A mother recently wrote to me to say, “Thank you so much for giving my student your time and giving him the chance to be [feel] better.” Thank you for giving your time, wow, what a concept. We often give away time as though it were a renewable resource, but the reality is that once it’s gone, we will never get it back. If you’ve ever received therapy and not just been on the giving end, then you know it is one of the most connecting experiences you can have with another person.
“There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on.” -Leo Christopher
How often do we give our time unconditionally to another human being? How often do we focus solely on our experience with them at that moment without looking at our phones, without distraction, without making our grocery list in our mind’s eye? Rarely.
If you’ve ever had the experience of having a conversation with the wearer of a smartwatch, you know just how unimportant you feel when every little buzz and bing will take your conversation partner’s attention away from you.
What a gift we give when we listen without judgment, with full interest, and without distraction. The experience of feeling heard is powerful and transformative; that’s the gift we give as counselors and that’s pretty fantastic.
Happy National School Counseling Week!
THE SCHOOL COUNSELING TRIBE 