Blog 6: Experiential Learning

Today I’m reflecting on experiential learning. I've felt like the most learning I've had has occurred in an experiential setting. This is something I value that has been sadly lacking in much of my post-graduate experience. I have had one course (plus one currently) which is primarily experiential in nature. The first was micro-counselling, and the second was Group Dynamics and therapy. I feel and felt like I connect, learn, and link so much more readily in those course. In both, learning was done with a theoretical base, but the meat of the learning was done by doing. Even in my more traditional courses the moments I reflect on as having been good learning experiences later have been more experiential, like conducting a faux psychiatric interview or making movies reflecting different counselling theories. The courses that I hated were pure theory, and were made drier by a lack of activity. Slides, names, and dates will fade for me, but I think the learning I have done practically will be what sticks with me twenty years into my career.