HOW AI SEES ME... ACCURATE

 

Infographic: Professional and Personal Profile – Vivian

Title: Vivian – Professional and Therapeutic Development

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Professional Profile

• Mental health counseling intern

• Interested in a career transition to vocational rehabilitation counseling

• Specialization in art therapy and creative therapeutic approaches

• Experience working with adolescents and emotional skills development

• Skills: DBT, CBT, impulse control techniques, emotional regulation, mindfulness, art-based interventions

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Professional Interests and Skills

• DBT techniques applied in art therapy: DEARMAN, GIVE, FAST, TIPP

• Interventions for: impulsivity, self-control, anxiety, depression, self-esteem

• Use of creative/artistic projects as tools for emotional reflection and regulation

• Development of concise, practical treatment plans for adolescents

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Personal Interests

• Passion for art and painting

• Interest in mindfulness and meditation

• Curiosity about emotions and human development

• Enjoyment of stories and cultural characters (e.g., Harry Potter)

• Focus on self-expression and personal growth

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Values and Motivations

• Innovation: seeks solutions outside conventional approaches

• Clarity and conciseness: professional documentation and strategies delivered directly

• Emotional care: genuine support for client well-being

• Professional growth: transitioning into roles combining therapy and vocational guidance

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Therapeutic Style

• Direct and practical, without over-simplification

• Integration of DBT and CBT with art-based interventions

• Focus on self-reflection, emotional regulation, and creative expression

• Oriented toward actionable and effective outcomes for adolescents

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Infografía: Perfil Profesional y Personal de Vivian

Título: Vivian – Desarrollo Profesional y Terapéutico

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Perfil Profesional

• Pasante de consejería de salud mental

• Interesada en cambio de carrera hacia consejería de rehabilitación vocacional

• Especialización en arteterapia y terapia a través del arte

• Experiencia trabajando con adolescentes y desarrollo de habilidades emocionales

• Competencias: DBT, CBT, técnicas de manejo de impulsos, regulación emocional, mindfulness, intervenciones de arte terapéutico

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Intereses Profesionales y Habilidades

• Técnicas DBT aplicadas a arteterapia: DEARMAN, GIVE, FAST, TIPP

• Intervenciones para: impulsividad, autocontrol, ansiedad, depresión, autoestima

• Uso de proyectos artísticos y creativos como herramientas de reflexión y manejo emocional

• Desarrollo de planes de tratamiento concisos y prácticos para adolescentes

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Intereses Personales

• Pasión por arte y pintura

• Interés en mindfulness y meditación

• Curiosidad por emociones y desarrollo humano

• Gusto por historias y personajes culturales (ej. Harry Potter)

• Enfoque en estrategias de autoexpresión y crecimiento personal

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Valores y Motivaciones

• Innovación: busca soluciones fuera de lo convencional

• Claridad y concisión: documentación y estrategias profesionales directas

• Cuidado emocional: apoyo genuino al bienestar de clientes

• Crecimiento profesional: transición a áreas que combinan terapia y desarrollo vocacional

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Estilo Terapéutico

• Directa y práctica, sin sobre-simplificación

• Integración de DBT y CBT con intervenciones artísticas

• Enfoque en auto-reflexión, regulación emocional y expresión creativa

• Orientada a resultados concretos y aplicables para adolescentes

NOT AT 100% BUT BOUNCING BACK

Once again another time jump... 2025... 

I am not at 100% but trying...

• Cant see well... Low vision since 09/24
• It will be Deedee's 13th wings anniversary this week.
• Her 18th birthday was on 08/17/25... Well, could have been...
• Willie passed away 06/15/25. 
• My sister Edni passed away in 02/19/22.
• Gladys passed away 06/2021
• Sti passed away 02/18
• Deedee passed away 10/12

On better news:

• K turned 15 this year!
• Graduated on 11/2024 MCC. I'm RMHCI in Florida.
• Got our own house on 06/2024
• Remember self-compassion and gratitude

Reminders for the days when you don’t feel 100%:

• Energy is cyclical, not constant.
• Like seasons or tides, our capacity fluctuates, so let go of the guilt.
• You’re not falling behind. You’re just in a lower gear today.
• Some days, showing up is the win.
• You don’t always need to exceed.
• Just being present, trying, or doing one small thing can be a powerful act of perseverance.
• Grace fuels consistency.
• Beating yourself up rarely helps.
• Self-compassion keeps you moving forward far more than shame ever will.

