If You’re Not Happy With What You’re Doing
It’s never too late to change direction
I’m a member of the boomer generation, born in 1948. I took part in demonstrations against the Vietnam War and supported the Civil Rights movement. Like many others of my generation, I held altruistic values and looked forward to a future of helping others.
I graduated from college with a degree in psychology and went on to earn my master’s degree. I was ready to go out and solve all of the world’s problems. I then ran into the brick wall of reality.
I wanted to help young people. Kids with drug problems or emotional problems. Many of my clients were referred by the courts for being delinquents, a catch-all term for any act against the norms of society. They had the choice between jail, residential placement, or mandatory counseling. Naturally, they chose counseling.
Many of the teens I worked with came from dysfunctional families with long histories of abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, violence, and dependency on the welfare system. If anyone had an excuse for smoking pot, drinking, or skipping school, they did. How was I to convince them of the value of changing their behaviors while still living at home and maintaining their friends and relationships? They lived in a different world from the one I lived in.
