I learned RC in 2007 as a sixteen-year-old. It has been a useful tool in my day-to-day life. 


FAMILY WORK

Family work has been the best, given that I live with and care for seven younger sisters and stepsisters. 


I had been doing family work—including sessions, appreciations, and mini-sessions with the teens and young adults at the compound. I hadn’t done much with the younger children (ages six to ten) except for listening, holding them when they cried, and doing special time (which they loved the most). They had never attended any sessions or classes with the teens and young adults. 


Then I invited the three little girls to join our class—and that was the end of my thinking they were not meant for it. Our class started with sharing what’s new and good. Then I did a brief introduction to RC for the three little children, especially about Co-Counseling sessions because we were going to have a session and I didn’t want them to be confused. Then we did a session on our earliest memory of hurt.


Listening to the little ones was my highlight of the class. One talked about loss of a loved one; her eyes became wet, and her voice trembled throughout like she was running out of [not finding] words. Another told us about hard experiences with her parents.


After the sessions, they shared what they liked about an RC session. Most of them mentioned eye contact, attention, listening without interruption, and all that they noticed. One said she liked that everyone was looking at her and held her hands. We closed with what we liked about ourselves and another person. 


For me, that marked the end of underestimating the capabilities of children when it comes to sessions and classes. I was amazed at their memory and the feelings they could access. I could feel with them.


The children at the compound continue to use RC tools in their day-to-day lives, especially confidentiality. When one tells something confidential and others let it out [repeat it], they let me know. When they are playing, one person talks at a time—if not, I hear about it.


The children are a good RC and family work team. They grasp things fast. They also have distresses that need to be discharged so they won’t be boxed in by distress recordings as they grow up. Helping them use the tools of RC is one of the biggest joys of my life.


ONLINE SESSIONS

My most reliable weekly sessions are every Monday online, with Co-Counselors who are over seven hours and 17,000 kilometers away. We have worked hard to keep and build this connection taking into consideration the time difference, people’s availability, and other factors. I treasure the sessions. My counselors encourage me to share my feelings, and I discharge a lot! When my feelings are negative, I get to work on them and leave them there. Then I am able to think rationally about a situation and the persons involved.