Personal Statement : My School Counselor

I conduct a forty five minutes interview with Robin Gibson, a mental health professional that is actively involved in counseling divorced couples, remarried couples, and blended families in my local area of Hartsville, South Carolina. Robin Gibson has been a licensed counselor for eighteen years. Robin’s credentials consist of a LCP, Licensed Professional Counselors, and a CAC, Certified Addition Counselor. Robin is one of the licensed behavioral health counselors at Care South Carolina Community Health Center located at the Hartsville cite. Care South Carolina Community Health Center offers a variety of services that includes medical care of Family Practice, Pediatrics, Chiropractic, Dental, HIV/Aids, Counseling, Pharmacy, and Community Outreach,

I am currently employed by the Department of Defense, U.S. Army, and Information Management Command as an Education Technician. Having to advise and assist Soldiers in person, by phone and by internet seeking continued education using military educational benefits has changed my career interest. I decided to pursue my goal in Counseling. I am interested in completing my Master’s program so I can become more competitive in the Education and Counseling field of study. By completing this degree and advancing my knowledge both academically and professionally I will become more competitive to compete in the career field of counseling while working for the federal government.

On the issue of abortion with the 19-year old rape victim, I feel that she has a right to choose whether or not to go through with the abortion. As her counselor I have to put my personal feelings aside and help her to make the best decision for herself. My client is firm in her plans to have the abortion and since she is an adult her parents have no legal right to make her change her mind. I am unable to convince the parents to change their minds as they are not my clients and I have no input in how they feel. According to the ACA (2005) I must be sensitive to the family’s cultural beliefs and in the

Working in the education system as a school counselor is my preference. I am passionate about social awareness and helping students. I’ve always been sure that I would be a counselor. When I made my mind up to go back for an advanced degree, I decided to get it in the field of education. After speaking to a professor in the counselor education program at college and discussed my interests with them. I knew that day I wanted to change my major to school counseling. I like the ideal of being a school counselor because I believe I can be a vital member of the education team.

Welcome, and thank you for choosing THRIVE to provide your counseling services. This document has been provided to you to tell you about my background and help you understand our professional relationship.

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.

I desire to pursue school counseling as my career to become an effective and successful leader in this profession. Why? I have always held a passion for touching the lives of the youth in a great and positive manner. A licensed school counselor entails helping students with academic achievement, personal/social growth and career development, ensuring students become the industrious, well-balanced adults of tomorrow. while, operating as a professional school counselor involves me obtaining the appropriate knowledge and skills that will support me with providing exceptional service for clients. I believe that I can obtain this intelligence here at Capella University. I comprehend that as a professional school counselor I would be expected

It was during my senior year of college that I decided I wanted to become a school counselor. Up until my senior year in college at Penn State I did not know where I wanted to take my career but I knew I wanted to work in a school setting and I knew that I wanted to work with kids. When it came time to choose an internship site for my last semester, I chose an alternative school called Buxmont Academy in Bethlehem where I would be shadowing two of their school counselors as well as engaging with the students themselves. I got to work with these children on a more personal level, gaining an understanding of their emotions, experiences, and difficulties, as most of these children came from broken homes, and drug and alcohol related settings. I am interested in becoming a school counselor because I want to help. When I become a counselor I want to make a difference in a child’s life whether that be by simply giving them support that they might not have in their lives or helping them make changes to better themselves and their futures. A counselor has such an important role in helping to shape young children and that is something that I want to be a part of.

Caretaker Interview was completed by. As grading is completed and questions arise, they can be directed toward via e-mail at. Thank you!

I conducted an interview with Ms. Jamila Corria on her duties as an academic achievement program advisor at the University of Maryland. The purpose of this interview was to gain clarity and understanding in what truly goes in to counseling others on making life choices. While also analyzing communication challenges she has faced overall through her current career and techniques to deal with those challenges. While conducting the interview I monitored various different verbal and non-verbal signals throughout the interview. The reason I choose Ms. Jamila is because as a student who is currently pursuing a degree in Sociology it is important to learn about the different career paths that can be chosen with this major. Sociology is a broad subject and can be pursued through many different paths. I have yet to decide on exactly which path to choose so by conducting this interview it allows me to see one option. Counseling is a career I have often thought of pursing but have not quite decided on.

Mrs. Roche seemed to be the ideal Professional Counselor for me to interview because I have always thought if I were to go in to the helping field it would involve me becoming a Professional Counselor and running my own private practice. Mrs. Roche helped me to see the benefits of having your own private practice and also the nitty-gritty details that no one else wants to do or talks about. This interview also helped me learn that it’s okay to show your clients your reactions because it lets them know that you are human and that you are listening and understanding to their problem they have. She also helped me realized the importance of being there mentally and physically for your clients in session and out of session. This could mean squeezing them in at the end of the day or having a conference call or a Skype session, just as long as you are there when they need you the most. She also helped me understand that it is actually really rewarding when you do not really see a client anymore that has “graduated”. But when you occasionally seem them year-to-year, you know that they are okay and healthy and that you helped them to where they are

Thurman obtained a degree not solely in school counseling which allows her more flexibility. She shared with me that the least rewarding part of her job is when working with the families or students and she feels like she has tried a variety of concepts and still cannot see a difference being made. It’s a struggle because as a counselor she wants to be able to help people. On the flip side of the spectrum however, she described that being able to see kids blossom and find their way and overcome challenges is such a gratifying experience.

The person I interviewed for this assignment was Professor Steve Rivera. He is a professor at Christian Brothers University (CBU). Mr. Rivera is the department chair for the adult program and the department chair in the psychology department for CBU. He has a bachelor’s degree, -EdD in Counseling Education Supervision, and is a Licensed School Counselor. The interview took place in Mr. Rivera’s office at Christian Brothers on June 17, 2016 at approximately 1:30 P.M. We decided to meet there due to the limited time we had since he had summer classes later on that day. Even though Mr. Rivera had a desk in his office, he set two chair aside for the interview so we could be face to face instead of him being on one side of the desk and me on the other. His approach told me that he was very excited and motivated to help me with this project. After going to the MSU counseling center and emailing the only counselors that could be available, I could not arrange an interview with any of them. Not finding anybody in Starkville I called the counseling center at the University for Women in Columbus, MS only to find out that both of the counselors there were already booked for our class. A conversation about my project then started between a close friend of mine that goes to CBU. I mentioned that I had not been able to find an available counselor to interview. To my luck she mentioned that her professor from the previous semester was a counselor. She gave me his contact

Having gained awareness of my own family dynamics, I will be able become a more whole rounded counselor. The more self-awareness I have as a counselor and more ability to identify my own bias and prevent them from interfering with the counseling session. I am also able to use some of the skills I have learned growing up to help advance my work as a school counselor. In growing up with a large family, my cultural experience may be different from some of the students that I may be working with; therefore, I need to be cautious values that I may be projecting. For example, if I work with a student that has been in and out of a foster home, I may not want to assume that the child knows how to trust adults or feel open to express his or her feelings with those in the household.

of spirituality, persistence, forgiveness, resistance, humor, wisdom, and resilience in these children. Counselors should investigate what external factors are related to the presenting problem. Professionals help the clients define goals and ways of getting to them; Ask about ways the person, family, and friends have handled similar problems successfully; After goals have been established, counselors should collaborate with the child on treatment options; Counseling would find focus with a solution-focused and problem-solving approach may be more acceptable.”