Graduation season

We walk out of a meeting with the American Counseling Association still laughing, then immediately crash into the emotional whiplash of the end of the semester. Graduation season in counselor education is a strange mix of pride, fatigue, and real tenderness. We talk honestly about pinning, commencement, and those tiny student thank you notes that end up living on our desks for years because they quietly prove the work mattered. 

From there, the conversation turns to the stuff grad school rarely teaches: how to build a sustainable counseling career. We get into financial literacy for counselors, private practice realities, marketing without feeling gross, burnout, cybersecurity, retirement planning, and why “meaningful work” still has to pay the bills. That thread connects to our book Mind Your Business, because so many clinicians end up learning business basics at 2 a.m. while panic-googling tax questions. 

We also zoom back into the therapy room and the classroom. We share the kinds of client moments that stay with you for decades, how real rapport forms, and why good counseling is more than sounding like a textbook. Then we laugh about the day a student demo got a little too real and reminded us that the best trainees will eventually humble their teachers. 

If you care about counselor training, clinical skills, and building a life in mental health that you can actually sustain, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a counselor friend, and leave a review with the one topic you wish graduate school taught you.

If you have any questions about any counseling related topics or would like the twins to share their thoughts about a particular counseling case  - reach out with the info below: 

https://thetwintherapists.com/

Instagram: thetwintherapists

Contact: thetwintherapists@gmail.com

Transcript

Back From The ACA Meeting

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Hey man. Hey, we're back. Welcome back to the cast. Uh we're we're excited to be here, man. We're rolling off of a fresh meeting that we had um with the American Counseling Association about some uh some book ideals that uh we're a little afraid of, uh excited for, you know, you know, it's pushing the boundaries of what types of books can exist for the field, you know. They're doing some good stuff at AC. You know? Yeah, yeah, they really are, man. And I think you get 10 cents every time you mention it. They're doing some good stuff at AC. Some good stuff at AC. A C is great, A C is wonderful. You like AC. A C A is A C is kind, ACA is wonderful, A C is beautiful. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, sign up, sign up for the conference. Go to the conference. Portland, it's gonna be in Portland. Open up. Open up your pockets and give me all your money. Yes, buy go to the EC bookstore, buy all the books in the ECA bookstore. No, no, eyes on me, eyes on me. Don't worry about what's happening. Yeah, right. You hear some chimes in the background. Don't worry about that. Don't worry about that. That's just just breathe. Just breathe and slowly. Only listen to my voice. ACA. Yeah. Hopefully, hopefully you're listening to this on your radio so your phone hears it, and so it starts to show you some ads. Yeah, that's the whole plot. That's the plan, man. Anyway, so I uh a couple things, right? There's this video that you sent me. Um

End Of Semester Feelings

SPEAKER_00 2:00

a couple days ago that I want to talk about. But also, man, it it's the end of the semester, bruh. How you how you feeling? How you doing? I'm feeling great. Yeah, I'm feeling great, man. I'm I'm tired of these students, man, so I'm glad to get rid of them. Oh. You know? Um, yeah, but every single student I pinned, I was like, bye. Uh joking. Okay. I mean, we talked about this before in the cast, man. There's always mixed feelings, man, when you graduate cohort. You pin them again. Get out of my sight. Yeah, things not. I didn't even want to see you today. I'm here. Yeah, I already called the board. I preemptively called the board for you. Turn turning your future notes. Speaking of notes, speaking of notes, man. One of the hardest things about the end of a semester or like the end of a student's time on campus. No, no, no, no, no. I know you probably don't get it, you know, but it's when they write you these little I keep them on my desk. Yeah, they write you these little thank you notes, you know? Yeah, and Brendan they get you stuff. Yeah, little trinkets to remember that. I don't think students realize how important those things are. I keep forever. Yeah. Like I got a I got a little forest tree. I love how I got some birds. I love how kind of awkward the students are about that stuff, you know? So they they don't like they want to slip it under your door or put it on your desk when you're not there. You know? Yeah. They always walk in when you're there. And they're like, oh uh don't read it now. No, I'm gonna open it and read it right in front. No, I'm opening it right in front of you. Sit down.

unknown 3:52

Sit down now.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Yeah, bruh. No, man, I have a I have a cardinal, you know, a northern cardinal that a student gave me, I think in like first semester, you know, and kept it until she graduated, and now I'm supervising her and it's on my desk. Like I just, you know, and it's not even it's not even really like, you know, something that I don't know, like resonates in a specific way. It just lets you know how good you are and how much of an impact you have on people and how if it wasn't for you, they probably wouldn't be anything or anyone. Yeah. You know? So Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's more like an ego in validation. That's how you see it. You know, than anything. That's how I see it. These little trinkets are like, look at me. Look how good I am. Yeah, look what I've done. Look at um look what I've done. Look what I've done. Look at all the look at all the people, you know, that benefited. Benefited from my person. Yeah. You know?

