LBC Echo Fall 2022 - 16

CON TINUED
while Fitzgerald is completing LBC | Capital's 4+1 program, which
enables students to earn their bachelor's plus master's degree in
five years total.
" Hope Within was my first counseling experience, " says Fitzgerald.
" I couldn't imagine a better place to get my first counseling
experience. I get a taste of everything I've learned about in class. "
Paulus agrees and has even returned to past textbooks with a
deeper understanding, as she witnesses how her LBC | Capital
courses have been relevant in preparing her for counseling
interactions.
" It's been a perfect opportunity and such a privilege (to be at
Hope Within), " says Paulus. " It is a high compliment that we are
trusted. "
This trust started within the classroom and transpired into making
a difference in the lives of their clients, even if they don't see it
right away.
" I thought, 'How will this help with dental?' " says Paulus. " We just
played with Play-Doh and got a thumbs up in the chair. That's it.
We didn't know 1½ hours would make a
difference in a child's life and future. "
If you want to make a difference in a life through
supporting or volunteering at Hope Within or
directing someone to the eligibility application,
visit hopewithin.org.
This summer, LBC | Capital interns at Hope Within worked
with a new tool that will benefit counseling clients. Nyasha
Paulus ('23), Caitlin Fitzgerald ('23) and Timothy Vega ('23)
recently set up the Sand Tray as an opportunity for clients
to describe their world through a creative form of therapy.
According to a Hope Within Facebook post authored by
Paulus, " The purpose of the Sand Tray is that everything has
meaning, including the choice of the figures, placement of
the figures and the way the sand is maneuvered, including
barriers or gaps. Through the understanding of choice,
placement and sand maneuvering, counselors are able to
help clients gain awareness of their presenting problems,
thoughts, feelings and the deeper meaning behind them. "
The Sand Tray can be used to explain the issues clients face,
which makes the possibilities of topics to discuss endless.
At the outset, the tray may appear to be a form of creative
therapy for children as they play with toys in the sand, but
adults are also able to find meaning in it as well.
" I understood this from personal experience through creating
my own Sand Tray in a practicum class at LBC where other
graduate students practiced their counseling skills
through questioning the scene I created of my family, "
Paulus said. " Through that experience, I was able to
understand the importance of placement that I did not
realize was happening as I created my scene. I am now
looking forward to using the Sand Tray with clients at
Hope Within because I have experienced the benefit
of diving deeper into the meanings behind my own
scene. I know clients will have a beneficial experience
like I have, and the Sand Tray will be a great asset in
the Hope Within counseling center.
Vega, who is working toward his bachelor's and
master's degree in Marriage, Couple & Family
Counseling, has witnessed how the Sand Tray impacts
his own sessions with clients.
" I have personally seen the way the Sand Tray has
been capable of allowing the client to approach their
situation from a unique perspective, " he said. " This
intervention is rich in opportunity to provide real
breakthrough in clients' processes, even if they may
find it juvenile or unusual at first. I would encourage
therapists never to be discouraged from using the Sand
Tray with clients of all ages, as it provides the chance
Timothy Vega ('23)
to shed new light on difficult topics and create new avenues
of self-expression. "
Vega added that his time at LBC | Capital and Hope Within
has proved invaluable in his growth as a counselor.
" My role at Hope Within over the past six months has been
one of the biggest tests of my capabilities that I have ever
experienced on the academic level. My case load has quickly
expanded to include quite the variety of clients of all different
ages, struggles and life experiences to the point that I feel
Hope Within has been one of the most crucial stepping
stones of my education. "
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http://www.hopewithin.org
LBC Echo Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of LBC Echo Fall 2022
