Becky Coplen and the crew over at The Mastering Counseling podcast reached out a few months ago and invited me to be a guest. Their show is made for folks who, vocationally, are counseling-curious. The podcast turned out to be a fun example of an exposition of giftedness that isn’t just for gifted people.
I tell some of my story, describe some of the gifted experience, and discuss ways to help gifted clients through counseling, coaching, and Improv.
Click here to go to the podcast.
Gifted and giftedness definitions continue to evolve as our understanding does. This blog post gives a glimpse of my briefest working definiton.
(This piece originally appeared as an article for the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented. It is written for all of the parents who realized their own giftedness after their children were identified as gifted)
It’s Me: The Moment
My son was identified as gifted by his school. He was having sensory issues, and they couldn’t teach him anything. He kept acing every test without trying. He was disrupting the class, too, but anyway, we had him evaluated, and it turns out he’s got a GAI score of 146. So my husband and I started reading whatever we could find about giftedness. I was reading about Bore-Out one night when it hit me. My eyes didn’t blink for a full minute… “It’s me. That’s me.”
You were digging around to learn how to help your gifted child become as happy and as healthy as they could be. You read the books and listened to the podcasts. You attended the trainings and joined the organizations. You were on a mission to optimize all that intensity of theirs into a fulfilling life. You just want your children to live in their fullest expression.
Poetic reasoning is a creative process rather than a scientific one. Whereas the scientific method insulates the subject of study from imagination and progresses incrementally toward a conclusion, the creative process starts with intense imagination regarding the subject and omnidirectionally guides both us and it through time-space toward deeper understanding of everything.
Whereas scientific reasoning values control, poetic reasoning values connection. Whereas scientific reasoning accumulates evidence, poetic reasoning explodes in the heart and deepens throughout a lifetime and beyond.
This article invites you into Poetic Reasoning and our eight-week course for gifted adults to explore creative consciousness. Begins Jan. 19, 2025.
Gordon Smith is now a licensed counselor in Connecticut. Specializing in work with gifted adolescents and adults, Gordon is an experienced therapist who gets neurodivergent, gifted people.
Rachel Fell and I have been looking for new ways to respond to failing systems in proactive and generative ways, and we invite you to…
Positive Disintegration Podcast has been a centerpiece of gifted information and community for over three years, and @Chris Wells and Emma Nicholson have been so generous with their time and insights. I had the pleasure of joining them for Episode 75 (and an epic vulnerability hangover that prompted another evolution for me personally). Have a listen, and please share with anyone you feel would be aided by it.
“Gordon shares how his rediscovery of giftedness helped him make sense of his life and deepen his work with clients. The conversation dives into the challenges of unmasking in front of others—especially family—and how the safety of group spaces can empower people to become more fully themselves. Gordon introduces his unique group offerings and the powerful “Magnum Opus” exercise that facilitates self-discovery through poetry and flow state.”