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

I don't know if keep them coming, you know, keep 'em keep 'em coming. I don't know if that was the intense. Money is great, you know. Yeah. Yeah. No, I was thinking more like you know, you've lived all the way up until this point, and I've seen you for two and a half years, sometimes three years, and I'm a small blip on your journey to, you know, becoming a clinician in the field, and I'm just happy and privileged to have served. You know. Nah, I am the path. Yeah. That's that's that's more for me. As a matter of fact, if if I can get a student to graduate and give me a little piece of sand just to remind people, I thought you were gonna say like a like a little piece of like their fingernail or something. I thought you were going weird with this one. My bad. I thought you were gonna say like a toenail or something. If you could just put your hair in uh just just in a little ribbon, that would be I just want a piece of you. That would be I want a piece of you forever and ever and ever. I'll I'll put it in my binder and then and then when another student comes in and they have trouble, I can take your lock out and I can remind them that you remind me of my student. Whenever I'm feeling like, you know, discombarylated or dysregulated, I can take your your string of hair out and sniff it real quick just to center myself. Hey, I know we're joking, but you know that's a faculty member hot though, that's why.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

Spring 2022.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Oh, that was a good year. You could st you can still smell the angst. You can yeah, the student this student got afforded their professional disposition on their CCS midterm. Yeah, you can tell by the aroma. This dude vintage. Good vintage, good batch. Good batch. I remember this cohort. Oh yeah. Oh, this got off the rails quickly. That's why we don't do

Graduation Chaos And Real Goodbyes

SPEAKER_00 7:10

cast, man. That's why we don't cast. No, no, no, man, nah. But uh yeah. You know, bruh, and I talked, I I I was getting Starbucks and I was talking to you about this, man. How like uh, you know, you always have the students that just straight up limp through, man. And I mean, they are on life support, and you're trying to get them. I'm talking clear, and you're trying to get them. These are some of the best students in the program, they're great, but then like they don't pass cops, and it's like, what is going on? Yeah, or just like, you know, like, yeah, well, my car got repossessed on the way to graduation, so I'm gonna need a ride. It's like Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was trying to iron my regalia, but then the whole thing caught on fire, so I had to What? Yeah, now like the whole back of my gown is sieged. So But the but the but the hood should cover it, right? Like I'm gonna just put my CSI stole. But cheek out. But but Yeah, but but I'm gonna be able to do that. So you were supposed to wear clothes under the regalia? Oh. Okay. Like maybe give me that degree back. Yeah, but I know how you do it because your graduation uh is outside, right? So I know you got you got a you got a half-cut off t-shirt underneath your gown. Uh your belly, your whole belly. So my students was group group chatting while we were at graduation because Ty, you know, our program director, he took his shoes off, man, taking a nap during graduation, man. Me and Sid looking at each other like, hey man, hey, hey, bruh, somebody come get pop pop. We took it. Somebody come get pop pop. But you know, and we love graduation. Love graduation, love being there for the students. Seriously, like love. We cheer. It's it's honestly it's like a highlight. I I'm going every year in Tal I Retail. Every year. Yeah every single year. Where it's mandatory for us. But but still, I would go there if it wasn't. What happens if you don't go? You know? I don't know. I never know I I've never left people. I don't know, bro. You just the bottom of the stadium. You No, I think you show up to your office and it's not your office anymore. You've been made redundant. Yeah. Um, but but but um what was I gonna say? Yeah, it it is it's one of three events. It's three of three events for graduation. And we have pinning, and so by the time we get to graduation, it's like I've seen y'all twice, I've met your family. So by the time we get to graduation, it's much more of like a, you know, like I well see you later, you know, kind of thing, than like a because we have the couple of things. It's the students to be honest. It's the students that it's the students that uh that are moving out of town. You know? Yeah, those are the things. Yeah, where you're like, oh, I legitimately uh probably won't see you again. Yeah, you won't come to an alumni. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know? Yeah, like I won't. Yeah, this is so this is goodbye. Yeah. Yeah. I I yeah, I tear up a little bit. There's some students where I am like, goodbye and good written. I I bet so I bet the students are looking at us like I and I I never want to see you again. Like I this this year's core, man, they students never do this, right? Like ever. So like we graduate. We have our graduate, yeah, we we you know graduate. No, no, no. Our students graduate because our retention is so good. You know, students sometimes don't want to graduate just because of how great the program is. You know. Um but we be we we gotta we gotta push them to the case. Hey, just like real quick. Let me let me just stop the recording. Hey, did you get the last survey of the students saying what they felt in the program? Yeah. Can we put that on the cast or you wanna keep that silent? If you want to, I mean, man, it's all good. It's all good. No, good. I work with some of your students. So I don't understand. What do you have to say about them? No, because y'all don't take qualitative data. I have qualitative data. No, but name them though. Which one do you particularly just like? There's a couple who they know who they are. Will they know who they are if you will you guys know who they are? Yeah, well, we know who they are, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they're not scared. I'm just I'm just trying to protect their privacy. But they're they're gonna say something. There should be a lawsuit coming through. Um for what we did to them. Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. Uh man. Uh uh. You say the penny. No, yeah. So so no, yeah, man. So students stopped and then they shared a word of reflection, which they never do, man. Like they all came up, you know, they read these like kind of like letters, you know, and then and it was how y'all have like what 23 students graduating, and they all read letters. Every single no, just one, just one letter kind of, you know, summarizing everything. They captured us really well. And I mean, you could see, like, and I can't look at Sid because if I look at her, then she'll start crying and I'll start crying, and then you know, Todd's already crying, you know, and May is not crying at all. You know, she's just so proud of them for taking the initiative. Oh, we always think she cried for our graduation. So I don't know what that does. Yeah. She did. Yeah. I think we're just special, you know, to her. And I think we were a project, you know. I think she I think she saw us and thought this will be the greatest children's career. Dum dumb to reflect at least one. I thought I bet that's how it was. Yeah, we got two boys that we're gonna have to admit them on probation. Uh on academic probation. How you get into the program already on academic probation? How you get a PPE before you even bruh. Bruh. But anyway, and there was probably they probably told me, like, hey, just try to get them out before they make it to to to you know to apply techniques. Just try to get him out. Just try to get them out. Yeah, because you know, you know, I mean, that's how the program's built. I bet you may was like, actually. Actually. And I could see the faculty meeting just being like, really?

