respond to all three peers post, share your professional experiences and feedback regarding their posts. How have your experiences resonated with their ideas? What can you add to their ideas, building upon the connections you have made to the material so far? What about the peer insights or quotes do you like that you might borrow? What did you notice about your peers' posts that you didn't think about for your post? Were you surprised by any of their posts?

Peer 1

I think of resilience as situational. Resiliency is determined by the person, even if on a subconscious level or on a case-by-case basis. Resiliency is determined by the person based on a specific situation: suicide in the family, loss of a job, or feeling isolated. How a person decides to be resilient is based on their perception of their ability to handle the stressors and their general disposition and psychological makeup. Resiliency is also determined, in part, by experiences in childhood, specifically Adverse Childhood Experiences. A child has been let down 20 times and gives up on change, does that mean he was not resilient the first 19 times? In this case, resilience appears to be born into this child but has been excised by life experiences. Each time a person is resilient, it is in response to a situation that requires resiliency of them to succeed.

Peer 2

In sharing my experience with my husband, I was excited to convey the transformative nature of the residency program. I discussed how it pushed me beyond my comfort zone, fostering personal and professional development. I also shared how meeting individuals from diverse backgrounds expanded my perspective and enhanced my ability to relate to clients from various walks of life. We also discussed that during my residency experience, I found myself in uncharted territory, far outside my comfort zone, yet it was an incredibly enriching journey. I had the privilege of being surrounded by like-minded individuals and it was a truly fantastic experience to connect with people from all walks of life, all united by our passion for counseling.

I explained how putting the newly acquired skills into practice was initially daunting, accompanied by anxiety and self-doubt. However, these challenges pushed me to learn and adapt rapidly, ultimately boosting my confidence in applying these skills effectively. In these moments of discomfort, I discovered my strengths and weaknesses as a counselor. This process of self-awareness was invaluable as it illuminated areas where I could improve and become a more reflective practitioner.

The main takeaway we discussed was how this journey taught me the power of reflection and its role in personal and professional growth. It's not just about acquiring knowledge but also about understanding how to use it empathetically and ethically to help others. Residency taught me to embrace discomfort as a catalyst for growth and never to stop striving to become a better counselor.

In light of this, the quote that encapsulates my experience in this course is:

"In discomfort, we find growth." - Unknown

This motto represents the essence of my journey during residency, where stepping out of my comfort zone allowed me to grow personally and professionally. It serves as a reminder that true development often arises from facing challenges and learning from them.

During our conversation, I realized that while the journey had been challenging, it had been instrumental in shaping my identity as a professional counselor. I realized that my passion for counseling had deepened, and my commitment to continuous growth and self-reflection had been reinforced. This experience reminded me of the importance of embracing discomfort to achieve personal and professional excellence.

Peer 3

Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt

I met with my mom to share my experience during this residency course. I was honestly dreading going to residency in Orlando. I do not like to travel and being around a lot of people makes me very anxious. The entire week before residency I had to build myself up and get my mind ready to go and socialize with other people. My mom was aware of the internal struggle that I was having before going to residency, so it was nice to talk to her about my experience during residency, not only about the social aspect but also about what I learned and how I progressed throughout the course. I have to say, I was not confident in my skills going into residency and the more I talked to her about it, the more I realized how much I doubted myself. My mom made me see that I doubt myself a lot and that I hold myself back more than I ever realized. I was proud to tell my mom how much my skills improved over just a few days. The very first day of residency I could barely talk to my partner for 30 seconds without stopping because I didn't know what to say next. The very next day I was able to get farther into the session but was still stopping often because I wasn't sure what questions we could or could not ask. It appears that I was hindering myself by thinking about the questions too much and what we were allowed or not allowed to ask. On the third day I only stopped once throughout the entire role-play session and I continued to improve, so that on the fourth day I didn't stop at all throughout the entire 20-minute session. I was excited to tell my mom how much I progressed and how well I was displaying the skills that I had learned. I think that a new revelation I had was that I am the only one holding myself back and that I am my biggest critic.

I chose the following quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, "Do one thing every day that scares you". This quote sums up my experience in this course and throughout residency. I was scared to go to residency, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to successfully utilize the skills that I had learned. I believe doing things that scare you bring you out of your comfort zone and help you grow and learn new things. For example, I went to residency and came back with more confidence in my skills and with new friends. I gained much more from residency than I ever thought I would.