It’s pretty challenging to get your point across when English is your second language. I remember when I moved to the states a few years ago and was placed in a situation that reminded me of a Romanian saying…I translated it in my head and laughing, said it out loud to my friends in English; [...]
I can see how Christmas -and the holidays in general- can overwhelm us and make us focus entirely on our families and friends. I can see how some celebrate Christmas from a religious perspective, while others celebrate it as a family secular tradition where they have the chance to be with their loved ones, share [...]
For the past month, I caught myself being anxious, breathing fast, and lacking the appetite to eat. I slowed myself down, took deep breaths, and tried to clear my mind in order to make sense of what is going on. Why the anxiousness? After all, this was the last week of my term and I [...]
My Romanian culture defines me. My morals and ethical inclinations are deeply rooted in my native culture, the education I received from my parents, and my past and current experiences. I was raised in an agnostic family where religion played no part, yet the values of truthfulness, reliability, and self-respect were central to my upbringing. [...]
It came from behind to surprise me. STOP! I caught myself in time, otherwise I would have probably panicked… yes, I caught myself. It’s probably one of the few times I’ve been catching myself before getting overwhelmed by life. Deep breaths, long deep breaths… How else can you stop yourself otherwise?
I used to be my worst enemy; a sleepless critic that would watch my every move and ruthlessly beat me down into my own submission. I can’t imagine what my critic would have done during this past week. We got news from my husband’s family that his father is having severe complications following an open [...]
Ever since I started my master’s in counseling I became aware of how important support is in our profession. Not too long ago I wrote an article about the lack of mentoring opportunities for our counseling students; I brought up the fact that students need direction and help from seasoned counselors who know the ins [...]
It’s freezing at 4AM on Christmas eve. I am 4, my sister 8. We are both standing in the cold; she is holding tight to the ration card that would allow us to buy 1 liter of milk, our weekly allowance. The line is curbing behind the store, but luckily we got here early enough [...]
The views expressed here are solely those of the blog authors; they are not necessarily the views of the American Counseling Association.