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Huh.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Wow.

unknown 14:34

Huh. Huh.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

All right. Well, that's well, that's well, let's see what they do in practicum. You know, practicum comes up, it's like, actually? Really? Internship one and what didn't find internship one. And we do some. And now they're working on a ranch in Central Texas herding cattle, and they still hadn't given up yet. Huh. Wow. Maybe they might make it. Yeah. Nah, man, but they they just had some words, man. That was great. And um and so yeah, man, it it's and then, you know, and then it's like, hey, you got an interview with the next follower. It's crazy, right? It's it's crazy how it's just like perpetual cycle. You know, like these students just graduated and like, man, we're having new students start in the fall. And it's just like it's this cycle. We get a little break in the spring, because we only admit in the fall, you know, so we get a little break of like you know, like admission stuff, you know, but but not really, because in the spring is when we do our interviews for the next cohort. You know, so it's always uh you know, yeah. We have rolling interviews and so we we interview somebody that started in the fall and in October. Yeah, you know, like the starting the next fall. Yeah, man. So um Hey gang.

Why Counselors Need Money Skills

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Alright, so quick question. How did we spend six years in grad school learning about transference, counter-transference, existential dread, and the inner child. But nobody taught us, I don't know, how taxes work. Like seriously, not one class, not a single PowerPoint slide, nothing. But that's why we wrote Mind Your Business, merging meaningful work with financial wisdom. Because at some point every counselor has the same thought. Wait. I'm helping people heal, but why am I eating gas station trell mix for dinner? Why why am I eating a charon bald egg for lunch? This book is basically the business course counselors should have gotten in grad school instead of that one random group project, you know the ones where like nobody answered their emails. You know, the ones where like uh if you had a business, what would you call it? And you know, I'd call mine floating lotus petal, or uh you know, uh a great tree of censorship, uh whatever, you know. Uh we cover all kinds of stuff in the book. We cover financial literacy, private practice, supervision, marketing, retirement, planning, um, multiple income streams, uh cybersecurity, burnout, uh, and also hustle culture, which is something that is pretty important, you know. Uh all the stuff clinicians usually learn uh the hard way, you know, like at 2 a.m. while like frantically googling. Uh can can therapists write off coffee? Uh can can I can I write off a lawnmower? You know? Uh and the best part is it's not written like a uh boring business textbook, you know. Uh it's it's honest, it's practical. Uh it some would even say it's funny, uh, but for sure it's down to earth. Uh like having uh two counselor educators sit you down and go, alright, here's what nobody told us either. Alright, this is what this is what we learned. You know, so whether you're a student, uh an LPC, uh uh you know uh a provisionally licensed counselor or a seasoned clinician trying to build a career without completely losing your mind. Uh mind your business gives you uh the real tools to help you earn a living while also staying true to your calling. You know, because yes, you can help people and learn how to secure the bag too. Uh mind your business can be found on the ACA website. Uh if you go to counseling.org and you click uh publications and news and click books, uh you'll find uh mind your business as one of the new releases. Uh so check it out. I th I think you'd appreciate it.

