Counselor Self Analysis

To ensure that all possible clients of all walks of life are successfully benefiting from the counseling profession, advancement in the assessment field should be of a primary concern for present and future counselors. It is understood and respected that a multitude of counselors vary in the foundations of their theoretical framework and collectively not all counselors participate in assessment with their clients, but as the counseling profession continues to grow the demand of expansion is critical.

There are various assessment tools obtainable for assessing the needs for patients or clients. The addiction professional uses assessment instruments as one component of the counseling/treatment process taking into account the client’s personal and cultural background. The assessment process promotes the well-being of individual clients or groups (NAADAC, 2015). This process helps determine how much and what kind of treatment your client needs. It is important to be aware of different types of assessments as well as being familiar with how they work in each situation. As we assess George we will use two different assessment tools to give as an example of how to assesss the needs of this client.

In the lives of counselor’s assessment plays a great role. Assessments are what shows the counselor what it is that their client is in need of help in. Like our book states, assessment is a complex, problem solving process that allows us to collect information in order to better serve our client (Drummond, Sheperis, & Jones, 2016). I was not aware of how involved counselors are in the testing process until I began this class. I now see that assessments also helps the client understand their own problems as well, it is just up to us to help them interpret the assessment.

In an effort to become a culturally aware counselor, Stephanie will want to become aware of her own assumptions, values, and bias (Sue & Sue, 2013). Counselors who have an awareness of this, are able to compare their world view with that of their client's and see how they can bridge the gap of understanding. Counselors should actively try to understand their clients worldview by asking questions about their clients cultural background, hopes, fears, and aspirations(2013), thus , gaining a better understanding of the client and who they are,enabling them to work with various clients despite the differences in backgrounds, race, gender, or culture.

I conduct a forty five minutes interview with Robin Gibson, a mental health professional that is actively involved in counseling divorced couples, remarried couples, and blended families in my local area of Hartsville, South Carolina. Robin Gibson has been a licensed counselor for eighteen years. Robin’s credentials consist of a LCP, Licensed Professional Counselors, and a CAC, Certified Addition Counselor. Robin is one of the licensed behavioral health counselors at Care South Carolina Community Health Center located at the Hartsville cite. Care South Carolina Community Health Center offers a variety of services that includes medical care of Family Practice, Pediatrics, Chiropractic, Dental, HIV/Aids, Counseling, Pharmacy, and Community Outreach,

According to the American Counseling Association (ACA) website the organization’s mission is to help society by offering well trained professional counselors. In the process, assisting counselors develop into the contingent professional’s in which society can depend upon, at the same time stimulating human self-worth and diversity. When counselors are trained in graduate school the aspects that goes into becoming a professional counselor, is they equipped with a vast amount of knowledge. Some of the basics include how to work with diverse populations, acknowledging their own biases, how to advocate for the client who is among an oppressed population, congruency with their clients, empathic listening and communication skills, knowing when to refer a client to the appropriately trained counselor and many more. All of these elements and more are just some of the tools, professional counselors are required in order maintain the standards the American Counseling Association’s mission statement entails.

I am currently employed by the Department of Defense, U.S. Army, and Information Management Command as an Education Technician. Having to advise and assist Soldiers in person, by phone and by internet seeking continued education using military educational benefits has changed my career interest. I decided to pursue my goal in Counseling. I am interested in completing my Master’s program so I can become more competitive in the Education and Counseling field of study. By completing this degree and advancing my knowledge both academically and professionally I will become more competitive to compete in the career field of counseling while working for the federal government.

Today, the majority of counselors and therapists operate from an integrative standpoint; that is, they are open to “various ways of integrating diverse theories and techniques” (Corey, 2009b, p. 449). In fact, a survey in Psychotherapy Networker (2007) found that over 95% of respondents proclaimed to practice an integrative approach (cited in Corey, 2009b, p. 449). Corey (2009a; 2009b) explains that no one theory is comprehensive enough to attend to all aspects of the human – thought, feeling, and behavior. Therefore, in order to work with clients on all three of these levels, which Corey (2009b) asserts is necessary for the

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Mental health counselors are still facing barriers in employment with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Although in December 2010, the VA released the qualification of standards in hiring LPMHs, there is still a shortage of LPMHs (NBCC, ). Today there are about 0.001% or licensed professional counselor working at the VA compared to 25% of all U.S. mental health professional (AAMF, n.d.). In 2015, the Department of Veterans concluded that license mental health counselor would be included in their hiring of 1,900 mental health staff positions (AAMF, n.d.). How can that be so when there is no series code for mental health counselors within the OPM. This is a limitation for mental health counselors when searching for a job within the Department

There is much to learn from all ancestral cultures including the new coin phrase sexual minorities . Mental heath professional is consistently evolving and practitioners must adapt to the changes within practice and ACA ethical guidelines. This paper explores a counselor 's level of competence, etiology findings for homosexuality, controversies with treatment practice by professional and paraprofessional therapy, and new frontier approach with client-centered approach. Since the multicultural movement has become a pillar for ACA code of ethics, it is with great importance to embrace new cultural styles. Although, the counseling field has a great paucity in empirical research; ACA task force remains optimistic in filling this gap. The objective is to help clients find congruence in their identity, belief, and values within their sexual orientation. Counselor must arm themselves with proficient training in multicultural competence, client-centered approach toward client identity edification, and having the integrity to guard clients from harmful clinical practice.

I would like to be considered as an applicant for the Counselor Education Program at North Dakota State University. I have knowledge of this program from researching the website and talking to faculty from NDSU. I will be completing a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology and a minor in Human Development and Family Science from NDSU in the spring, and am enthusiastic about further developing my education professionally.

One of my biggest fears when I become a therapist is awkward silence. I am not one to comfortably sit in silence with people. With that being said, one of my main questions for Dr. Wydra was what she prefers to do when silence occurs within her sessions. Her number one tip for me was to breathe. She said that you must learn how to allow silence and not to be the first to speak every time. She stressed that some amazing information can come out of a client if you actually allow silence to occur within a session.

As a future school counselor, I can reflect that these past eight weeks, I have a full understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a school counselor in a traditional high school. Practicum 2 has been learning experiences that I will remember as I start my new profession. I believe that being exposed and actively involved with a group of school counselors brought a wide range of knowledge that I plan to utilize in the future. As a continuum from my Practicum 1, the following CACREP standards are mentioned below.

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.