How Attending a Conference Led to Clarity With Grad School

Three days. How was I supposed to make it through three full days of an in person conference? It's not like Diamonds, where there's no traveling and I'm able rest even while listening to sessions. One day in itself would be a lot for me physically.

Last month, I attended a conference designed mostly for biblical counselors, ministry leaders, and those in similar fields.

This all came about from a conversation at a young adults group I regularly go to at my church. I mentioned something about starting grad school in the fall for counseling, which quickly turned into getting invited to conference happening in June.

Counseling wasn't my plan. But, counseling became the direction God was leading me to. I found a program that also specializes in working with children and adolescents and will help me as I eventually work towards an LPCC licensing. Play therapy is something I’ve also highly considered as well. As someone with a passion for working with children and mental health, this seemed like the right fit.

I don’t know why it took years before God closed the door of pursuing child life as a career. But, I do know He quickly answered my prayers of what was next and then even led me to attending this conference to dig deeper into the questions and concerns I have.

Each day consisted of an opening prayer, worship, then leading to sessions, and workshops. The sessions focused on topics that are relevant to counseling but grounded in biblical truth. This was very eye opening.

I do want to disclose that I’m not going into biblical counseling. Not that I don’t believe God could use me in the field, but it wasn’t the door He opened in this season. Yet, I still felt greatly impacted by what what I heard from speakers.

Another highlight was the opportunity to help with the bookstore. The bookstore was placed in a separate room that also happened to share with the snack area (a wonderful combo).

If you can't tell, I love books. I especially enjoy talking with people who share that passion for reading. Tables were filled with books and resources that touched on topics of mental health, marriage, dating, loss, disabilities, and so much more. All with a biblical foundation. I even recognized a few of the titles of ones that I’ve read personally.

Something that stood out were the smiles and the excitement from other counselors and ministry leaders at this conference. And I noticed it even more when attendees were looking through books and resources they were carefully choosing. Whenever I wasn't attending sessions, I was usually at the bookstore. It brought me a lot of joy just being in the space.

After only attending one day, I felt spiritually fed and poured into. So I made it to the next day and the day after that. By God's strength, I was able to make it each day.

Physically, my body was in a lot of pain. I could feel it mostly in my joints and my legs as I wore my AFOs for several hours each day. But, my heart and soul needed more. My friends knew of my health challenges. I shared those concerns with the pastor and his wife when I said yes to going. I only recently began sharing with friends from church about my energy levels, although looking at me it's not very noticeable. I was taken by surprise by the amount of times friends checked on me during the conference. They wanted to make sure I was feeling okay and taking breaks. This made me feel less alone.

I also experienced more clarity about the decision with grad school and pursuing counseling. The sessions and workshops helped equip me for how I should respond to situations outside of my control as a Christian. While there’s still a lot to unpack, I know reading my notes and listening to the recordings will provide me with a different perspective in a field that will be challenging both emotionally and mentally.

Though I may not always be in spaces with the ability to share my faith, God can still use me to be a light in areas that feel dark, lonely, and feel hopeless.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience at this conference. I thought that I would end with a few takeaways of what I learned. Some of them may speak to you in this season.

• Don't forget about your relationship with the Lord. Keep reading His word, even on the hard days. Lately, I've been reading my Bible before entering into work each day and it's made such a difference.

• It's okay not to have all of the answers in the counseling space. I will eventually learn this when I start seeing clients someday.

• Sometimes silence is necessary when working towards healing. This is true, especially in conversations about loss. We can't always understand what someone is going through.

• Burn out happens in counseling, but attending conferences like this one or reaching out to others can help you feel more equipped spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I've experienced this even in my work. I would also say that even taking a few days to rest helps.

Encouragement to the readers: 

Look to God for clarity. Don’t discount the possibility that the Lord has something else for you beyond just what you are doing today. Maybe it doesn’t seem like a lot, especially if you are struggling with a chronic illness, but you are making a difference. Keep trusting in Him.