READS TO READ

Just bringing here things so I don't forget them. 

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REST

 by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang.

This eye-opening book flips the script on rest. It shows that deep rest isn’t the enemy of great work - it’s the foundation.

Drawing on neuroscience and stories of high performers, Pang makes the case that we get more done by doing less.

It’s a must-read for anyone battling burnout.

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2023 THE OUTER LIMITS

 

Between studying and working time has taken me in a bullet train. Right now I seem to be near the biggest turning point I the past 10 years about who I am and what I do. Life has throuwn many lemons, and the lemonade has been bitter many times, but nevertheless I have resisted, persisted, rebirthed and achieved… on my own. I sorely miss my best friend who is in Heaven… Since Steve’s departure many things have not been the same. I had no idea of how important he was not just in my life but in my family’s life. It has been extremely hard pushing through without his cheerleading 24/7. Deedee's loss was the first impact... the second was Steve... But… here I am. My hubby keeps on being the guardian of everything that holds our family together, and every now and then I remind him who is boss (me of course!)… It is always about Mark, Kali, and me.

It is sad that the support from life-friends wanes and flickers as channels passed by… I love returning to the same shows but the channels are filled with static… On my end those chosen ones are always first place… but I know on their side I am past not present. I try to reach out but the frequency is too different, images are so distorted, and one-sided efforts nulls transmission. I can’t keep on efforts and energy on people who won’t reciprocate. I will always welcome channels that signal for contact, but if the lines stay dead there is not much I can do. Sulkin and fading in the darkness is not my style.

I reached the half-century! The 50th trip around te sun celebration was dull, I could not do what I wanted (a simple visit t Vieques) but I got to go home and visit the mandatory tombs (Deedee, Gladys) and Willie (felt like a goodbye) and mother (felt as usual).

My eye issues landed changes on me that hinted on bad omens but that I have flipped into knowing a different world. I’ve been using an eye patch because of displaced retina on right eye. I am trying using my computer glasses without the patch but reading is extremely tricky, the converse sight clashing with the correct one… I drive short distances but I’m not insane enough to go into a highway… that would be a hazzard.

I discovered audiobooks for studying, so when I thought I had to stop I discovered I could do anything. I’m finally one class away from finishing “textbook courses” and completing Internship so I graduate. I will get my Master in Clinical Counseling in June 2024, if the plan keeps rolling. It has been true labor since starting in 2019… going through operations, elder caregiving, and job constraints. Just one more year… I will attempt to take my National Certification Examination in October this year. And I just joined the Omega Nu Lambda National Honor Society for Belleview University as my grades have been beyond excellent, as always.

I should be an official graduate Clinical Counseling Intern by August 2024, when I hope to finally be able to start my new career, leaving behind all my years in the Information Technology area. I KNOW I REALLY look forward to that moment. I should not have studied Business, but either Psychology or Art… I am good with computers, but in the core it has always been about human expression and freeing the mind. I know it will be hard work, especially facing so much stigma because I am Puertorrican. Life in Mainland, USA has been a constant fight because I have been constantly judged by my roots and what everyone perceives from it. I know how power and privilege works because I have experienced the pressures and assumptions from the white baseline. It was horrible in TN, it was bad in NJ, and it gets very appalling and unexpected in FL. Because I have a strong accent people assume I don’t know English. Over the phone, people assume they are calling outside the US… The uprising of people just being entitled and extremely ignorant has been hard to endure… And, ageism is real. People have to get in the boat, 50 is the new 25. Here I am!

So, this has been the highlights from the past few years:

·        2019 Did a one year temporary assignment at Disney Plus phone guest service. That was a welcomed change of pace, but hours created havoc. I was back to Group Reservations on 2020, still there. The fixed schedule has allowed me to study.

