June: Celebrating Wins: Small Victories in Counselling Work

Halfway through the year is an excellent point to take stock of our practice, both of what we have achieved so far and what we have planned going forward. It is easy to focus on the challenges of counselling with stresses such as finding clients or knowing where to turn with our concerns, however, celebrating our achievements keeps our motivation high and fosters our resilience. In a profession where we endeavour to guide others to positive lasting change, it is strange that we so often miss those small accomplishments that we would celebrate for others, often not even noticing successes as just that.

Reflect on positive outcomes

There are many opportunities for us to recognise our good work, to think about what has gone well, or celebrate what we have achieved, unfortunately, this does not come naturally for most of us, as we rally against the voice in our head telling us not to get too big for our boots but, how good does it feel to note our clients’ small and large successes when we see them making progress, when we develop our learning by gaining an understanding of a new concept, or even when we think about our personal milestones, such as running that 5K or learning to cross stitch.

Gratitude & associated practices

Gratitude is an important part of mental wellbeing, as it strengthens our resilience and boosts our general outlook. By taking time to acknowledge and appreciate our efforts, we are confirming ourselves as worthwhile. This gives us the opportunity to feel pride in our work and achievements; another chance to that recognising a job well done is not akin to conceit or smugness. This is not a stance we would take with our clients, and yet, so often we are our own anti-cheerleaders.

Along with gratitude, taking pride in our work and celebrating our wins help us to track our progress. By not just saying ‘I am grateful for…’ but also ‘I have done well at…’ we are able to see ourselves as more fully, using these successes to continue to move forward and develop.

Share with colleagues

Taking the time to highlight our achievements opens us up to the opportunity to invite comment from our peers. This can feel daunting, no one wants to be vulnerable, and yet we have mastered this art through every check-in and -out during our training, every skills session and supervision. We regularly share our difficult and uncomfortable feelings in these situations and yet continue to apologise when things are going well for us instead of seeing these achievements as a chance to inspire our peers and reinforce a supportive professional network.

Conclusion

The BCN was started because counselling can be a lonely field, we don’t have colleagues to cheer us on because our work is private and others may not even be aware of what we have been doing in our room, helping a client face trauma or put themselves first. So, we are here to say, Bravo, we didn’t see what you did and we know you did it. Imagine the next cup of tea you have is from us as a reward, you know what for.

And why not share one of your recent ‘wins’ from your work from this season in the Facebook group?

If you would like to engage in our local community, feel free to follow our Facebook Page or join us on our Facebook group, maybe you could share a step you’re taking to renew your professional energy.