How To Achieve My Goals As A Mental Health Counselor

Substance abuse counseling is the profession that I will be pursuing upon my completion of my educational requirements needed

Becoming a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor is not as easy as people may think. Every state has a different process to become a licenses counselor. This paper discusses the difference between prices, hours to even credits. I will be comparing the state of Florida and New York. There are certain process that are the same yet many different. As a student going to school for Clinical Mental Health Counseling you would think every state would be the same.

During and immediately after my undergraduate course, I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at the American Counseling Association and as a houseparent for an institution that houses mentally ill individuals. The association welcomes students and encourages them to offer voluntary services while they have an opportunity. My experience at the association, as a houseparent, and currently as a paraprofessional for mentally ill adults and children with behavioral problems provided me with a solid footing as well as the necessary resources to prepare for my career in counseling. The experiences gave me an opportunity to attend several conferences and workshops where I had the chance to meet and interact with other professional counselors. These opportunities opened me up and exposed me to numerous challenging situations that helped me to grow both personally and professionally. Interacting with more qualified and experienced people in the association, institution for the mentally ill, and agency that I currently work for has helped me to develop confidence in my work as I sought their assistance and guidance whenever I needed help. The experiences gained while working at the association was helpful to me as I could apply that knowledge and the skills learnt to help my church members. At my church, I was a youth leader and

A doctoral degree combining both supervisory professional mental health counseling skills and counselor education has always been at the forefront of both my personal and professional goals. Being afforded the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision will allow me the ability to enhance my professional competencies and achieve my set goals. My primary desire is to obtain a position as a college professor that will allow me to nurture the professional growth and maturity of future mental health professionals. Pursuing the doctoral degree will simultaneously assist in developing skillsets that will further prepare me for advanced opportunities in not only teaching but supervision and research. Additionally, I desire to devote time and research to small rural communities to establish prevention based programs that will bridge communities as it relates to mental health challenges. A PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Capella University will afford me the opportunities to positively impact change in future professionals and the communities for which I serve.

I spent endless hours studying psychology books and learning about biochemistry. I discovered that the makeup of an individual was a result of a complex combination of one’s social environment and the composition of one’s brain. All of this self-taught knowledge now only distracted me from the disastrous circumstances around me gave me a clear picture of where my place was in the world; to pursue a career in Mental Health. As unfortunate as the circumstances were, this was the time in my life where I had the opportunity to communicate with families of ailing loved ones and the patients themselves. My passion for interacting and understanding stemmed from my early childhood exposures to people in these types of settings. Instead of isolating myself from the world, these observations didn’t diminish my dream of being a Mental Health Counselor but strengthened it. I instantly gravitated towards listening to other people 's problems and offered suggestions on how to deal. More importantly, I discovered the immense feeling of satisfaction garnered when I was able to support others in need. Considering the positive feedback I received, I was certain that being a Therapist of some kind was what I am suited to do with my life and that it is my calling. Whether it is close friends, family, or just peers, I am constantly willing to lend an ear, now and then. Even if I did not feel adequate proposing

Currently, I am a counselor in training at East Carolina University within the Department of Addictions and Rehabilitation Studies. Upon graduation, I will be pursuing licensure as a Clinical Addiction Specialist and a Professional Counselor. I am working at the Navigate Counseling Clinic, under the supervision of Qunesha Hinton, who also serves as my ECU doctoral student supervisor. My faculty supervisor is Shari Sias, Associate Professor, Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling Program Director at East Carolina University (office number: 252-744-6304; email: siass@ecu.edu) and facility supervisor is Dr. Leigh Atherton at Navigate Counseling Clinic (office number: 252-744-6300; email: athertonw@ecu.edu) .

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.

There are many resources and organizations available for the professional development of counselors in all areas of specialization. The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) is a national organization that provides addiction counselors “…nationally-standardized certification, education, and clinical training to obtain the skills, qualifications, and experience that allow you to make progress in your career” (NAADAC, 2013). Their concern for professional development helps addiction counselors by giving them the tools to advance in their careers and continue to develop the personal skills necessary for working with clients struggling with drug, alcohol, and many other addictions. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is an international organization that offers “…a wealth of professional development opportunities, from its annual conference to its regularly scheduled webinars, from self-paced topic specialist training to one-day workshops” (ASCA, 2014). While both organizations offer education to the counseling professional,

In June 2014, I registered with the North Carolina Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board for certification as a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, and began private supervision. I passed the state examination the following year. Through discussions with my colleagues and professional supervisor, as well as interactions with university professors, I developed a desire to provide advanced counseling through social work practice. I believe social work provides the best means to provide healing for the whole person in their environment.

