A New Meaning for Networking
From Rachel Bridgewater, MA ‘10…
After a rather emotional and serious last few days at the conference, today I had the opportunity to enjoy an extremely fun day! Today was the Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC) sponsored learning day, so we enjoyed several sessions dedicated to this branch of therapy. It just so happens that this area is my greatest personal passion, and I don’t get much opportunity to obtain training of this kind. Needless to say, I was in counseling heaven. Not only did I learn many intriguing and novel perspectives, as an unexpected bonus, I also learned some great relaxation techniques (much needed after such a busy weekend!). So I am feeling very serene, joyful, and thrilled to end my experience here with what can only be the finest “dessert” I could have asked for!
I also bonded with a few kindred peers today who have similar interests. Somehow we actually had time to share some very personal conversations, and we exchanged addresses and numbers. I believe that we will keep in touch, because there was that sense of instant recognition (the kind that comes along very rarely in this life) especially in my case, as I tend to be somewhat eccentric! It was so refreshing to meet others who truly speak the same language. To bring my own journey full circle, I attended my last session with someone I met at our grief presentation on Thursday, and we partnered together on some really neat experiential exercises. We also bonded and exchanged addresses. This entire day gave the concept of “networking” a whole new meaning for me.
To wrap up this wonderful experience in Charlotte, I decided to take a walk this evening around some of the historic district. It was quiet and pretty, and it was cool to see a little more of the city. Many of the streets are lined with some type of white flowering tree, which gives it a dreamy and surreal ambiance. It felt so good to wind down and collect my thoughts. And I was real close to catching a ride on a horse carriage just for the fun of something different, but it was starting to get chilly and dark.
I feel like I have learned more in five days than I’ve learned in five months! So before I lay my head down now and enjoy a night of very deep sleep, I just want to thank Dr. Lori and OTEFD for giving me this opportunity. What a priceless journey this has been!