Exit Interviews

It is always a bittersweet time.  "Exit interviews"....  The words are innocuous enough; very routine sounding.  However, they signify an event that resonates with a depth of meaning that is hard, if not impossible, to fully comprehend for those grade 12 students completing them.  All that has gone before is now a passing collection of thoughts and experiences to be reflected upon as the 17 year old stands on the edge of the precipice.  The end of one way of life and the beginning of a new, adult and independent, life.  As I sit and listen to their earnest reflections about life as it was in high school, the journey from childhood to young adulthood, I can't help but feel honoured to be witness to the intimate inner journey that each student is sharing with me.  And yet .... they are busy...time is short.  There are many things to get done in the last semester of grade 12.  The exit interview is just another item to check off the list .... and yet .... it is more ... much more.  Each student calmly surveys where they have been over the past five  years.  Some offer valid suggestions about how our already wonderful high school could be improved.  We talk.  We go about the business of completing the interview.  After all, it is a graduation requirement.    And yet, we are both aware of an unspoken presence in the room with us.  A looming, somewhat ominous presence that is slowly beginnng to impose it's full weight upon the consciousness of the 17 year old sitting in front of me.  Leaving home and family.  Leaving the safe nest that FHSS has been for five years.  Living alone.  Doing laundry and shopping and paying bills and .... the list is endless... and unknown at this point.  There is a tinge of anxiety ... perhaps even fear ... tempered by excitement and a sense of adventure ...and .... wonder. The unspoken reality is....adult life is about to begin .... am I  ready ?  What will become of me .... ?

Discouragement to Encouragement

People are like  plants in many ways.  Without adequate water, a plant will begin to wither and wilt.  Similarly, people need encouragement.  Without it, they lose energy, become withdrawn and in some cases even begin to entertain suicidal thoughts.  My role as counsellor is akin to  any gardener's role.  I need to carefully monitor the plants in my garden.  Those that need encouragement will receive as much as I can provide.  As any gardener knows, water cannot just be dumped on a plant.  It must be artfully applied in just the right way at the right time and in appropriate circumstances.  Encouraging others is a lot like that.  When it is done right the reward is to watch the plant get stronger and brighten up.  Counsellors who successfully encourage their clients are similarly rewarded.  It's a beautiful thing.