In this week’s Co-counseling journal entry I wanted to write down my thoughts about beginning the role of the co-counselor. So far we’ve been having listening exchanges with the person I’ve had journal entries earlier. I want to keep working with one person to see how much more understanding I can gain about the process by building on what we have talked last time, even if she chooses to talk about something different. I keep picking up little comments she makes about certain parts of her life and they’re becoming recurring without me having to bring them up. Now that we’ve moved up the time to about 7 minutes per turn I get to see a greater comfortableness between us but at the same time I can still see her trying to seek validation in the things she talks about. I want to continue listening but most importantly I want her to continue talking without having to worry if I am bored or disinterested. I try to look more engaged but after the session I alluded to the general principles of co-counseling and that she should say things that she wants to say instead perhaps what I would like to listen to.

I’m reading the chapters assigned for this week and I am really curious to finish the book and gain a greater insight on contradiction and how to go about it I suppose. It was easier for me to listen as a peer instead of just a psychotherapist and I think partially was because I was holding her hand, breaking that professional space into something more personal and welcoming. Most of the times when I am reading Kauffman and New’s book she is next to me and I get to share some thoughts of mine or from the book and we get to discuss them, so she is somewhat familiar with the practice outside from what I told her before each session. I am looking forward to the next couple of sessions and exploring more the discharge process and re-evaluating the distress recordings. I must say one thing that I am finding to be essential in this practice is patience!