·        Had to take a leave at end of December 2020 s my Great Aunt was alone in a hospital, because of dementia. I went home, helped her get stronger and out of the hospital. Then helped her being able to sit, so I could bring her with me to Florida. She was able to see Cinderella’s Castle a second time (first was in 1987)… one last time. She recognized me for 2 minutes.

·        My Great Aunt Gladys passed away in June 2021 at age 97. I’m glad I was able to bring a last smile to her before she went away. All I am, I owe to her, and Willie. She was the epitome of what being a mother is.

·        By August 2021 I had to get some laser treatment because of an avalanche of floaters in my right eye. After the 3^rd treatment I got sick, and while coughing I had a hemorrhage that displaced my retina. I could see nothing with my right eye. I had to wear an eyepatch to read with my left eye. Had an operation by December, then a cataract operation in March… It is certain that vision will be bad in my right eye, accepting that norm. I do have quite of an eyepatch collection! I try using just the computer glasses now, but I notice I close my eye to compensate, so… depending on what I’m doing I wear the eyepatch. Fighting double vision gets tiresome… but a crappy eye won’t define me. Found solutions and have been moving on.

·        2023: Finally found a site to do my Practicum. I’m hoping this works out to do at least one Internship there as well. I don’t know if I will need to get a second site to comply with specific program requisites but I’ll get there when I cross this first bridge. Now in Summer I’m taking Advanced Counseling and completing Practicum. In Fall I will have the last course, Careers Counseling, and first Internship. Second and third Internship will be in Winter and Spring.

If I look tired… is because I am! But I will complete this. I have another half-century ahead of me where I will do what I am meant to do: Art, Roleplay, Travel and help change the world one person at a time. Everything I have endured through losses and rebirths have led me to this moment in time: The Outer Limits.   

WHAT'S NEW IS OLD

Update before Thanksgiving… Well, the list go like this:

• September 11: Operation taking out fibroid and uterus
• Medical leave of 6 weeks due to recuperation from the operation
• October 21: Short trip to PR, arranged for auntie’s roof fixing
• Back to work, trying to hold on to hope of getting callback from interviews…
• Got a call from the Autism Center. Excited about that job change prospect!
• And $6,000 later, Auntie’s roof is finally fixed! That’s the happy news. Sad, back to being broke.
• November 1: Got the operation bill… Not pretty.
• Hubby was moved from Volcano to Islands while Volcano is closed… Good, he was not fired! Bad, only works 2 days a week…
• My paycheck has been small the last 3 weeks because of retroactive medical insurance payment, not good at all.
• Bills piling up, behind in power and behind in phone. Trying to figure out how to pay it all.
• Exercise… back little by little. Air-walk 45 minutes every other day. Slow but certain.
• Nov 17: I added another class to see if I can manage 2 this time, I need to start doing that to try finishing the Master by Spring 2022. So, for Winter 2020 it will be Diagnosis and Marriage/Family Counseling.
• Nov 18 May need to quit FAC before starting… Still mixed feelings, still feeling I should say f@%k it and just do it.

I’m deeply depressed. Not getting a callback from any of the interviews in Puerto Rico… Gladys had a fall 2 weeks ago… I may be forced to decline FAC because how we will survive December and January? The usual missing Deedee and missing Steve… No friends looking for us, feeling so alone… Having to smile and just bear with it all. I feel cornered…

I am at the river bend, deciding if I stay at Disney or if I go to FAC. I want to make the change, I was extremely happy and hopeful for the change… But the timing stinks. Our finances depend on me until February… Going to FAC I’ll officially start getting payment on Dec 31^st. It is a big risk, we have no savings, nothing to back us up…. Should I stay or should I go…

Staying as I am would mean one more year of this… One more year… of unhappy, stressed, highly anxious… I looked forward to change… Good change… But once more, others come first. Duty, responsibility, suck it up and go on. Feels like so much effort is for nothing. I feel no matter what I do… my wishes are not to come true.