Regalia Roast And Struggle Stories

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Good stuff, man. Good stuff. I saw you had a picture on uh UL's website. You know, they'd be uh when you show up, when you show up in a poop brown regalia with a combo hat on, then people tend to take pictures of you, you know. So Yeah, I don't think the list of this know, but you're supposed to wear a TAM, a graduation TAM. It's like a what five, eight point TAM or five point, what is it? One, two, three, three, four, five, six, seven? No, one point, six, three, four, five, six, six point, yeah, six point TAM. Um you know, and you're supposed to wear it at the same time. Check his check his degree, y'all. He don't even know how much points is on the doctoral TAM. Check his degree. Yeah, yeah, man. I I barely wear that thing. Um but instead, G has got a custom made cowboy hat to go with his um with his graduation guy. And you wear cowboy boots, yeah. Yeah, but I wear I wear boots all the time.

unknown 20:10

I do.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Yeah, but uh I do too. It's the same boots that I wore on the ranch. So, you know, they're like good and broken in. Um Yeah, man. Yeah, me too. I need to get some new boots, man. I need to get some I've been looking around. Yeah, mine mine are almost like like twenty years old, some something around there, you know? Um I just want something. Not that I'm not yeah, they're the boots, there's the struggle boots when I was in internship and Yeah, they are. Yeah, these are like these are like, you know, outside boots. You know. Yeah, you know. What 12 20 p.m.? What? Did your watch say something? Or am I here? Oh yeah, when I say the word struggle, it usually chimes in. Uh oh, it lets you know what what time the struggle was. Oh, your first struggle today was 1220 p.m. Your first struggle was last night when you couldn't breathe. Do you remember that when you were sleeping? And you thought you had you thought you had to be, but you weren't actually extra. You were actually dying. Struggle. Struggle. 1 a.m. Stop breathing for 15 minutes. I see you and Sasha going like, yeah, no, no, that sounds like hard. That's on and this just sounds like a real struggle. Second struggle, two AM. Stop breathing for thirty minutes. Stand up, please. Are you on a run? Come on, ain't looking at you like that. What is it? Heart rate's at 110. What marathon are we running? Oh yeah, boy, you get out of session, it's like Paul's workout. Hey. Anyway. Anyway, bro. Anyway. Wow.

