Personal Narrative: My Practicum At Trinity Counseling Center

During my two last years of high school, i've been in contact with a lot of colleges and universities. Many of which don’t get my attention. Throughout my whole high school years, there was only one college that i wanted to go to, Liberty University. I have heard so many wonderful things about Liberty and what i loved the most was that it was a christian school. Liberty had the number one thing that i am looking for in a college, that is a christian school, but many of my other things that i look for in a college where just not there. I used to live in Florida approximately 11 years ago and let me tell you, it's hard not to miss the sunshine state. Liberty is in Virginia, a state where it doesn't feel like home. When i received a brochure

Simpson Anne. Session1. JournalI feel like my experiences in life have shaped me into the person I am today. I feel that life has it ups and downs. I love God and know he is always there for us. A favorite scripture verse is John 17:16.”They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”My dad was a minister. I am thankful that I grew up in a strong Christian home. I chose Colorado Christian University because I wanted an academic community that loves God. I feel in my short time so far at CCU that I have grown as a Christian. For example, I have more boldness to witness to people about Christ.What were some assumptions I had about CCU before I started my classes? I assumed that I would not have support from my fellow teachers and classmates.

“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.”

“I want to live.” She said. She lifted her feet off the small coffee table and set them gently on the floor as she continued to look through me, too interested on the inner workings of her own mind.

As my high school years were coming to an end, all anyone could talk about was college. Where they were going, what state they would be a resident in, and what they would major in, what campus they would be visiting that weekend. I, however, thought I had it all under control. I thought that when my Senior year came by it would all fall in to place. That's crazy, right? The shows that I grew up watching did not have to deal with this. That is when expectation went out the window and reality kicked me in the butt. I had five months left to start applying to colleges and looking in to different campuses that offered my dental hygiene program. Lucky for me, my community college had a two year program.

Sometimes, I feel like I am experiencing a double therapy. One that I am leading with my therapist, and another one, more passive, in class. School can inadvertently speed up a process for which you are not necessarily ready. It can stir your past and your emotions arise. In that case, there is an assignment that I am postponing and trying in every way possible to avoid or twist differently. The material evoked in class was hard to process and I did not expect it. Ironically, I now think about it all the time. I know that I need to go to the bottom of it one way or another, but homeostasis is compromised and I do not like it. I try to look at it like gym. It is not pleasant but it is good for your health. The problem with that paper is that

The Master of Science in Professional Counseling program, as part of the psychology graduate offerings, appeals most to me. Having almost completed a Psychology degree with a concentration in counseling, I feel affirmed in my passion for counseling and look forward to a fulfilling future in the field. Carlow offers an opportunity to attend a master’s class as a visitor to better understand the program and the quality of instruction. I have taken advantage of this offer and consider not only the content of the class I attended fascinating but the professor an excellent lecturer, where he presented the material in a straight forward and tangible

“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”.

In this class, I have learned many new skills to improve my writing, and I have also learned new grammar rules. In regards to my writing, I have learned the importance of freewriting when beginning to write a paper. Additionally, I now know to allow ample time for revising and editing because I can look at my work critically for mistakes and make necessary changes. Furthermore, I have learned about grammar rules such as pronoun-antecedent agreement. This rule is something that I know subconsciously, but being made aware of it has allowed me to find mistakes I make more often.

Finally, after talking to current professional counselors and academic advisors, I learned that attending a CACREP program makes the licensing process significantly easier. While many universities met my first two qualifications, it was MSU's Counseling Psychology faculty that was the deciding factor for me as their breadth and depth of research experience promises a strong foundation on which to learn and collaborate. I am particularly interested in Dr. Rebecca Goldberg's research agenda focusing on woman's issues and grief counseling. As I ultimately hope to practice and research within university setting, I feel our research interests are well aligned. Similarly, I feel I would be a strong fit for Dr. Deborah Jackson's interest areas of

Walking away from everything you once knew and starting over is never a picnic. Leaving Iraq, and moving to America has impacted my life more than anything. I was only 4 years old at that time, and the only English I spoke was “excuse me, water please.” My family and I did not know it then, but our lives were going to change; we would become “Americanized”. Learning English was one of the massive changes that occurred, the way I dressed (culture), and even the way I had power to go to school and educate myself.

Over the course of my internship, I have attended additional trainings and received certifications for my anticipated career in Mental Health Counseling. I have had the opportunity to attend a training and become CPR certified, become a Suicide Prevention QPR Certified Gatekeeper, in addition to registering for a Mental Health First Aid training. Within the agency, I was provided trainings on Credible, our documentation database, EVS to run client’s state funded insurance, and Navinet to run commercial or private insurance for clients. Human Services, Inc. provides one hour of training on Credible, which I believe should be improved. Also, more training should be provided when it comes to insurance because knowing and understanding insurance

Based on having three courses, a practicum, and an intensive this summer, I was prone to experiencing burnout during the summer of 2017. If I suffer from burnout while participating at the Naaman Center, it can affect my educational involvement and influence me to not be aware of the information that is being shared amongst the clients in group/individual counseling. Nevertheless, since I would be showing signs of fatigue, I would be avoidant of approaching my supervisor about important information this is required for my counseling education and theoretical/therapeutic approach. At the start of the summer, I believed since I had the summers off, I could handle three courses, a practicum, and intensive. Certainly, there were weeks where I

I had just turned sixteen, the year of driver license, college campus tours, and the peak of teenage angst, when my school's guidance counselor requested for my mom and dad to be brought in for what she described as a “heart to heart” confrontation.

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?