 “The choices are your and your alone”… I want to stay in PR… no job. Here I have a job, unhappy… Or here I can finally start a new job, uncertain… Studies? More loans versus Disney paying… Choice, choices… Rent and old bills... It doesn’t feel like I have a choice at all. Not my moment. 

When will it ever be my moment?

 

 

UPDATE 101

In 2019 I began a new master's degree: Mental Health (Clinical) Counseling. It has been a somewhat slow progress since I can only take 1 class at a time because of work... But you can bet it is slow but certain. So far, I've taken these courses:

Residency 1
MCC 501 Helping Relationships & Orientation to Counseling Profession
MCC 502 Introduction to Counseling Theories
MCC 503 Statistics & Quantitative Research Methods
MCC 504 Qualitative Research Methods & Program Evaluation
MCC 530 Ethical, legal & Professional Issues (current class)
MCC 540 Human Development Through the Lifespan

CURRENT GPA 3.77 with 31% of the program completed so far. Woohoo!

I am very psycho about having A's because after finishing this I want to apply to the University of Florida to complete a PhD in Art Therapy. They do this in Tallahassee, FL. That journey will be very interesting... but baby steps. Right now I have to keep focus on the classes before taking the Practicum and Internships. Those will be interesting... as they take time beyond what I have. I know that work/ study balance will then lean towards just study... Hopefully by then I can get paid internships... We will see.
All in all, I foresee one more year os studying (theory). I expect to finsih all theory by Winter of 2021. Disney has been paying for my degree.

So... I'm still at Disney Groups Reservations. Not the best for me, I guess that not the worst. I've been work at home before the pandemic, and my leader is right, this is the best option if I'm studying. I just have to "suck it up" for now, until I can finish my degree and work in what I really really want.

Still living at the same ghetto apartment... And will be so until we can get a house. That is another goal in target. Hubby has been 2 years with Universal, and is cleaning up his slate to see if we can do something about it. Still in the horizon, but... Slow but certain.

I also began my Sporty Spice alter ego journey. Exercising for a month now. I don't see visual results, but from not being able to complete 5 minutes of walk I am at a steady 20 minutes of normal walking/walking fast. So there is a change after all. Hoping to get in shape so sugar is completely controlled and doctors stop harassing me.

Depression... Ongoing. What can i say. I feel sad all the time. I miss Deedee. I miss Steve. I hate not being able to take care of Gladys. I hate being here and not in Puerto Rico. I don't like not being close to the beach, not going to my beloved lighthouse and not being able to hug Willie, Gladys and friends. I have no close friends beyond Maria and Alex... and I do not talk to them as regularly as I wish... I just don't feel calling. And no one calls me. So... I miss my daily talks with Steve... Our weekend outings/adventures. Steve's death made my whole world blow up, since it was all being glued by duck tape since Deedee's death. I know what I have to do... I do it. But I feel... empty.

"Keep believing, keep pretending"

 

WAYFINDING

I am lost in a sea of doubt and confussion, despair and doubt. I know who I am, but who I am is not important any longer. I know I must transform, but change is not directly in my hands because of the daily rat race that leads nowhere and is a circle in itself. I need to find a way to get the teaching courses and the media specialist certification so I can try to move that way. I know that just working in a business wont make me happy. My calling is elsewhere. I felt at home with assistive technology, and love that area, but the journey to be taken seriously in that niche is way too long right now. Maybe the start of it all could be simply the media specialist... Maybe.

I need to keep focus and just settle in the rat race not quitting. We should get the opportunity to have studies paid... any studies. And I should take advantage of that. When the time comes, submit to get the teaching credentials and the media specialist credentials. This should be a 2 year journey if it happens... not bad thinking I've been just looking for answers for 5 years now.

So... Stay as you are. Get enrolled. Get financial help to complete courses I need. And then make it so. That is the plan. I just hope I can accomplish it. I just hope I can stand the pressure... I am so tired of being on the phones, and of getting sick all the time. I dont have any other options left... Ad I know this is the last call to get into the big boat of dreams...