Sorry, type might have been a better word. Marriage, family, mental health, child, ect...
Oh, ok. Mental health; right now I work with adults. Mainly inidvidual; I may at some point get a client or two coming in for couple's counselling. I already had one intake scheduled for couple's, but they kept cancelling, so (on my supervisor's advice) they got bumped back to our clinic's wait list (which is considerable). I work with the "full range," i.e. short-term adjustments in mainly health individuals, right up through long-term mental illness and substance abuse dual diagnoses.
She wrote me that letter at the end of last summer. It was extremely fucked up. Arguably equally fucked up is how much stabler and happier I've been since she "broke up with" me.
She's always picked her men over me. She's always picked herself over everything. I've realized more and more the last several years what a terrible mother she was. She's a role model in that she acts as a living example of 'what not to do."
I assume at some point the rage I still feel toward her will go away. It's been ebbing a great deal since we amost entirely stopped speaking to one another. I figure it's understandable that I be bitter quite awhile though. I really did think she was the only person I could always love and trust. I was fucking deluding myself because the truth was too painful.
I'm sorry you have to go through shit like this. Makes me feel very lucky for having a good relationship with my mom and sisters.
I think your experiences will give you an insight in your work that some people won't have.
*nod* I think it does. I've heard horror stories from friends about counsellors whose mommies have probably always been their best friends, reacting very inappropriately to hearing about complicated family problems- essentially, saying things like "the relationship with the mother is always important, you need to keep it intact" when 1. the information didn't mesh with that statement, and 2. saying that type of thing is judgemental and will probably accomplish nothing other than upsetting the client and damaging rapport.