open for business

I'm starting to get a little bit of a complex. As you know, I've been studying counselling. Down here in this part of the world it isn't the easiest to find good arenas for gaining experience. I went to a local relief agency and offered my services as a counsellor and sat down to wait for my first booked client. They never came so I waited for my second first client. They didn't turn up either. And so it went on. The pattern continued for a few weeks (I was only available one morning a week so I wasn't frittering away too much time) until I succumbed to the reality of people whose lives are far different from my own. When you are living hand to mouth day by day, counselling that sounded good at the time they picked up their food voucher didn't hold quite the same appeal one week later when the tummy was full. I said my farewells to the organisation and started hunting for another opportunity.

Not long afterwards I was head hunted by a company who offer workplace counselling. Ha. That's rather a generous description. This is Tasmania... head hunting isn't quite what it might be in other places. I had heard of this company, they had heard of me through a number of avenues, we met, they employed me and I started working with them on a small scale.

This evening was my first individual counselling session for the company. I set myself up in the office with time to settle my mind, wipe my sweaty palms and calm my beating heart. And then I waited. And waited. And waited. A quick phone call revealed the client... oh... had a work commitment and couldn't come. We have rebooked but - am I scary? Do I put people off? What's with this no-show business?

I'll try not to become too caught up in conspiracy theories on this one. Not that difficult really when I have a whole box of my first ever business cards to admire and caress. Me? Little Cecily? Business cards? How totally cool!

If all else fails I suppose I could recruit new clients with a business card drop from the air?