Where I'm At In December
Intentions and reflections
Hey. How are you?
Right now I’m sitting in my office, there’s about six inches of snow on the ground, and the sky is icy blue. It’s still early enough in the season that I find a lot of beauty and peace with the snow. (I’ll probably be singing a different tune in March…).
It’s December 1st and I’ve been thinking a lot about the new year. There are a lot of exciting things happening and while I normally use this newsletter as a teaching opportunity, I thought I would shift gears to share a few updates.
A Return to Conferences -
Next week I am traveling to the ADCES (Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists) Technology Conference in Chicago, my first in-person conference since January 2020! There has been a lot of change in the world of diabetes tech in the last three years and I’m excited to get some hands-on training as well as learn more about AID (automated insulin delivery) systems and how to make devices and technology more accessible overall. Keep an eye on your inbox for a full report!
I’m also excited that in March I will be heading to Orlando (see aforementioned reference to snow in March) to speak at the Mayo Clinic’s Diabetes Management CNE (Continuing Nurse Education) conference, where I’ll be discussing the impact of diabetes on mental health and what healthcare providers can do to support mental health within their diabetes management appointments. I’ll need some help on a few slides, so stay tuned for a reader survey! Crossing my fingers I will have more opportunities to do that with hospital systems around the country!
New Programs -
December is also going to have my nose to the grindstone as I finish producing my first-ever online diabetes coaching course. Previously I have done all of my work via online classes, like T1D & the 3Ps and Essentials of Pattern Management. In an effort to make these more accessible, self-paced courses will be launching January so you can have access to this information in really easy to digest-and-apply modules. There will also be added bonuses like call recordings from previous courses and monthly office hours so you can ask me anything you want!
There will be a special discount for those on the waitlist, so sign up for the list!
A Career Evolution -
Along these lines, next year will also bring some exciting professional changes and growth. This year my big focus (and accomplishment!) was passing the Minnesota board exam to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I absolutely love supporting personal transformations, so it makes sense that counseling and coaching would be an ideal career for me!
That being said, I want to focus even more in this realm of my work now that I have completed all my supervised counseling hours and passed my exam. Next year, I am giving myself more room to expand my diabetes education and coaching services, and finally (hopefully!) take and pass the exam to be a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist.
The interplay between mental health and physical health has never been more apparent to me, and providing diabetes education and coaching with a mental health lens (trauma-informed, mindset-focused, compassion-led, and systemically-oriented) feels like such an missed opportunity to help prevent a lot of the distress, burnout, anxiety and depression that generally lands clients in my counseling office. Imagine if every provider did this!
OK. I’ll get off my soap box and wrap up. It’s dark now.
I would love to hear from you. Drop me an email or comment and let me know how life is treating you.
I’ll talk to you soon.
cheers,
Allison