To be a mental health counselor a high level of education is needed. Therefore a typical entry level of education is a master’s degree (BLS.gov). Most mental health therapist go to school for 4 years and get a master’s degree. Getting a master degree is what is required, but getting a higher degree would help with your career a lot. Going to school and getting a higher degree of level of education will help you’re salary increase (Careerinpsychology.org). Getting a bachelor of a PhD is going to increase pay and going to help you with more business, if in private practice. While getting an education a license is needed to work as a mental health counselor (Mentalhealthcounselor.org). Getting a license is required. Having a license will help

I had the privilege of talk to Diana W. Bear of the Inter-Tribal Substance Abuse/Prevention & Treatment Center. She is a Counselor at the facilities at Miami, Oklahoma. She confided in me why she pursued a career in substance and alcohol prevention as a second career in her life. She also had family member that difficultly with addictions and wanted to know more about addiction. With her desire to learn and overwhelming desire to want to help others to overcome it. She started by enrolling in some online class and finished up with attending Pittsburg State University for part of her college career. She started out as doing her practicum at the same facilities as she later got a job; she has been a counselor with Inter-Tribal Substance Abuse/Prevention & Treatment Center for now ten years.

The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) is an organization of professionals who focus on addiction counseling. The NAADAC prides itself on four main roles: professional development, public engagement, professional services and to communicate its mission. The organization will aide in professional development by providing the most current education and training to ensure counselors are adopting the newest evidence based practices in their work (Tuohy, C., n.d. para. 2). NAADAC also provides mentorship and a career path, which are always essential for continued growth. While the NAADAC is directed towards addiction professionals; The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) supports school counselors. The ASCA also provides assistance in professional development as well as mentorship for its members. By providing annual conferences, webinars, specialist training to one-day workshops, the ASCA is committed to the professional development of its members (n.d. para 2). Both of these organizations provide publications that administer the latest knowledge regarding the organization and profession. Although a membership fee is required for both of these associations, the benefits make it well worth it.

Mental and emotional health can have interpersonal, and social impacts; I want to provide evidenced-based mental, emotional and behavioral health interventions within the context of families, communities and larger systems, to children and adolescents. My goal as a licensed counselor will be to develop a collaborative relationship where each client feels empowered to act as an expert in developing effective coping skills, manage anxiety, depression, navigate difficult life transitions, and enhance communication skills and relationships. Reflective practice and self-evaluation will be an integral part of my practice. This also means being able to set my experiences, values, privilege, beliefs and biases aside during counseling sessions and allowing the clients goals and needs to take precedence. In order to be well-rounded in my profession, my day-to-day functions will include, assessments, psychological testing, counseling, personality testing, teaching, treatment plans, referrals, coordinate services, case-management, client-family- community education, documentation,

When I first started my college journey I initially majored in Biology. Not knowing what I wanted to do, I was influenced by my advisor to enter the biology field. After my third year, I decided not to pursue biology anymore, and that’s when I discovered my passion for the Psychology field. After receiving my undergrad in psychology, I knew that I wanted to get my masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, but I had no idea of how broad this area is. This week assignment granted me the opportunity to interview someone who has been in this profession for 25 plus years who has worked in all sectors when it comes to mental health counseling. It allowed me to learn the pros and cons of this field and it even gave me more insight and clarity on exactly what I wanted to do. I found this week assignment to be very informative and I believe it is necessary for anyone that’s interesting in entering in this field. I am grateful for the knowledge and advice that I received during this week assignment.

It is quite remarkable to see the skills I have learnt put into action with individuals I encounter in my every day dealings. By implementing the basic counselling skills learnt, it has aided me in being a better person and also laid the foundations for my future career. Many skills were used in a variety of situations in the past quarter of a year, however, only a brief description of a few will be discussed below. It is simpler to learn a core skill from a textbook however it is more complex to apply that skill in practise; every individual is different and so are each of their issues. It is important as a student to familiarise ourselves with the key skills needed to become a successful skilled helper. In the beginning we are taught