Due to my professional track, I had to look up and discover counselor occupations from O*Net and the Occupational Outlook Handbook. When first viewing O*Net I decided to invest time in the Occupation Quick Search by typing in “counselors” and retrieving over a hundred different occupation titles that fit into a counselors criteria. However after a couple of minutes I was able to pinpoint an exact occupational field that I was acquiring through graduate school, which is mental health counseling. Mental health counselors was first described as a “counsel with emphasis on prevention”, which I thought was extremely bizarre since mental health counseling does not only focus on prevention but it is also about reinvention of an individual, in accruing …show more content…
In additional one field in particular that I thought helped out the websites definition of counselor was the tasks, knowledge, work activities and detailed work activities which all contained five bullet points covering multiple expectations and skills needed for a mental health counselor. With the Occupational Outlook Handbook my search was quit different along with the description and occupations that go along. For instance in the Occupational Outlook Handbook the first profession that I came across when searing counselors was mental health counselors and marriage family therapists. At first I though this was odd, stating that both of the professions are the same thing, instead of representing mental health counseling and stating subfields of it such as marriage and family therapist, or child therapist. In fact the website described the overall summary as one thing, stating that mental health counselors and family therapist help people manage and overcome mental and emotional problems and or disorders in not only themselves but also other relationships. Due to this I received a new outlook and description of the field, such as both professions interacted in the same criteria, while
The first category, professional support services, is listed on the Career Interests assessment as well as the Skills Confidence assessment. This field has a school counselor and social worker listed as occupations. The third category, mental health and counseling services, also has social worker and school counselor listed, along with a few similar career choices. The last category on the Skills Confidence assessment, family and community services, is extremely similar to the mental health and counseling
Each person is unique with different gifts, abilities, and struggles. Counselors are committed to walk with individuals on their journeys to growth and healing without judgement.
The Mental Health Counselors have a closed variety of values needed for the job. Being with others and creating relationships with colleagues and patients is needed for this career choice. Peers whom enjoy the feeling of finishing work, accomplishing goals set, and achieving self accomplishment. This career choice stands high for the value of self independence. Working for no one, and being your own boss is big in this career. Self employed Mental Health Counselors make their own rules, and follow their own rules (O*NET OnLine). This means that if you enjoy not being told what to do, and being in charge, then this will be a good career.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is widely short-term and concentrates on enabling clients to deal with very particular problems. Often six weeks to six months sessions of course depending upon the problem it is pacifically goal directed and places great weight upon self-help as a long term coping tool that the client can take away with them and successfully use. Cognitive-behavioural therapy believes that clients can learn the wrong ways of developing and making sense of information during their cognitive development. This can often lead to distortions in the way they identify reality, it’s the job of the therapist to enable them to work this out.
The American Counseling Association website defines professional counseling as “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.” As the counseling profession has grown and the demand has increased over the years there has been some confusion of what the difference is between counseling and psychotherapy. Sharf (2012) reports, often times
Why do you believe you are a good candidate for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Argosy University?
As a mental health counselor in training, I look forward to continuing the process of being aware of my own beliefs and biases. I also recognize that I am human and anticipate some life issues presented by clients will present challenges that I encounter.
The counselling process is based on the exchange of emotions between the client and the counsellor which aims to form an alliance (Hough, 1998). It involves the counsellor using skills in which they possess in order to communicate effectively with clients (Hough, 1998). This reflective essay clearly articulates my application of counselling skills used in this practice session and suggestions for improvement. It will provide a summary of the session, identification of a range of skills used and a brief explanation of the reasons for using the skill. It will also provide an evaluation of my application of the skills chosen, including verbatim examples, suggestions for improvement, also including verbatim examples to demonstrate what could
This paper will explore the concept of dual relationships between counselors and clients and the ethical implications of such relationships. In addition to presenting several examples of dual relationships, this paper will also explore how ethical decisions must be made to avoid potentially harmful or exploitive relationships in therapy as well understanding how different interactions between counselor and clients can be understood from an ethical standpoint, as well as how reviewing these ethical dilemmas may shape my future career as a counselor.
Theories play an important role in how a counselor serves their clients. Theories provide counselors with a foundation on which to build their counseling style. “Theories ground us as professional counselors. They provide a means to understand what we are doing, how we are serving clients, and how to explain counseling to clients” (Erford, 2010). Counselors are responsible for being aware of different theories in order to apply them appropriately within their practice. Established and new theories play an important and constant role in mental health counseling. Established theories in mental health counseling are based on “empirical or scientific foundations” (American Counseling Association, 2005). The best way to gain the most
A mental health counselor often helps their clients make positive choices and changes due to the decisions and insights they help facilitate. Many counselors work in hospitals with psychiatric patients or with mentally ill adults in continued day treatment programs. Some choose private practice or practice in counseling centers, government agencies, and corporations and youth homes. They usually work in pleasant and comfortable surroundings, working a standard workweek. Some counselors are available weekends or evenings for the convenience and needs of their clients. Mental health counselors are an extremely valuable part of the healthcare system.
The purpose of this paper is for me to present a summary of a personal interview had with Heather Smith, a clinical mental health counselor. It will further explore a day to day basis on how working as a clinical mental health counselor, may be. Lastly, it will also reflect my personal reflections about my future as a counselor based on information learned in this course.
I’ve always been passionate about understanding others; stepping into their shoes and seeing, thinking, and appreciating the lives they live. I think it is important to take that extra step and see things from a different point of view. It is the only way to achieve a true understanding. I believe in this philosophy so much so, that it’s one of the main reasons I have this blog; to give others a glimpse of a life with mental illness. I’ve been in treatment for 2 months and 26 days and I think it’s time for another peek into my brain.
Mental health counselors work with individuals, families, and groups to address and treat mental and emotional disorders and to promote mental health. They are trained to address a wide range of issues, including depression, addiction and substance abuse, suicidal impulses, stress management, problems with self-esteem, issues associated with aging, job and career concerns, educational decisions, issues related to mental and emotional health, and family, parenting, and marital or other relationship problems. Mental health counselors often work closely with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, and school counselors. (US Department of Labor)
Counseling is a relatively new profession which has transformed over time from treating mental illnesses to providing educational guidance to counseling with a variety of specializations. Pistole summarizes by stating that counselors, now, aim to, “contribute to the vitality and vigor and to the soundness in body, mind, spirit, and social connection that sustains well-being, and so is considered, by our society, to be health” (2001). However, this was not always the case. National events such as the industrial revolution, World War