STEPS - Library - Central Queensland University

Part Four: Student transformations
Lucy’s steps of change
Lucy Lowry
My name is Lucy. I am now approaching my 45 th birthday and I am
currently separated after a 20-year marriage. I also have two sons, Daniel
20 and Jacob 18, who both live with their dad at present. As I write this, I
am sitting at my computer in my lovely little single bedroom flat in
Mackay, and gladly reflect on my journey into further education and my
desire to change my employment choices.
I have always had a love of communicating with people on an intimate and
deep level. What I mean by that is drawing out of people their stories, their
journeys and how that is for them, in the hope that I might share or gain
some new insight or knowledge that might add to the experience of life.
Therefore, a career in counselling seemed to be the inevitable way to go for
me, but my life circumstances did not present that choice. I grew up in
England and had a very amazing childhood, one filled with travel and
constant change — changes in schools, home location, the county we lived
in, social life, family and friends. My education was far more honed by life
experience than that of the formality of school; in fact at 14 years of age,
staying in school no longer was an option for me. Thank goodness
hairdressing apprenticeships were in abundance in 1975, because this is
where my young adult journey started.
I loved hairdressing and excelled during my apprenticeship, winning many
awards and eventually buying my own little salon in Sydney. However,
even though my hairdressing career served me well and gave me many
communication skills, I wanted something more out of working with
people. After I married Steve Lowry in 1985, hairdressing took a back seat
for a few years so that I could devote myself to our two sons, Daniel and
Jacob. During this time, Steve and I became involved in church-based
youth groups and church ministry, which for me filled a great void in
connecting with people and speaking about their lives.
When Daniel and Jacob were settled into school, I opened another
hairdressing business and ran that for five more years, loving every minute
of it too. But I still wanted more out of my life. I wanted to give more back
to others and have a greater impact in the helping process. I felt frustrated
and trapped by my lack of formal education and, in many ways, helpless to
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