Post Hallowe'en and conference

I do not normally do anything resembling work on Sundays but today I shall make an exception because I shall be attending two more conferences this month and want to keep you up to date. But- first Hallowe'en. I have no more excuses not to go out for Hallowe'en since I had so many adults who came to my house for treats. The eldest must have been in her seventies. I called her mama, as I put a chocolate in her bag. They were all dressed up too. I did not expect too many people because it was raining but I had more than previous years. I stopped counting at 150. The costumes were amazing and I finally got to see Dracula. "I have been waiting for you all night!" I exclaimed to the boy. His mother looked at her child and said, "I told you, he is so yesterday!" "No" I responded not wanting to make Dracula feel all alone. I also could not help noticing a mother telling her child not to do that or this before the little kid had a chance to get the candy. This was accompanied by a light slap each time. "Stop that" I repeated each time. "Don't do that." I am sure that she did not realize that she was doing it since it was so automatic. no = slight slap. I really think that all parents should have a solid week of training before having a child. You need a test for driving, a test for passing any subject but for the most important job, a parent will ever have is experimental learning. I loved the conference. I loved meeting old classmates and reconnecting with instructors and other people in my field old and new. It was hard for me to leave after the first day because so many were staying overnight at the hotel. They even had a pool and the price was lowered for our association. However, this time, I left every one behind and drove home until the next morning bright and early. The food was wonderful and I came out of there with new ideas and tools to implement in my own practice. The speaker was Michele Weiner-Davis, an American living in New York City. She is very personable and I can see why she is so successful. She also has years of working with couples at the brink of divorce and is very capable of bringing them back to a place of partnership. One of the things she provides is two day therapy for clients. Though that would be very expensive for clients, I think that it is well worth providing and will implement that into my own practise. I have been in the mindset that more than one session is too much and that people need to process. But what I have come to learn in my own practise from those on the brink of ending their relationship is that perhaps if they commit to two full days, they may leave with a different perspective than one session and perhaps never returning because they do not think it is worth working on. Most of the information, I already know and notes were therefore kept to a minimum, but there were handouts I can use as tools and there was some information I could use in future. As I have said in earlier blogs I incorporate everything I have learned and use it when I think I should. I work with all people. And so when I listen to someone with vast amount of experience working with only one type of what I will call issue, than I listen. I am forever growing and learning. I bought one book which she recommended and I will be looking forward to reading it after what I am presently reading. I will be providing you with some statistics that she gave us. One thing she did say is that if one couple has more than one therapist, it is one to many. That is something I will also review. I have a lot to think about. How I work is what is best for my client from their perspective. "Know thyself" Are you in a relationship that you are not happy with? What have you done about it to make it workable? What do you think?