A Video That Sparks Reflection

SPEAKER_00 22:36

So we gotta cover more minutes, man. Uh dog, that was this one video that you sent me about uh about basketball and and you know, I did the son beat the the the dad and the dad started training. It was like a heartfelt, like warm video, you know, the dad was training and you know, and it was just great. Like it's just you know, it you you know what it's like. Well, you probably don't know what it's like because you don't really spend time with your kids, but uh for the you know, if you spend time with your kids, sometimes you you know, you play soccer, you play basketball, you hang out with them, you know, and it's like, oh man, I'm gonna remember this when I'm like eighty years old. You know? Oh yeah. I remember this. Was there was there any sessions? Any any moments in a session that, you know, maybe happened 10, 15 years ago, you know, where you're like, oh yeah. I remember I remember I remember this exact moment. Oh yeah. Yeah, bruh. Yeah, man. Yeah, man. I I got one. That was this client, man, who when I first started my prior practice, he was like one of my early clients. You know, didn't ask around my age. No, no, bruh. This was back before I was jaded. You know, I was like rest, I didn't even have kids, you know. Um anyway, started to practice, man, dude, around my age, athlete, athlete in college. You know, we had a lot of stuff in common, right? He was starting his first like big job. I'm starting my first big faculty job. We found out that we were expecting our first kid together, right? Uh I found out I was having a boy, he found out he was having a boy. Right? Like, I mean, just we just we just did life together for that first year. Uh I think his name was Caladin. Almost got him. Uh almost got him. All right, almost. No, but but for real, it was it was just one of those clients. And I remember like, I remember, you know, I mean, could you have you seen shrinking? Yeah, like I remember thinking like, dog, I could totally be friends with this person. You know what I mean? Like, and and then that's kind of what therapy turned into. Like, it wasn't even like it wasn't even like I'm doing this intervention. It was just like two dudes doing life together. Yeah. Like, and you know, I mean we didn't meet outside of outside of the office, but like we were we would meet weekly and we would talk and he would go through things and I would go through things and we would kind of share these, you know, things, man. And you know, man, we did a lot of work together. You know, and I remember when we were like ending, you know, therapy, and I remember thinking back on like the whole experience, going like, man, this is one of those clients that like I'm gonna remember forever. Never saw him again. You know, never saw him. We we terminated, ended on great terms. You know, I had my kid, he had his kid, um, and then you know, he switched jobs and went more towards like passion type thing, you know, but still in the same area. You know, we started writing, we started writing more books, you know, and so it just, you know, it was like one of those things where I I was like, oh, this is what therapy is, this is what like community mental private practice is supposed to feel like. Yeah. You know, like he honestly taught me a lot about how to work within the community you live, you know, and not seeing yourself as like this like clinician who like. I'm only serving the the most, you know, uh or just like my job or like my job is to implement interventions. You know, it was like this was a real relationship. He asked me questions. He knew a lot about me. He I knew, you know, and it didn't feel unethical. Like it felt very much like we're following a treatment plan and this is part of it. You know? Um and so it was great, man. Like, yeah, that's one of those sessions where like when I'm when I'm retiring and I'm thinking about like, you know, did I make a difference? You know, like he's gonna be one of the clients where I'm like, yeah, man. You know, yeah. And and I've tried to follow that model with other clients. You know what I mean? Like how how can I get them quickly to this part? Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, to the good part. Yeah. What would that look like? Um What would that look like and how do I do it and how do I consistently do it? You know, and then you do the same with with with supervisees, you know. Like I have a ton of supervisees, man, and all of them are people that I would like to hang out with and be friends with and you know, and would have over for dinner. Yeah, you know, and so if you just listen into this cast, you can't see him winking, but he's definitely winking at me while he's saying that stuff. So I got some fingers crossed behind my back. I mean, there's some people who obviously and they know who they are, you know. Um you you know, like right now, just take a second and go, is it me? Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yep, yep, yep. You're not allowed at the dinner table. Yep. And guess what? Mm-hmm. I'm not upset about it. So uh nah man, but for real, you know what I mean? And so you try to get there as fast as you can because you just don't have that much time with them. Yeah, in in the big scheme of things. But but also, but also sometimes you do though. Sometimes you do. Like I I have this one client who uh who I've been seeing since they were a teenager. You know? And it hasn't been consistent, it hasn't been like every week, every other week. Sometimes we go like months without like, you know, seeing each other. But uh they first came into the office when they were a teenager, you know, and now they're like twenty six-ish, you know? Uh you know, and it's like, oh yeah, uh like this person knew me before I had kids, and now they know me, you know, being a being a a father of uh how many kids do I have? Uh you count all my kids too. Genetically, my kids are half yours. Yeah, I I don't count them though, because I don't know. Once they until they make it to like a club level sports, that's when I'll start considering them. That's when you count. Okay. Yeah, they're still doing the city stuff. So right now you got two kids. Yeah. So uh yeah, once they show some some athletic promise. For sure. Obviously. Uh I don't really care too much about academics, but uh but nah, man, yeah, you s yeah, the the second the second a coach goes that's when you're like, that's my boy. Yeah, yeah. The question I want him to a ask me is like, so what what's his dominant foot? Like, hmm, well, it depends on how you can find dominant, you know. Uh man, but but it's those clients that has kind of come on a journey with you, you know, that were like with them for sure. And the sessions don't sound like, oh, so you went through this breakup? Well, let me tell you about this breakup that I had back in 2001. But there is this like uh I don't know, uh consistency, this this uh longevity, you know, where it's like, oh I I think I'm probably gonna do life with this person, you know? Or like we may go a year without talking to each other. Like I there's somebody in my caseload that just reached out, hadn't seen me in like two years, you know. Um but you know, just check checking back in, you know. Uh I have that too, man. Clients that you started working with doing that. Well, doing the pandemic, yeah. You know, that just maybe maybe terminated, maybe terminated. Like, you know, and and it was great. And you you got to a place and then they they check back in and they're like, hey, you got any spots open? Like I I think I want to do like a six session and any ticks and any ticks. Give me that map. No, give me that. Yeah, those are the sessions where you know, but okay, so okay, so uh outside of therapy though, do you have any of those moments in life where you sat down and you were like, Yeah, I want to remember this for the rest of my life?

