JANUARY 2023 - 1
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3
Finding Purpose: Your Second Mountain As a mental health counselor, I sit with clients every day and help them explore their lives. Often, clients seek counseling for what seems like a small picture issue. Maybe they’re struggling with a relationship or with an immediate change: a job change, a move, a medical issue, or a financial change. However, when we dig deeper, we often discover big picture themes that are challenging for the client, which often go unnoticed or unaddressed. Purpose and meaning are two of those themes. So often, clients will come to me and say, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.” The now is often after one of these life changes. Perhaps a spouse has passed away or the kids have moved off to college. Maybe the house seems suddenly too big, or a job no longer feels relevant. Priorities have shifted, but the shift has happened just below the surface, so everything feels a little “off.” For these clients, we begin with curiosity and questions regarding what the word purpose means, what it has meant in the past and what it looks like for the future.
continued on page 6 ASK THE EXPERT: DEALING WITH DEPRESSION FEATURE: FINDING PURPOSE: YOUR SECOND MOUNTAIN MS: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS