blogs i loosely follow

I did a quick and incomplete update to the "blogs i follow" list in the side bar. I know there are one or two that I need to delete due to bloggers shutting down their blogs, but I do not want to do this without confirming that these are permanent closures. Happy reading, folks!

me in my office

me in my office
Originally uploaded by misslissa13

So here I am at work. No clients at the time, but lots and lots of paperwork. I figure I have about seven months to finish up my 3,000 supervised hours and then I will have my full license. This seems so far away yet so close. Seven months seems to be a good time frame for planning a private practice. Not only will a private practice provide additional income, but it will also give me the opportunity to practice in the mental health field in a capacity that would feed my soul while helping others.

Working in an outpatient clinic, like I do now, is a non-stop onslaught of busyness. There is a never ending source of new clients that need services. Unfortunately, many clinics and programs have closed due to cutbacks making the remaining ones are inundated on a daily basis. The population appears to be getting sicker and sicker as well. I do not fully understand how the whole mental health system works, but I wonder if it is designed as efficiently as possible. My guess would be no, it is not. Perhaps it worked years ago, but the design may not have evolved along with the needs of clients. Sometimes I wish I studied sociology to get a broader view of the needs of today's society in order to serve the population better as a whole. We as therapists may not be able to change the system in it's entirety, but we can choose to respond to it differently. Perhaps approaching the chaos with our own calm with play at least a small role in stabilizing the system.

In starting a private practice in the model that I am planning, it will be a good balance to the busyness of clinic work. I cannot wait until "my office" will truly mean MY office. Until that time, I will continue using prana in facing down the clinic chaos.

Happy mental health to you!

natural flavor with other natural flavors

natural flavor with other natural flavors
Originally uploaded by misslissa13

Because nothing goes better with natural flavor than OTHER natural flavors. Go Nabisco and your kooky package designers!

rabbits rabbits everywhere!

painters rabbit IV
Originally uploaded by misslissa13

The other night at yoga class, I had my mat set up near an exit door that has glass panes top to bottom. While in a seated twist position I peered out to the lawn outside and there was a little rabbit munching away at the grass. He then sat himself down and watched the rest of yoga class.

Such things bring me joy.

i don't wanna, i don't think so

Sometimes songs pop into my head that I have not heard in years. This is what is in it now, Sonic Youth's Kool Thing. Brings back memories from the past. Good ones with good people. A past era in my life. It is nice to reminisce, but I am glad to be in the present.


When you're a star, I know you'll fix everything.

now to see which neighbor smokes parliment

now to see which neighbor smokes parliment
Originally uploaded by misslissa13

This is our front garden, with the lovely flowers. I suppose the neighbors thought is was an ashtray, too. How annoying. It's bad enough we get some downwind smoke when we're sitting outside enjoying our garden, but too find butts in the garden...bleh!

i will survive

joy, joy, dancing joy!