The Counseling Skills Nobody Taught

SPEAKER_00 31:30

I mean, let's be honest. Alright, there's a moment in every counselor's training where you leave class thinking, okay, I mean, theoretically, I understand unconditional positive regard, but what do I actually say when somebody sits down and starts immediately crying? Uh, I mean, that's why we wrote doing counseling. Alright, the book is called Doing Counseling, Developing Your Clinical Skills and Style. Uh, because counselor education sometimes feels like learning how to swim by reading about water. Alright. This book breaks down the actual counseling process step by step. Not not the polished textbook version where every intervention lands perfectly and and everybody has this like incredible insurance coverage, uh, which reminds me I need to need to renew that. Uh we're we're we're talking what happens before session, during session, and after session, how to actually build rapport, how to trust the process, because sometimes people say trust the process, but what does that actually mean? Uh you know, we we talk about how to survive awkward silences without completely spiritually leaving your body, you know, and maybe most importantly, how to stop sounding like uh a counseling robot. The book follows one case study throughout, so you can actually see counseling unfold in real time instead of getting hit with you know phrases like the the counselor reflected reflected empathically. Like, cool, thanks, man. That's very helpful. But what does that actually look like? And we also cover supervision, uh multicultural, uh, anti-racist counseling. We cover telehealth counseling, uh, we cover counselor identity, how to develop your own style without accidentally becoming a weird copy of you know that one practicum supervisor that you like. Um it's written by me and Jude. Um, so um, you know, it's trustworthy authors uh so far. Um, but it's also got a ton of contributing authors who are uh skilled clinicians as well. Uh it's it's uh practical, it's honest, it's uh encouraging, uh, and it's it's grounded in what what counseling actually feels like, you know. Um because doing counseling well isn't about sounding impressive, right? It's actually about what we're doing in there. Um it's about learning how to stay present and when another human being trusts you with uh their story, the way that they experience their story, you know. Oh, and you know, we also talk about what some people would consider the boring stuff, like documentation. You know, and unfortunately, we couldn't legally write the book without mentioning documentation. Um, so you can pick it up at the AC bookstore. Um, if you go to uh counseling.org and you click uh publications and uh news, uh, under the books tab uh you can find uh the book doing counseling. I really, I really hope you like it. It's one of those books where students and faculty alike are saying that they they use it um uh in their classes. So go pick it up.

Snapshots From Childhood To Now

SPEAKER_00 35:11

Remember, remember when we were kids? And you remember we used to say this a lot. Oh, this is a good old digging day. No. Remember saying that? You don't remember saying that? No, I remember saying You used to say this is a good day to train. No, this is a good thing. This is a good day to die. It's a good day to die. How many heels can I write? This is a good day to die from a pick. Yeah, that's what I remember saying. Yeah. No, you were my you would get off the bus and and you and you'd sit there and you'd go, Big Brother. Big brother J. Big Brother June. Big brother, big Big Brother. When we make it back to home, would you please help me find a stick? But a big one, a really big for us to go digging back. Please, Big Brother Iceman. Nah, bro, but stuff like that, where it's like, you know, we're just outside in the back, climbing trees, digging holes. Just you know, and then these snapshots, these like moments of like, all like when me and you were remember we were uh it was summertime, bro. Summertime, hot. Me, you and Nick, you remember? And we got a we got a call from these girls on the on the the record we played rec, and then there was the girl rec league, you know, and so it was the boys in the girl rec league, and we got the call from these girls. It was the first time we were driving. You know, like, hey, we're gonna go practice, y'all wanna come with us, you know? And bruh, we weren't going down to practice, we didn't care about no practicing, bruh. But I did. We went there. I did. I was gonna read in some scripture too. Uh maybe some Luke. You're going down the train. Going down the train. Maybe some Luke. Wow.

