Change is the Only Constant - Development Counts

“The only thing that is constant is change.” – Heraclitus

I entered the field of professional counseling 17 years ago. My first office had a desktop computer with a huge monitor and a floppy disk drive.

I only used computers to type letters to clients or on behalf of them.

All of my case notes were handwritten and every aspect of the clinical record was hard copy.

We used a large spiral bound appointment scheduling book for the counseling center and each person had their own separate spiral bound appointment calendars.

I’ve gone from:

a Franklin Planner;
to a Palm Pilot;
to a flip phone;
to a Blackberry…. to an iPhone.

From:

floppy disks;
to diskettes;
to CD-ROMS;
to external hard drives;
to USB’s; to cloud drives.

Recently, I went from a traditional website to a fancy new WordPress site; if you haven’t seen it yet checkout- developmentcounts.com.

While it might not be welcomed by all; it’s no surprise that as a field we are moving from:

meeting in person,
to meeting via phone,
or video call,
or live chat,
or e-mail,
and even SIMS (Life Simulated Video Games).

Most of us have accepted going from paper charts to electronic health records.

We’ve embraced scheduling via e-mail or using online appointment schedulers.

Yet some of us are slow to respond to how all of these changes in society inform changes in clinical practice.

When we look at the influence of technology. We see:

the harm,
the compulsion,
the disconnect,
but we also see the phenomenon and the possibilities.

Based on

our generational identity (Millennial, Gen X, Baby Boomer etc…);
our personal use or embrace of technology;
our learning curve, or intuitive understanding of its use;
and our values around how technology has aided us or harmed us as a culture.

We have different ideas about the effectiveness or place of cyber-health, concerns about privacy, and the real meaning of connection and how it occurs.

I have no doubt that in a few years we will be required to have distance counseling or tele-health continuing education hours whether we consider this to be our niche or not.

I say, let us embrace change… so that we can influence it and shape it.

Our participation in this vast change in how

we communicate,
connect with others,
express ourselves,
and find ourselves is needed.

We counselors, social workers, educators, coaches, change agents and healing professionals are needed!

We have a responsibility to be engaged and involved.

Chances are if you are reading this you are on the train. But

What is your next stop?
What is your next level?
What do you need to learn or embrace that you have been avoiding?

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