Green Beer, Fish’n Chips, and Basketball

By Jonathon Sumpter – March is the quietest busy month on the calendar. No comparison to Christmas, Easter, the Super Bowl, and the like, March still commands respect from any calendar viewer. March Madness (GO Marquette!!), St. Patty’s Day (go green beer!!), and Lent (go fish’n chips!!) are the big three that come to my mind. No matter what your celebration of choice, there is a spirit of change in the air. March Madness breathes a breath of momentary change: win or go home. St. Patty’s Day often begs a change of sensibility around about 2 a.m. And no matter which Lent you’re talking about, the whole point is change. For the not so obvious point: when you reach into your pocket and pull out a wad of lent, it’s about time to do laundry.

However, March for the Masters in Community Counseling student is the preface of life choices. March is a reminder that in one month, we will face class finals, projects, wrapping up internship placements, studying for the national tests for future licensure and passing the program. After this, in the same month planing for careers, moving, networking, 401k planning, and setting up steps for the future.

March has a hint of excitement, a sense of urgency, and a shroud of possibility. How the time has flown from my graduate program experience. I moved to Wisconsin three years ago to be with my wife, get my Masters degree, and pursue my future. Looking back at all I have done, I can only imagine what comes next. For now, though, I have a lot of planning and preparing to do. For the moment, I’ll stick with the green beer, fish’n chips, and MU basketball, the rest will come, and change, in due time.

New Year’s Resolution Effect

By Jonathon Sumpter – New Year’s resolutions, to me, seem to be more about what was rather than what may be. December 31′s ideas of gyms, carrots, and making more money turn into spending more money on carrot cake and Slim Jims (which has nothing to do with my own slimness), right around January 7th at 6am.

The New Year has become more about past regret and shame than future hopes and dreams. Maybe this is the New Year’s Resolution Effect, or, maybe I’m just cynical.

As I enter my final semester of my Masters program during the New Year, I find my head crooking backwards and forwards all at once. All the decisions that I have made that got me here have come under fire, as the “real world” knocks at my consciousness. Am I prepared,  will I pass the licensing tests, will I be able to support my family? The future is not here yet, but I seem to be anticipating the future with a lens shaded by the past. Will I be as successful in my future endeavors as my past, or was this all for not?

Just like New Years’ Resolutions, I’m seeing all that was not, rather than what can be. Instead of thoughts like, did I pay enough attention in Dr. Melchert’s Theories class, or did I take full advantage of supervision; I should be looking forward. I would venture a guess that the majority of my classmates are simply ready to be at May 19th, walking across to accept their diploma. However, I don’t know who all are really ready to jump into a career. I say I am. But, there is always a hesitance, a slight trepidation. So I set goals, or resolutions for my future. I will be here at this time, I will be doing this at this time, I will have it all figured out by then. But this is too future oriented for my comfort as well.

Even though the future is about to knock, it is not at the door yet. I think I will have to sit and enjoy the “December 31st” feel of my last semester. Not allowing the New Year Resolution Effect of past regret or future pressure press too firmly on myself that I simply “snoozing” through the present, just like  on January 7th at 6 am.

There’s plenty of time to worry, there’s plenty of time to be accomplished, right now, I’ll just be a student for a little while longer. This New Year will come one day at a time, I might as well do that too.

Santa brought me some Man Tears

By Jonathon Sumpter – Men in our society are taught not to cry, or to show any emotion outside of anger and pride that is. There are times when it is socially acceptable to shed a Man Tear or two. A few of these moments are for the joy of victory over an enemy in war, your football team wins the Super Bowl (go Pack!), to lose your dog, your truck, your one close buddy or spouse (as long as it is preceded with at least two glasses of Jim Beam or Jack Daniels), or watch a Man Movie like Rudy, Top Gun, Saving Private Ryan, and the Notebook (come on, the dude dies on his wife’s deathbed after she forgot who he was, that’s hard-core Man Tear time… or I’m just getting sentimental).

It is NOT, however, appropriate to tear up during Glee, the Milwaukee Holiday Parade when the Dancing Grannies march by (cause they’re just so darn cute and happy and you miss your momma and your granny!), a LifeTime Special, or a Folgers Christmas commercial. 

I don’t know what it is, and I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I am becoming more sentimental around the holidays as I get older. I don’t really know what it is.

Perhaps that I’m 30, I can no longer pretend to be a 20 year old, and I have to face the reality that I am now a grown up. Maybe it’s because I am 20 hours away from my family and friends in Texas. Maybe it’s because I am newly married, and the concept of losing things like love, family, children, etc are now more real than they had been before. I don’t know if it is because I am starting my last semester in my Masters of Counseling. Perhaps I am becoming more emotionally aware as I walk with my clients as they tap into that emotional space they have numbed for so long; un-numbing their other emotions of joy, hope, happiness, and contentment. I don’t know if it is just that I haven’t adjusted to the grayness of the sunless Wisconsin winters.

