Mental Health Counselor Portfolio

Why do you believe you are a good candidate for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Argosy University?

My goal is to pursue a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. My dream is to provide counsel and guidance to individuals, families, couples or groups of people; who are dealing with issues that affect them physically, emotionally and mentally. I would like help clients determine why they are experiencing their life challenges, develop goals and actions to resolve their issues. I would like to provide life changing advice to support & help clients overcome outstanding life situations, collaborate assessment and maintain treatment. Family and friends has consulted with me about their problems. I enjoy giving them advice that allows them to think about the decisions resolving the circumstance. With this I’m inspired to work in the

I chose mental health counseling as a profession due to personal experiences in my life. As a survivor of domestic violence, I felt a strong desire and need to make a difference with people, especially women and children of lower social economic classes, enabled due to lack of education, poverty disabled by of domestic violence.

Many people in our world today struggle with mental health issues. Licensed Professional Counselors are there to help. “One of the largest categories of professional helpers is counselors” (Woodside and McClam, 2015. p.182). Let’s take a close look at what Licensed Professional Counselors do, their educational requirements, certification or licensure levels or requirements, and last, we will take a look at salary and evaluate the future of this profession.

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.

Mental Health Counselors are some of highest interacting people in the career industry. Having the highest ability to communicate with peers, you are faced with new challenges every single day. Many different types of people bring many different problems to the table. They are not expected to close the door due to the fact of not knowing how to help one. You will need a very high comprehension of the world around you, to be able to achieve high success rates in this career.

They are trained to diagnose individuals provied that they have had years of supervised training in clinical work experience. To become a mental health counselor you need to obtain your bachelor’s degree followed by a Masters Degree in mental health counseling. It said by Bureau of Labor and Statistics that Mental Health Counselors in New York salary is about $41,700 on average yearly. Next you have Clinical Social Worker. A clinical Social Worker have the same job description and qualifications as an mental health counselor however they do more advocating and case management, most offten found in a hospital setting. In fact it is said by bureau labor and statistics that social workers that work in a hospital setting salary is about

Mental health counseling was not the career path in which I envisioned myself embarking on. Becoming a mental health counselor has many challenges and benefits. Along my career path I have had the pleasure of getting to know a variety of positions within mental health. Finding the definition of a mental health counselor can be defined as having compassion, being inquisitive, and having the need to help the mentally ill. Mental health counselors must have in place the right tools in order to properly aid those who are seeking mental health counseling. Mental health counselors

Becoming a mental health counselor wasn't an easy decision to come about. Hard to become prior to choosing to be a mental health counselor I have a desire to be a special-education teacher, specialize in working with children on the asperger's spectrum of autism. The reason I decided to choose to change my professional goals was because I thought as a counselor I will be able to work with children on different disabilities and adults on a one-to-one basis. Dream experience as a preschool teacher, many colleges have said that I have a sense of counseling and understanding when dealing with children and people. My previous class prior to this class give me a better understanding of what my goals are and how to reach them. So I truly believe

Heather believes the primary differences that separate a clinical mental health counselor and other mental health professionals such as: a social worker and psychologist are due to the type of work they focus on primarily. Although, social workers, and psychologist may counsel clients, the majority may have more in depth specification of study. Social workers are likely to work in case management and psychologist work closely with

The mental health professional I interviewed was Carol McClelland of Freedom House Recovery Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Carol has worked with Freedom House for a year as the directory of outpatient services and is licensed as a LPC, LPCS, LCAS, CCS, and MA. Carol’s job requires her to be responsible for the direct oversight of all clinical operations and clinical integrity for outpatient services at Freedom House. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, along with a crisis and detox center that is available for contact 24/7. Carol has plenty of experience in the mental health field, such as working as a dual diagnosis/substance abuse outpatient therapist, working with the severely mentally ill, working as a criminal justice outpatient therapist, and also working in a methadone clinic. She chose this career after her experiences in working with mental health, and her extensive education in psychology and counseling. Carol stated that outpatient services was the most interesting out of her job experiences, so when she was offered the job at Freedom House, she accepted.

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.

Select and describe one issue of interest. Describe advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients. Identify public policies on the local, state, and national levels that affect the quality and accessibility of mental health services.

Having a private office is usually required due to the confidentiality between therapists and their clients. “Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists work in a variety of settings, such as private practice and mental health centers. Most work full time” (bls). There is often stressful situations presented in this career as the therapist tries to diagnose their patient.

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)