isn’t enough. In working with the most troubled persons, one thing you can always count on is chaos. So you have to be organized, but also flexible. As I reflect on my post, I can see that most of my writing was about paperwork requirements rather than actual client contact. But that’s what my day was like.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Barb LoFrisco
Also check:
• https://mastersincounseling.org/counseling/oops-3-common-blunders-every-new-counselor-makes/
• https://mastersincounseling.org/counseling/counselor-typical-day/
• https://mastersincounseling.org/counseling/internships-and-salaries-what-you-need-to-know/