Either way, I find myself experiencing my own emotions more than ever before.

While I know I have not adjusted to the numbing Wisconsin winters, I think the un-numbing of emotions comes when you are finally free to be happy. Life is extremely difficult right now for my wife and I. Especially as a married couple of two grad students with no money; as we are often marooned on the island of text, research, and practicums; and we do not have time to devote to our friendships. However,  I am, I do believe, happy. I am married to a wonderful woman, I am almost done with a Masters degree, I have a loving family, and I am planning a future. Even though I don’t know where we will end up, I guess, what I’m saying is that I have hope, joy, and contentment.

So what if life is hard and I get a little more sentimental at times, I have a reason to not be numb, and experience joy, as well as you do too, I’m sure.

Happy Holidays.

Star Trek and Enterprising Multicultural Counseling

By Jonathon Sumpter – For some reason, while sitting in multicultural class around halloween time, I had images of Star Trek flashing through my mind (yes, I am a Trekkie). At first I thought, ah, yeah, this counseling thing is just like Star Trek, and I’m just like James Tiberius Kirk (not THE… NEW… one, but… sure…ly… SHATner). Star Trek encompassed acceptance, tolerance, and respect of culture. The Prime Directive ruled everything. This Directive prohibited interference with the natural development of a society.

The Enterprise brought values of structure and space for space-disputes, peace, fair and equitable justice for civilizations that would be marginalized or destroyed without the mediation of a witty-charismatic Star Ship Captain. Unless someone impedes these values, the Prime Directive dictates a hands off approach.

However, I would be remiss to not bring up the other, unintended, effect of Star Trek. Somehow, a mistaken propagation of racism echoes in Star Trek. I realize this is Trekkie sacrilege, but someone has to say it. Despite the fact that the crew was culturally different, they all wore the same uniforms (shout out to Warf’s Klingon apparel struggle). The crew all spoke the same language (lucky for the future, all aliens speak proficient English). The crew all fit into the operating hierarchy (all reporting to an old rich white guy). Finally, the crew all acted and conducted themselves in accordance to expectations of a Starfleet officer or personnel (again, like old rich white guys). Anyone on opposite sides of these cultural values got blown out of the space yard.

Despite the Prime Directive, they inevitably found themselves morally compromised by some differing value system, for which they felt morally obliged to react. I’m not saying Cardassians should be given free reign (just look at what the Kardashians are doing with their uninhibited, and unwarranted, success), that the Prime Directive is wrong, or that one side or the other is right. I am merely pointing out of the discrepancy.

This seems to echo in today’s society. People have to fit into cultures to gain admittance to college or the work force. A person might want to speak English to get the full benefit of health services. People have to fit into cultural sub-brackets to take advantage of monetary aid. When someone wants to move into a small community, they may try to fit into that culture. I’m not going to say what is right or wrong, or even suggest what should be done. It just seems like we are all flying in different fleets, in different directions. Those in the majority (Starfleet) have the corner on the market, but we have to find a way to coexist without blowing other’s cultural perspective out of space. Perhaps sometimes, in hopes of mediating underprivileged or bringing structure to marginalized areas, we may be bringing a boat-load of cultural expectations with us.

So, what do I do with that? I really, really wanted to be like Kirk. How do I truly make cultural competence an enterprising process? Maybe I need a reevaluation of how I engage my counseling sessions.

Psychotheoretically Equipped… Now What?

By Jonathon Sumpter – Pick a Theory… Any theory… and Psychologize:

Psychoanalytic, Analytical Psychology, Psychodynamic, Existential, Rational Emotive Behavioral, Behaviorism, Cognitive, Cognitive Behavioral, Gestalt, Humanistic, Interpersonal, Systems, Reality, Transactional Analysis, Experiential, Exposure, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Gender Specific, Multicultural, Mindfulness, Spiritually-Religiously Influenced, Integrative/Eclectic, Biopsychosocial (to name a few “American” valued perspectives on human development, health, psychopathology, and relationship), individual, couples, families, deterministic, constructivist, emotional, insight-oriented, action-based, relational, evidence based…

As I sit with another human being, witness to their struggle and challenge, the concept of prescribing best theoretical practices seems the furthest thing from my mind. As far as I can fathom, theory implies assumption. Assumption that the world operates from the locus of logic ascribed to any one specific perspective. Much-less, applying a theoretical assumption to another individual, assumes this individual operates on the same logical/emotional foundation as my own.

Spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen, boldly states: what is most personal is also the most universal (With Open Hands, 2006, p. 14).

At some level we are all infinitely unique and wholly different… yet, at the same time, inestimably familiar and intimately share this human experience.

Finding a balance of understanding my own locus of logic of individual theoretical factors associated with development, health, psychopathology, and relationship, without operating from assumption of others, may prove to be a life-long undertaking.

