Mental Health Couseling Programs

At the beginning of the semester, the framework for professional clinical counseling was presented during the class session. The objective was to study what the world calls “counseling” and how it is designed to provide the correct treatment to these people. The professional clinical model calls for a trained professional to handle the catharsis of the client in a controlled environment on the basis of a fiduciary relationship. Deliberate and guided questions are asked from the therapist to encourage catharsis. Once the professional compiles sufficient evidence via resources and intuitivism, a treatment plan would be prescribed. The client has a choice of accepting the treatment or

This paper will provide the reader with a reflection of my professional identity. This will focus on the role of a professional counselor and the differences between a professional counselor and other related professionals. It will also integrate how religious and spiritual beliefs can impact professional counseling. It will summarize my beliefs and values and what I plan to do so that I will not impose my beliefs on clients. Also, I will reflect on what I have learned during this course and how it will impact my future as a counselor.

Mental health counselors have many things to consider when working with clients. Providing services to clients comes with several expectations. Some of the factors which counselors must be aware of include: cultural differences, environmental influences, client expectations, and stages of development which can all play a part in the needs of that particular client. Also included in this group of factors that must be considered are the ethical and legal responsibilities which play a vital role in the

An additional barrier to multicultural counseling is client access to care. The utilization of mental health services by minority groups is low in the United States (Smith, Domenech Rodriguez, Guillermo, 2011). The fact that minority groups underutilize mental health services is attributed to systemic issues such as lack of affordable transportation, inconvenient office hours, demographic mismatch, language barriers, economics, and lack of clinics in neighborhoods with predominately ethnic minority groups (Smith, Domenech Rodriguez, Guillermo, 2011). To address these issues, multiculturalism in the mental health services field has committed to equipping more culturally competent counselors, encouraging community-based counseling efforts for easier access, increasing bilingual and culturally diverse counselors, as well social advocacy. Despite their recognition, these challenges are difficult to remedy and remain a problem for clients of minority groups.

“Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals” (Kaplan, Tarvydas, & Gladding, 2014). This definition comes from the 20/20 consensus that set out to come to an inclusive definition of the counseling field. Coming up with a profession wide definition of counseling helps unify, and better advocate for legislative needs of the field. My professional identity as a counselor is helping individuals process their problems and help them become a more autonomous fully self-actualized person. Knowing that the person coming to you for counseling is the best expert on themselves. Allows for a strong therapeutic alliance and the best possible

It is important to be aware of one’s limitations, weaknesses and strengths in the delivery of counseling services. Taking into account the cultural values of the client, the support systems and the client’s view of the key parts of his or her makeup (the history of the client) are culture specific (because someone is of the same race does not mean that values will be the same) and does not discount the individual. Sue et al reminds us that multicultural counseling competency looks beyond racial and ethnic minorities and also includes disabilities, sexual orientation, age, and other special populations (Sue, et al, 1992).

Ethical dilemmas will be a constant as we embark into the field of counseling. Whenever human beings are involved there are a range of personality types, beliefs and characteristics that are involved. There are many views of counseling but it is very important to have a world view which captures the gamet of individuals. To be a professional counselor it is important to first know who you are, what your motivations are and morals. A counselor has many roles; they provide guidance, structure, spiritual guidance and counseling. The counselor has a huge respionsibility which includes making clear unbiased judgements, listening without persuading, acountability for

The counseling profession is a complex and constantly changing field. This field contains several unique subcategories that can be intriguing and difficult to understand. However, I believe that if an individual has a strong professional identity, they can achieve a lot in their chosen field.

Professional counsellors are also bound by other ethics such as being non-judgemental and should not exploit their clients in any way. They must be respectful of how their clients choose to live and their right to self-determination. Counsellors must not impose their own thoughts or feeling on other people & should not have any expectations or impose any conditions on their clients. The relationship between counsellor and client should be one of equality. Although, the client may not feel that there is equality, they may feel powerless, as they are seeking help. The counsellor must try and convey a sense of equality and use their skills and knowledge to enable the client to take control of their life and feel empowered.

Mental health counselors take other professional’s feelings and needs into consideration. Counselors respect the obligations of other organizations and institutions. They treat other professionals with the same respect as they do with clients. Counselors work with others whenever necessary in cooperation to benefit the welfare of clients. When counselors are not competent in an area, they refer clients to a professional who has the competency to serve. When counselors have knowledge of incompetency of another professional they are obligated to inform the state licensing board or ethics committee (American Mental Health Counselors Association, 2010).

License professional counselors are professionals who have obtained a Masters degree or higher that have met all of the states and America Counseling Association

There are many forms of professional assistance that a client could seek. Each method can be equally effective depending on the situation. Client’s needs are important to identify, reason being is so you can decide what form of help is the best fit. In this essay, I will discuss mentoring, coaching, consulting, and counseling. I will provide examples of each and explain why each form is effective for each scenario.

The role of a counselor takes on many different forms, and it is a very important career, because it helps people make better life choices. The personal values we have, and also how we view the world, can help shape the type of counselor we will be. I will take a self-reflective view of what I hold dear, and also explain how my personal experiences have led me to chose a career in this particular helping profession. I will also describe the differences between the professional counseling, and other helping professions, such as social work for an example. I also will look at how accreditation, licensure, and certification, are important in defining what a counselor is, and does.

Often counselors are ineffective with culturally diverse clients since they see cultural differences as shortfalls instead of strengths. Also, counselors will regularly disregard to discuss a client’s issues with regards to current social issues confronting the client. Counseling experts create hindrances in counseling when they do not think about client’s issues with regards to educational, economic, social, political, legal, and cultural frameworks. The shortfall perspective, combined with a disregard to address social background issues, can delay the diverse counseling process. This delay in diverse counseling can also be seen when it comes to counseling competence and poverty beliefs. Counselors are prepared in diversity and multiculturalism

Counseling is defined as ”the use of therapeutic strategies to help clients address personal concerns and mental health issues” (Nystul, 2016). Pursuing counseling as a career involves many years of formal study and certification or licensure. After receiving licensure to practice as a professional counselors it is a requirement to maintain involvement and certification in certain associations in order to hold your license. These association often require further education and/or professional practice in order to maintain membership in these associations. It is quite obvious that counseling requires a large amount of commitment and passion in order to pursue it as a career and maintain a title as a counselor. I have conducted an interview with a professional counselor in order to further understand the experience of being a counselor. The interview that I conducted explores the requirements of maintaining and receiving a counselling career, the experience of being a counselor, and what characteristics or skills a professional may have. The Individual who agreed to the interview was a counselor by the name of Susie Facio. Susie Facio, through this interview, will be giving us a look at what influenced her to become a counselor, what her work entails on a day to day basis, and what qualities and skills she has acquired in order to become a successful counselor.