Personal Narrative: Clinical Mental Health Counseling

It’s a struggle to get out of bed sometimes, I often just sit there struggling to comprehend the sequence of events which have taken place over the past year. I mean, I’m used to this now, its normal to me, but the fact that this has happened and that I am now ‘disabled’ as people would put it is hard to get my head around. And every time I look down I’m reminded of the pain and the struggle I faced, it’s a physical scar which links me to my grueling past, a physical and emotional journey.

“The last thing I heard where the sirens. And the last thing I saw where a kaleidoscope of blue and red. And then everything went black, every ounce of air had escaped my lungs and had reached the surface of the lake in the form of little bubbles.” I told Louis Green, possibly the most boring person on earth. I don’t think he wanted to be my therapist anymore then I wanted to be in therapy.

My current career objective is to work in the field of addictions and I hope to work directly with individuals seeking substance abuse treatment. Although it has recently been announced that addiction is a brain disorder rather than a behavioral issue, there is still argument that drug use is a choice and not a disease. I want to contribute to the substance abuse population because I feel the stigma that surrounds recovering addicts does not accurately portray the strength and positivity that comes from the recovery process. I want to be a part of empowering these individuals to put the pieces of their life back together.

There are many ways to help or “treat”, as it is usually called, the particular patient and their required needs. During this treatment, addicted individuals along with their families have the opportunity to learn more about the effects of their addiction relating to alcohol or drugs, and will learn ways on how to live a healthier, successful, more sober life. Those who work in this particular field are committed to helping others overcome their addiction while showing compassion for said individuals and their craving. An Addiction Specialist has the ability to make about $39,000 annually after obtaining their license through the ACCBO (Addiction Counselor Certification Board of Oregon); once earned, these professionals can look forward to the many work opportunities found in rural and metropolitan areas. Something I didn’t know about this career is that Oregon does not require an entry level Drug and Alcohol Counselor to have a college degree, unlike some states. Instead, several courses which are needed for certification will be required. This area of work never really hit a chord within me as far as wanting to pursue it, so I don’t believe I would ever seek employment or a degree for it. I do find it fascinating in regards to the type of work these professionals specialize in, but again, it has never fully interested me

“How can I be good again? I just lost my wife and son in a car accident. There's nothing in life that can cheer me up. I have become an alcoholic who is now jobless.” I said. My Therapist, Dr. Newman, told me “Trust me, Mr. Smith. Only time can heal your wounds if you allow it to. Well, that's the end of the session, and I want to recall the accident that occurred so we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Week three in clinical was difficult for me, I had a great experience overall but I hated seeing and holding a baby that had passed away at 21 weeks. To know what the family could possibly be going through was heartbreaking. I wouldn’t exactly know what to do if I was with the patient and her family exactly. I do know that I did place her in the room when she was admitted to triage. I do feel good about seeing the scenario play out, while being a student rather than being in the field alone. Other than that I was able to see the beginning stage of labor as well as a C-section. Everyone was so bent out of shape on making sure I eat and that I don’t faint, but it seriously wasn’t bad. As a matter of fact I was too intrigued with the mother rather

One of my main reasons for wanting to become an alcohol and substance abuse counselor is to assist and educate individuals on the effect of substance abuse. For example, from my childhood I have seen my father drank alcohol on a weekly basis, today he is a sober and coherent. Sadly to say this situation has became an enormous devastation in lives of families today. It produced abused, incest, violence, separation, resentment and low self-esteem within the family circle.

I've been clean from self harm for quite a few months now and I'm not sure how I feel anymore

“Oh I got my heart right here. Oh I got my scars right here…” With the slow beat of The Weeknd, I took a right onto the highway. Where was I going? I didn’t know. I was just going to drive my thoughts away. Peering down into my windows, the moon shone on my interior, lighting up everything. It was just me, the moon, and my freedom. I turned the radio louder to blast out my thoughts and just think about the song. I do this therapeutically. Driving makes me feel better, especially when I have no certain destination or deadline. My only goal is to chase the moon in an eternal game of tag, but for some reason I’m always “it”.

My first week went really well! I was definately both nervous and excited on the first day. I was nervous because I wasn't sure how the clinic would run and I quickly learned that it is a very fast paced clinic. My CI sees patients every 15 minutes and he is both the only PT there and the owner of the clinic. I have been learning a lot about PT treatments as well as the buisness side of the PT clinic. He has a lot of PT aides that help with exercises and setting patients up with ice and stim ect. The fast paced clinic was definately something I had to get used to. I was a little overwhelmed when we would just start with a patient and a new patient would walk in the door. However, there is a very good flow in the clinic and everyone is always

When I was a child I was always withdrawn and timid. I would always shy away from other people, as well as doing things that would put me in the spotlight. This caused me to have only a select few friends, in turn I took up reading. My favorite of all genres were action and fantasies and eventually books weren't able to contain my wish for such. And so I started going to camp.

I am familiar with all core competencies, but need more work in research and program evaluation. My exposure to therapy has been working with children and families through internship and working as a community based therapy. This has afforded me the opportunity to understand family systems and empower some clients to effect positive life choices. I truly understand that I can take this similar skill set and incorporate into being a MFT. What I am currently working on is not allowing myself to prejudge or make assumptions about clients. Allowing clients life story to unfold with zero perceived notions is what I want to give myself and the client. The clientele that I have worked with has been lower socioeconomic status mostly black and

There was a time when I had nobody to forgive, nothing to darken my thoughts. The majority of people do not experience things like genuine betrayal, or sheer anger, if they experience it at all, until their later years. Along with this, people usually do not experience these types of traumatic events with somebody in their own family. However, this was my reality at the age of 14 years old. Now, this is not going to consist of me feeling sorry for myself, or asking for sympathy, because it would defeat the purpose of everything that I have already had the opportunity to learn. They say that life is not so much about what happens to you, but more so about the way you react to these things. Now, this situation was not just a friend who gossiped

Do you believe that your role as a therapist will end at the end of the day or will it be present in your personal life also?

Nursing students observed our adolescent psychiatric unit and lead therapy groups for exposure into the psychiatric field. One of the students scanned the page I studied from my AP Biology textbook: the focus was of photosynthesis’ reactions and products. She flipped through the fresh pages, humming and nodding, as if she actually remembered the ins and outs of photosynthesis. We spoke about science and she pulled out a chemistry test that she received a D on that day, resulting from her inability to balance chemical equations. Instead of focusing on my work, I taught her. “You always end with oxygen”, I told her, “it’s a silly element that messes with our numbers”. I admired the student, she had no shame that I, a sixteen-year-old patient in a mental ward, was teaching her, a college student, about