unknown 37:13

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 37:15

Yeah. So yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah, uh-huh. Nah, man, but for real, it was we were just kids, but I remember being in the soccer field training, and and we were about to we were about to be like what juniors or something. Somewhere around there, yeah, high school. You know, we had already started committing to colleges. Like it was like the in and we were all friends. We had all grown up together. You know what I mean? Like playing soccer in that park. And it was one of those days where it just happened to almost start raining. It wasn't hot, you know, the fields just got cut, you know, and it was just like nobody was in the park. It was just us. And we were just playing world. You know that, you know, that field that we were on that day? It's the same field that Cairo practice is on now. I know. It's literally the same field. It's crazy, bro. But that's the kind of stuff where it's like, you know, you just get like snapshots. Or like, you know, we and we talked about this on the cast before, like when we were in graduate school, man, and Ty was like pushing us and he would bring the lamp, you know, to class. It's like those memories, man, are in the COC talking with Dr. Erie about, you know, like those kind of things, I think, you know, just just you think back when you're about to retire, you know, are you gonna retire and you go, man, those are the times that I'm gonna remember, you know. And and and I think we and we've talked about this in books too, man. Like trying to create experiences in the graduate program that's that's like this for for yourself and for other people. Yeah. You know, like people don't understand how man, I was uh we went to a soccer game the other day to uh crew. Crew's the the USL team that's that's the professional team in the area. And um it was like opening, it was like the opening home game or whatever. So Kyro was gonna be the kid that like walked out with the with the starting lineup, you know? Anyway, after we had a great game. But before before we sat down in the bleachers, I made a left turn when we went onto the bleachers, and guess who I saw? Pretty much like all of the kids we played high school soccer with. You know? Yeah, and then their kids. Right? Like I mean, seriously, it was like you can I can name a reunion. You know, like Jay Swells there, like uh uh uh like all these people that we played high school soccer with, you know. And they all have like gray hair now, you know. Uh uh, you know, their kids are playing, you know, it's like being a part of like soccer here in Louisiana, it's like a family reunion when you go to any event, you know. But like those moments make you s it snaps you into like oh man. Like uh and so as a clinician in the community, it's like, oh, I probably helped one of your cousins, you know, or like one of your family. Yeah, like one of your Yeah, man. So you know, you're embedded into a community like that. Yeah, that that happens. Anyway, after the game, because we we gotta you gotta go here in a little bit. Yeah, and I want to ask you something more. Well, after the game, uh w uh you know, uh uh John, uh who we played high school soccer with, his kid and my kid are best friends, and so they they always plot for sleepovers, right? So they plotted and and we said yeah. So they went to sleepover, and on the way to John's house, I was like, Cairo. I was like, but you know, like these are some of the best days of your life, right? Yeah, yeah, he was like, I know. And I was like, you know for real? He's like, Yeah, yeah, you and and Coach John always tell me, you know, that like these are these are he's he's he keeps saying that like this is why I let you come sleep all the time, because you know, i i it's the whole point of this part of your life is to stay up till two o'clock in the morning with your friends. Mm-hmm, you know, and be tired and be tired the next day and be a little cranky and you know, that's the whole point. Playing soccer in the garage. You know, eat too many cokes. You know, drinking so that's all he drank was Sprite that whole day. His lips were chaffed because he was dehydrated, bruh. Absolutely. Absolutely. And so like in the counseling program, it's like these are some of the when you're in your program, these are some of the best days of your career. Now, it gets better when you start making money.

