Becoming A Counselor

counselor that had faith in me doing good in high school and graduating with my class. When I came out

Becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) has important components to consider. Careful research about Colorado’s requirements to attain licensure is needed to learn more about these requirements. Once you have researched your state’s statutes and regulations, requirements of education, practicum and internship, and staying in good standing as a counselor, you are ready to consider a career as a professional counselor. A LPC is a futuristic goal that can be achieved once important components are considered.

During the past three years of college, my interest in counseling has been affirmed through a variety of experiences. One important experience that influenced my decision to pursue a career as a school counselor was my involvement in my community service sorority, Chi Delta Alpha. Through Chi Delta Alpha, I volunteered on several occasions, among them I babysat children to provide parents with a night off; I was responsible for a

Counseling is a tool that is widely used by many people. Merriam Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary defines counseling as advice and support that is given to people to help them deal with problems, and make important decisions. This paper examines the career of a Licensed Professional Counselor, the education requirements, certification and licensure levels or requirements, salary, and the future of this profession.

Often times choosing a career path that is compatible with a persons personality may not be as easy as one might believe it to be. On the other hand, once a person is fortunate to figuer out excaly what career path fit’s their personality, finding the job that best suits there finacial expectations usually becomes less of an mental strain. There are countless careers for all of us to choose from and if you enjoy’s helping those in need you may want to look into becoming a mental health counselor or a clinical social worker. However if you aren’t inerested in being too hands on with individuals in need there are two other careers that one may be interested in, which is Clinical management or Medical and Health management. These four professions are similar but different.

As I go down this road which is considered my life. I have realized that I have chosen the path of the person that I am today. My life up to this point was not an easy road and still has bumps in my future. In my past I have faced physical and emotional child abuse from my parents, death of my younger brother at a young age, my house burning down making my family homeless, Department of Family Services placing my brother and sisters into foster homes, and me becoming homeless again while trying finish high school. All of this led to me to joining the Army to realize there were different options in life. Learning from the past hardships is what led me to want to help others figure out to show they also can overcome hardships and that their past does not have to dictate their future. Throughout this paper I am going to take you through my journey by leading you through the concept of counseling as a professional identity, key characteristics of a counselor, duties and functions of the different areas I could pursue as a counselor, then the four career paths I would pursue, followed by the top two career paths I would enjoy, and top two professional settings that I would like to work.

My career goals are to become at license professional counselor, license chemical dependency counselor and a certified crisis counselor who specializes in trauma and career counseling. The steps I will take to achieve my career goals are, finish my degree and pass the required exams required by the state of Texas. In addition, I have to take 3, 000 supervised hours for the state of Texas to be license as a professional counselor. Since, I already have my LCDC-I, I just need 4,000 supervised hours to complete my chemical dependency counselor license. My personal growth is; I would like to growth as a professional counselor. I want to be able to be knowledgeable in the different approaches that I uses doing my practice. I believe the best way

During residency, I learned so many things about myself. As I matriculate through school, I have been thinking about my goals. My goal is to ultimately own my own practice. I would also like to have a non-profit organization that caters to teenagers. My short-term goal is to become a Licensed Professional Counselor for the state of Georgia.

Did you ever wake up and think how can I live up to the expectations of a licensed counselor? I know I do – everyday. Where are the resources that can guide me in the right directions when I am faced with a situation while practicing? The American Counseling Association is the resource that can provide me with tools that can facilitate my development as a future counselor. After I get my LCPC in the state of Maryland, I want to counsel children and adolescents with severe psychological trauma. The ACA website has an entire section on ‘trauma and disaster’ for children through adolescents.

Robert F. Kennedy, brother of president John F. Kennedy, is quoted saying, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Throughout my life certain events whether they be high or lows, triumphs or failures, have shaped my desire to earn a Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in pursuit of becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor.

As a senior in high school, I requested a lot from Ms. Williams. From numerous letters of recommendation to answering all of my college related questions, Ms. Williams was always willing. To be a counselor to over 300 students is a daunting task but Ms. Williams always handled it with much grace. I would find myself in Ms. Williams’ office every day, with the rest of the senior class, picking up new

Every person over the age of 19 can honestly say they have been a teenager, and as we all know the teen years can be pretty tough years. Being able to talk with an adult about these challenges is key to their future successes; unfortunately, many parents fall short on the explanation of God’s physical, emotional and spiritual design for them. This is where the Christian counselor comes in. It is my dream and goal to ultimately become a Christian counselor specializing in at-risk teens and families. To become a licensed Christian counselor, one must start the journey by setting solid academic goals and pursuing the education required for such licensure. For me, these educational goals include Associate’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Christian counseling.

As I generalize and outline my reasons for becoming a Counselor, I am reminded of the things on life in which I am passionate about. Throughout every aspect of my life, helping others has been the most prevalent attribute that is revealed in my life. Being in service as a minister for over twenty years has placed me in positions to offer service to those that are hurting, lonely, depressed and literally have lost their ability to hope. As a Counselor, I would be able to assist students with daily challenges that may have blocked their path of making logical decisions for their lives. I find it rewarding in helping others find solutions to their problems or to support and encourage them if their results are not as promising as they have imagine it to be.

In order to pursue my dream career in being an addictions counselor, I require a higher level of schooling to ensure that I will be doing a good job and be the perfect fit for my clients. There is a lot of courses that one can take in order to be an addictions counselor, but for me I got my eye on three. Firstly, I will need to have more studies in maths, this can be about any high level math class like algebra or business mathematics. For example, Indeed shares that you need to use math to understand how to build successful statistics (Ring). Thus, as an addictions counselor, I must be able to calculate factors like a drugs dosage and what it means to my client quickly in my head. Secondly, I will need to know about alcohol and drug abuse to be an effective counselor, this class is essential to be an addictions counselor.

As a potential counselor, there are different reasons why I choose this journey to be a helper, servant and a leader. Not only was my early experiences in life a stepping stone towards this path, but my faith in God and the realities of life led me as well. Even though I am still creating my future towards this goal, there is no doubt that I am called to be in servitude to others. In this journey, I am appreciating the learning fundamentals I have gained from the academic coursework, professionals/teachers and experience that I have encountered to be molded into a multicultural competent counselor. By taking advantage of this opportunity of learning, I have chosen a theoretical orientation that best suits me as a potential clinician according to my beliefs, values and logical thinking. It is also noteworthy to indicate that the self-awareness of my beliefs, values, interests and thought process has been further explored due to the assessments and activities of the Life Story Board, Meyer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Strong Interest Inventory (SII), My Career Story, and Career Genogram, including a reflection of my spiritual walk with Christ.