About

 

Founded in 2010, Bright Corn Enterprises offers support to providers of services for children and families in the community. We also offer direct services to children and families within the context of community programs

Connie M. Gould, MA, LPCC, LADAC is the sole proprietor for Bright Corn Enterprises

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I have lived in the state of New Mexico for more than forty years. During this time I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of communities both urban and rural.  My work has included working in community mental health as a counselor to children and their families.  In this setting I have also provided counseling services to people of all ages with a variety of presenting complaints.   Settings where I have had the opportunity to provide services are: medical hospital, therapeutic preschool, private practice office, middle school, elementary school, day care, early head start and preschool head start.  I am glad to use this experience as the foundation to provide the  services described on this web site.

Why the model of less information and more experience.  My motivation in developing workshops was to provide a place for mental health professionals and other service providers to come together to refresh and renew.  This desire comes from decades of working in agencies and seeing what providers experience.  My concern is both for providers and for those who receive services.  The healthier providers are, the better services they are able to provide.  It is more important than ever to have support in understanding ourselves and where we come from.  The new neuroscience research tells us that people decide whether to trust or not in a matter of seconds.  The more we understand our own process and are comfortable with who we are, the more accepting of clients we can be.  We also know now that there are skills we cannot learn by just talking about them.  We need to practice and experience what it feels like when we breathe or do art and have a new understanding emerge.  Practitioners often do not have time in their busy schedules to incorporate new skills in this way.  Bright Corn Workshops give people who participate a chance to practice skills and earn Continuing Education Credits while taking time for self-care.

Why the name Bright Corn? For several years I searched for a name.  I explored different symbols and different languages.  I had from an early age had an appreciation for different languages, cultures, and symbols.  It became clear at some point that I should chose a name from my own language.  Let it be simple and direct.  I had reached a point  where I had decide that I would use corn as my symbol.  Looking at ears of corn both for eating and for ornament gave me great pleasure.  I liked that corn was the sustaining grain of the Americas. I liked the saying.  “If it doesn’t grow corn, don’t do it” I began to think  of different colors of corn and to ask around just a bit.   I did not want to exclude anyone or any color.  Then I came upon a book called Less Than Half, More Than Whole   by Kathleen and Michael Lacapa. This book was of interest to me because I had concern for children in Indian communities where I was working who had mixed ancestry.  These children were part of a tribe but had a parent who was white, or African American or Hispanic or from a tribe different from where they were living.  They sometimes experienced teasing or even bullying because they were perceived to be different.  This book resonated with me.  When I reached the resolution of the story and the grandfather says to his grandson while showing him the multicolored corn,” this corn is like you.  It is one of great beauty because of its many colors.  And just as the corn with its many colors is a gift to the people, so you are a gift from the Creator.  Some of us will see only the blue in this ear of corn, and others will see only the red, but I do not see anything less than a whole ear of corn and all that it means to our people.  You are not half a person because of your color, my son, you are a whole beautiful person.”

I knew I had found my image.  Not one color but a mixture of all the beautiful colors together.  I chose to embrace this belief that we are all beautiful because of all that makes us who we are.  Bright Corn Enterprises.

Why the  South Valley of Albuquerque?  I have lived in the South Valley of Albuquerque for more than forty years.  This community has a combination of characteristics that has been supportive and inspirational for me.  My neighborhood is fifteen minutes from the city and has a rural life style.  You can have the best of both worlds-urban and rural. It is a down to earth working community with a strong Hispanic agricultural  heritage.  The wisdom of the county zoning has allowed me decades of the pleasure of raising animals.  My everyday work with goats,  chickens, cows, dogs and cats has provided balance to a life of sedentary learning.  This land and the animals that we raise here give me lessons for living each day.