When Students Outgrow The Teacher

SPEAKER_00 41:50

No, wait, no, let me now let me ask you this question because you you skipped over the part of the video where the son beat the dad. Okay, yeah. And then the dad had to train. Have you ever had a student that came in and demoed? Oh, 100%. I'm uh I'm thinking I'm already thinking about two students right now. And they outdemour. Two students right now. No, maybe not outdemoing me because that that's impossible. Nah, but they nah. No, no, no. Pop pop still got that. Pop-pop still got that that I think. Pop pop still can sling sling them techniques. But but you know, they was a little they was a little too strong for their for their position at all. There's there's there's you know this this a little bit this young fella named Eric and and this one of my students, Anna, and um and uh and Emma. Uh-huh. Yeah, uh we're doing the practice. I'm the my client, you know, and I'm just thinking, I'll keep I'll keep this pretty close to the chest. I just want to demonstrate some stuff, you know, whatever. And I just I'll share something. And they started doing stuff that I taught them. Started doing stuff that I taught them. And I was like, whoop, whoop, whoop, wait, wait, wait, whoop, whoop, boop, boop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop. Hold on now. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, big fella. Hold on, big fella. I don't need to do that. Hold on there, big fella. Uh why are you making that reflection though? But I know I'm trying to see something. Interesting. Yes, a very interesting reflection. Yeah, yeah. Well, why are you doing what I taught you though? Yeah, they do what you taught them a little too well, and you start to all right, I think I'm sharing a little bit too much about mommy here. Hey, uh, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey now. Hey now. Yeah. Uh those a couple of other students, but but but those who were the ones, is yeah, this dude, Eric, you know, I just, you know, uh collegiate athlete, you know, has been the therapy, has has been been the counseling for for years, and has counseled and and you know, has seen some life. Yeah, and yeah, and there's this knowing glance that he gave me during the session where I was like, Eric, yeah, hey man, don't Make the reflection I know you're about to make. Hey, hey, man. I don't wanna I don't wanna mess around with you with your stuff today. Yeah, no. And he reflected something when I was the my client and I was like, yeah, you got it. Yeah, you got it. I'm gonna let you have this one. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, good job. Anybody else? Anybody else? Next, next. Anyone else? Next, any next, any? Anybody? Anybody else? Yeah, yeah. Anyway, next. Hey, hey, y'all, y'all keep going. I'ma um I I just need to go to I just need to go to real quick. Yeah, yeah. Emma, yeah, yeah, yeah. Emma, Emma did some stuff where I was like, yeah, I I I had to count myself. I was like, I've been in the counseling chair for 27 minutes. I I this is I I'm having a real session here. I forget we're in class. Emma, get out of the chair. You might need to pay you. Let somebody else. You might need to pay you. Yeah. There's a couple other things, but yeah, but what about you? You ever had a client or a count uh a student that that did something? Nah, unfortunately, still waiting. Still waiting. Nah, nah, man. For real. Yeah. Yeah, nah. Like we we have students. Oh, but I forget you don't like to share of yourself. Well, they think they know me. Yeah. Yeah. So I just share enough for them to be able to, you know, to just feel like, you know. Nah, nah, man. But nah, we have, you know, we have students that I feel like we know during the interview. You know, we interview them and we're like, oh, yeah. You know, and we we try to be studying. A lot of uh seriously, a lot of our students, uh I mean, and I'm not just blowing smoke, but a lot of our students are like, and sometimes we get a whole cohort where we're just like that's what that's that's what's how I feel about this new cohort. And we've been we've we've been blessed for the past couple years to get cohorts in where we're just like, dang. You know, like as faculty, you're like, these are these students are terrifying. You know, and then within those cohorts, you have students who stand out. And I think everybody in a cohort, like we knew in a cohort where you know there's a student that's like that's what I was that's what I was telling the students about. Like in a cohort, you have a good cohort of students. And then within those students, you have the standout students. And then within those standout students, you have the best of those standouts. That's the only students that were allowed to graduate from my master's program. Yeah, and and and the best is when they're so humble and they're so like, you know, curious and they're so like feedback on their last like semester video, you know, and they still have this like uh you know, I don't know. And I'm looking at them like, what are you talking about? Dude, you you're okay. I wish you could see my first videos. You know? Anyway, yeah. So so there are and there are students who you know who you you you you have that interaction with, and it does make you kind of get back to the books a little bit and go, okay, let me let me uh Let me brush up on Let me go back to James Bridge and Paul. Let me just crack this thing open real quick and just remind myself of what I did. What did Bob say? What did Woberding say? Uh yeah. I need to get into some clock in the stock because my being in and for with this wheel, you know, it just feels my presence is off. Let me open this share colour, man. Let me get into this, Lynn Jacobs. You just you gotta remind yourself, man, because uh yeah, but yeah, but those students they push you. You know? They push you, man. Yeah, yeah, man. You try not to let them graduate, but you know. Anyway, uh man, I gotta

Summer Plans And Closing Thoughts

SPEAKER_00 47:47

run. So I gotta I gotta let you go. All right, I'm gonna stay on a little bit because I got some stuff that I need to talk to our audience about. So Okay. All right. Yeah, you can you can get out. Uh okay. What you gonna talk to them about? It is of no concern to you. Anyway, man. Yeah, but we we we're gonna um uh I was gonna say we're gonna try to be more consistent, but y'all but y'all know us by now. Y'all gonna get y'all gonna get this when you get it. You get what you know. And you can throw a fit, man. It's a summer now fussing. You know. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, man. About to take some trips, man. About to take multiple trips this summer. So we're going to St. Martinsville. That's where we're going. Oh, that's cool. We got going to go right. Yeah, we're going. That's where we're going. Yeah, listen to some Nathan Williams episode. Yeah, that's where we're going. We're going to the Cajun Heartland State Fair. That's where we're going. Yeah. Because you don't know throw up until you had a uh Cajun Heartland State Fair. Yeah, cotton candy throwing up a fight, a fight by the fairies. Go and get your guts turned around in the tilt world.

unknown 49:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:16

Try to stay on. You know that little that little spinner thing that keeps your back to the to the thing? Keeps you sitting there glued to the side like you don't this is not fun. You never had a a Frito pie and tried to fight for your life in that little thing. In that alien ship. Uh-huh. Yeah. Stuck to one side, making eye contact with the other side. Yeah. Anyway. Alright, bro. Let me let me let you go.

SPEAKER_01 49:47

Alright.

SPEAKER_00 49:48

Alright, hold on.

unknown 49:49

Let me let me stop this recording.

SPEAKER_01 49:51

God ain't watching that.