Lee Parent      

In many ways, I'm just an ordinary guy. I put on my pants
one leg at a time just like everybody else. In many other ways I am unique, as
we all are in our own special way. So what sets me apart from other people?
Factors such as gender, race, nationality, religious beliefs, and primary roles
in life among other things serve as a means of establishing one's personal
identity. Probably our life experiences and how we have responded with our own
ways of coping and adjusting to the constant changes in our life tend to make
us the person we are.
Major changes in life are often brought about by an event
or series of events. These events can be joyous occasions or disastrous and can
have the effect of disrupting life?s adjustments. There is usually some sense
of loss with all of the accompanying emotions that a loss entails. Emotions
such as anger, grief, guilt, depression and anxiety to name a few can overwhelm
and immobilize us making decision-making difficult, often leading a person to
grab at straws so to speak in an effort to cope. Although temporary, in this
state of crisis adjustments are broken down and one's normal means of coping
with stress may be inadequate or unavailable. In this situation people need all
the information and support they can get, and given that they make new
adjustments and get on with their life.
My point in discussing change is that
any change, no matter how devastating, is accompanied by an opportunity to
improve one?s adjustments and experience personal growth in their life. I have
spent the greater part of my adult life as a licensed clinical social worker.
Typically, people have a difficult time making needed changes in their life
until they are forced to do so. It has
been somewhat of a passion with me to enable people in crisis to recognize
their opportunity for positive change in their life and supporting them in
their process of readjustment. I have come to think
of myself as being a master of positive c...