Counseling Services

I HAVE MY "P" (unofficially of course)

Today it finally happened. About 10:30 this morning, I completed the 3,000 hours of client contact that are required in this lovely state of Arkansas for a Licensed Associate Counselor to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (just waiting to get my official word from the state board and it will be official!). I am now finished with supervision, which will definitely help with my bank account but the weekly advice will be missed. So, now I have my "P" unofficially as my family has been teasing me for weeks. It was actually hard to realize how easily the morning event passed without the banging of drums and cymbals or confetti falling from the sky. I made a couple of calls and then kept on chugging....what I really wanted to do was go outside of my office and just let out a big scream of "Hooray!" or some other words that I can't print here. =-)

I really wanted to get my paperwork in the mail today to the state board because nothing is official until they stamp and sign it all...no ordering business cards or advertising, etc. But that was not meant to be. A meeting with my supervisor didn't work out and our schedules didn't match up for the rest of the day, so it looks like it may be tomorrow before I get to mail that precious packet off. What a relief that will be.

In the meantime, I found out that tomorrow is the deadline to get my new phone number (which I didn't have until 5:00 today) and name listed in the white pages for the new phone book, which is the way most therapists get their clients. So I got busy when I got off work and now have a phone number that will go into effect at the office on 18th street that I'm sharing with Cheryl Edwards starting in April on a part time basis.....it is the start of my private practice....for real.

I also have another week to figure out what I want in the yellow pages. Steve and I went to eat tonight (to celebrate my "P") and stopped by Connie's house on the way home. We all started thinking of a creative "name" for my new business...which really isn't necessary because I am most likely going to list it as Baer, Dianne MS,LAC LLC in the phone book and have a short ad following it. I was hoping to have my "P" back before the ad, but alas that is not to be.

In our fun, we began to come up with names such as "Happy Place Counseling" or "Absolute Counseling" or "Personality Plus" or "the Baer's Den" (are you kidding me?) and then the final one that did us in: "Baer It All Counseling" which we thought we could even pull into one word that would rhyme with Geritol: Baeritol Counseling. Isn't that just awful? And we were sober!!!!! So, I think I will stay with my simple original idea, but will always giggle a bit about Baeritol.....