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My Future Career As A Mental Health Counselor

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It is my belief that in order to be a successful counselor, you must have the skills and ability to listen; especially without judgement. My desire is to work mainly with adolescents and their families inside and outside of schools; I will focus on resolving the identity versus role confusion conflict. I have enjoyed learning about the different techniques and theories of counseling; I am sure each theory is very useful in many ways. I can see myself using different parts of each in my future career as a Mental Health Counselor. However, there are particular theories and techniques that seem to fit into the practice of counseling in the schools more than others. I am particularly drawn to the practicality of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, …show more content…

60). He also acknowledges the power of the past and early traumatic childhood experiences in preventing people from living happy, healthy, well-adjusted lives. (Corey, 2013, p. 63) I agree more with Erikson’s psychosocial perspective than Freud’s psychosexual stages in that people continue to develop socially throughout their lives and that there are specific events to be resolved in each stage of life (Corey, 2013, p. 63). As each client is different, I will apply the concepts accordingly to each individual. I believe Adolescents are in their genital stage and they at this point in their lives are going through a lot of changes, not only within their social circle, but in their family circle as well. During this stage, they are testing limits, breaking dependent ties and trying to establish an identity. My clients are focused on finding their identity, figuring out their life goals, and life’s meanings. But instead of having my clients lie on a couch and tell me all about their dreams, goals, and life experiences, I would use Adler’s life style assessment to learn about their family background and early childhood experiences which may have played an important role in their lives. Adlerian Therapy I would incorporate Adlerian Therapy into my practice to guide how I counsel my clients. Unlike Freud, Adler stresses choice and responsibility, meaning in life and the striving for success, completion and perfection (Corey, 2013,

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