week 20, post 1: the ministry

I'm not just here to play. I care deeply about my work. It isn't easy to write about it here -- confidentiality concerns, etc. But it is the heart of the reason I'm here. My adventures with "Cajunization" are part and parcel of the work. Appreciation of and enjoyment of the culture is essential to any counseling process. But here is a little summary of where I am now:
I have an active counseling caseload of about 16 cases or so. None have terminated so far; one is inactive. So I'm seeing about 7-8 people per week -- terrible performance when judged against clinical office standards. But I'm moving about a lot -- many house calls -- so this is not too bad. I'm also active at marketing our services, consulting and supervising casework, building teamwork and an institution, educating volunteers. So I'm staying busy. My typical workday is from 9 to 9. Some examples of my cases include: a middle-aged man with lifelong clinical depression who is going through a divorce. The family of a 7-year old boy who was traumatized by the flooding. A woman who was traumatized by medical problems as a child, and has consequent anxiety issues. A blending family with long term stresses over parenting. A pre-teen who has ADD/HD and is being bullied at school.
I love this work, wherever I'm doing it. Whenever people ask me about how it's going I say, "It's tough. And it's going very well." Both are true. I continue to need your prayers and support. Thank you so much. Peace, Warren