Assess and Assist: Outcomes based therapy

By Jonathon Sumpter – What does it mean to be a good therapist? Attempting to bridge the emotionally pregnant space so often saturating the counseling room, I find myself facing the temptation to fully commit to either: a) “understand” the black-and-white aspects of the diagnoses and symptoms of a person, or b) or to fully embrace the individual shades of gray in human experience. To approach it from the top down, or from the bottom up: from concepts, and goals, and diagnoses, rather than from fear, loneliness, defeat, rejection and the like: encountering humanity in thought or in feeling.

This often causes conflict in my own thoughts of and my practice of therapy.

The black-and-white approach of therapy seems to imply a specific nature of the clinician’s clinical effectiveness. To me, to be right or wrong has such a “brainy” sound to it. Clinically, option ‘A’ may be more logically “right” than option ‘B’. But often times, I find clients hold more tightly to an emotional connection rather than logical consequences.

Right and wrong also seems to imply something pre-determined: option ‘A’ is right because it has always been so: at least within my perspective, within my experience, and my cultural upbringing. Sometimes it becomes difficult to connect the client’s logical correctness and their emotional connection with my own conceptualization of the case.

What is the right way to do therapy, to do diagnosis, to assess and assist? How does a counselor most effectively positively affect another’s existence? Or is this even the concern? How active is my engagement to therapy? Do I focus on the traditionally based insight-oriented talk therapy, or become an active advocator, a la social worker, for my client? There seem to be conflicting messages in this regard.

Do I give a person a fish, teach them how to fish, help figure out the reason they are unable to get on the boat, or all of the above? If the answer is all of the above, practically how much time is needed to be an “effective” therapist?

In the health-care field, in outpatient mental health and on the floor of the hospital, I am constantly reminded of outcomes-based effectiveness. While I can only work as hard as my clients, are outcomes of health care scored on patient motivation- and if so, no amount of teaching to fish will yield a bounty of plenty during the time being evaluated.

Perhaps I also face the temptation to be the solo architect of the bridge being built in that emotionally pregnant space. Not approaching therapy in a global way that bases outcomes in my own preconceived paper-based, right-and-wrong. Not grouping every therapy seeker as solely a logically or emotionally focused, or as only case-management oriented or insight oriented client.

To borrow from Narrative therapy- allowing the client to “write” the story of what therapy “means” to them may allow me to feel a little more comfortable ensuring clinical structure to achieve that goal. However, we will see in five years when I’ve actually had some experience- and when I’m viewed by someone looking at my outcomes.

Inspiration Comes in the Wind

By Johnathan Sumpter – Sitting mid-way back from the giant arching marble altar of the Church of the Gesu, swimming in the echoes of Fr. Jonas’ homily, perhaps being consumed a bit more with thoughts of counseling client cases than anything liturgical, a pearl of wisdom broke its way through.

Elijah is hanging out in a mountain cave waiting for God to show up while there is a hurricane, an earthquake, and a giant fire- none of which were paralleled to the whisper of a breeze holding God’s voice. The magnitude of this spoken word moved Elijah to hide his face and go to God.

Sometimes I feel like I am in a mountain cave, waiting for the world to shake and “fix” the problems of my clients. I deal with a multitude of diagnoses ranging from routine life adjustments to depression, schizophrenia, and the like. I sit with patients in the acute ward with cancer, awaiting amputations, with holes in places nature did not intend holes to be, and families biding time as a loved one’s clock ticks down.

In each instance, I have an innate urge to take ownership of their reins and steer them to safety. If I could only but will the earth to move, or the winds of time to alter the outcome of their lives, or my own feeble mind to see beyond my lofty mountain cave and know which route to take.

But then, I remember that I’m not supposed to know everything (a mantra of my supervisor and professors). I was reminded of Socrates’ credo (another cave fan): “as for me, all I know is that I know nothing.” Perhaps giving myself a little more credit than that, but maintaining the spirit of discovery over presuming to hold all answers alive; I find the place that creates space for the emotional hurricane to wreak destruction, for the bottom of the earth to fall out, for the fire of anger and anxiety to flame, all the while safe in the space of the counseling process.

The battle for clinical structure with another person in a counseling room indeed is first won with the ability to sit in a room alone with myself, with my own emotions and cognitions. Luckily I have quite a bit of experience in being self-reflective. Even still, the more experiences I share with others, the more I come to know and learn about myself. The more I learn to sit with myself, the more comfortable I become with my clients.

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Johnathan Sumpter is a native of the Texas Panhandle, but is currently enjoying the cooler weather in Wisconsin. He is a Masters student in the Community Counseling General Adult Track and is completing an internship placement at Aurora Family Services and at Aurora West Allis Memorial in the Acute Care for the Elderly Ward. Jonathon also works at group homes for developmentally disabled adults.  Prior to attending Marquette, Jonathon attended the seminary, worked in youth and young adult ministries and as a spiritual director.  He has worked with a variety of programs assisting children, and has been involved with community development programs in Honduras, Peru, and Mexico.