“Grateful for where I am at… Excited about where I am going!”
My Path to Counselling
Growing up, I dreamt of becoming a veterinarian. I operated on my stuffed animals and saved three kittens that were stuck in a tree. I was always doing something with animals. In fact, my first job was working at a horse stable cleaning out stalls and grooming horses for horseback rides.
I had the opportunity to work at a veterinary clinic for 4 – 5 years, which was a learning experience in itself. During that time, I realized being a veterinarian is not the path for me. I wanted to help and rehabilitate animals but I also wanted to find out why animals behaved the way they do. I wanted to help the families understand their animals and assist them with changing undesirable behaviours that might be agitating their pets. I truly believe working at this clinic guided me to my current path.
I had several jobs and each one led me to assist families with behavioural modification for their animals, however, at the same time the family dynamics improved. It took me about five years of having my own business to realize that by teaching the families, I was helping improve everyone’s life.
My last dog client was a puppy. His name was Bruno. Bruno was a 10-month-old boxer with several bad habits. Although he was only a puppy, his behaviour was getting him into some serious trouble and the owners were ready to give him up. During our first session, Bruno started barking and no matter what the owners did, he would not stop. I stepped back to see how the owners handled the situation and noticed that instead of working with Bruno, the owners started fighting. As their fighting escalated, so did Bruno’s barking. I intervened and sat the couple down. We discussed how to handle the situation differently next time. All of a sudden, the house was quiet! Bruno had stopped barking. At that time, I had not taught Bruno any lessons. His behaviour changed because of the change in his owners. This is the moment I realized I wanted more in my life! I wanted to assist people in becoming a better version of themselves. I wanted to make a difference!
I looked into various paths that I could take where I would be able to help people and decided I wanted to become a Life Coach. As a 32-year old single parent of two boys (3 and 6 years old) and a business owner, the decision to go back to school full-time required some soul searching. But, thinking about helping someone set their goals and guiding them to success filled my heart with joy. In 2003, I started researching schools where I could get the appropriate training and eventually found one that incorporated Life Coaching and Counselling in one program. From the time I signed the contract at the school to this day, I have never regretted my decision.
What Counselling Means to Me
Through my studies at school and life experiences, I learned that counselling is not just only about showing up for an appointment. It’s about being mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically present for your client.
I truly believe we need to be the best versions of ourselves as counsellors. We can do this by taking care of ourselves, continuing our education, and creating a support system (professionally and personally).
Seeing my clients grow and make the choices they want to make is a reward in itself. Every day, I am grateful for the people I am able to work with. Going back to school to find my true calling was the best decision I made for myself!
I currently work full-time where I employ my counselling skills on a daily basis and run a part-time practice where I work with youth who struggle with anxiety and depression. I also create and present workshops on a variety of subjects.
Nothing in my life is what I call “normal”. Every day is an adventure and I am in for the ride of my life.
Lisa Brown-Rooke, MPCC, RPC, PT – Stenberg Student Success Coordinator
Check out a video of our Counselling Therapist Program.
