Reflective Essay: The Chicago School Of Counseling Psychology

According to the American Counseling Association (ACA) website the organization’s mission is to help society by offering well trained professional counselors. In the process, assisting counselors develop into the contingent professional’s in which society can depend upon, at the same time stimulating human self-worth and diversity. When counselors are trained in graduate school the aspects that goes into becoming a professional counselor, is they equipped with a vast amount of knowledge. Some of the basics include how to work with diverse populations, acknowledging their own biases, how to advocate for the client who is among an oppressed population, congruency with their clients, empathic listening and communication skills, knowing when to refer a client to the appropriately trained counselor and many more. All of these elements and more are just some of the tools, professional counselors are required in order maintain the standards the American Counseling Association’s mission statement entails.

1. What is the philosophy of the counseling profession? How has this changed over time? Why is this important to study?

As the standards of the counseling profession are continuously being shaped, I desire to play a role in the educating

Now that I have explained why I am interested the Capella, I will explain how my personality, beliefs, values, thoughts, and experiences influence the way I look at the world in conjunction with my role as a future professional counselor. In general, I receive satisfaction from helping others fix their own problems. As I help others, I observe various outlooks on problems and solutions that I would not have noticed alone. I think that fits with the Wellness Model, which states, “the counselor assesses client’s current functioning in several areas and helps determine which factors are interfering with the individual reaching his/her potential.” I look at my

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.

My pursuit of becoming a School Counselor led me to apply to the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland, College Park. I am a former student at University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After graduating and teaching for two years in Prince George’s County Public Schools, I discovered my true passion lies not only in the classroom and students’ academics, but playing a pivotal role in the growth of their career, social, and personal development. Although I am no longer teaching full-time at the moment, my interaction with students from diverse backgrounds left an indelible responsibility to continue making a difference in our students. The objectives and mission of the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland can best help my goal of becoming an effective counselor and leader who is an agent of change to students and service the mental and emotional well-being of the younger generation.

In this reflective essay I will provide an analysis of the counselling session I conducted and recorded. This will include a summary of the session. I will also describe the micro and advanced counselling skills utalised, as well as a critical evaluation of their effectiveness. A discussion of my application of these skills, as well as areas of possible improvement will supported by reference to relevant literature.

This model focuses on both affective and cognitive learning. It allows for discussion of the choice and application of a particular theoretical model and attempts to stimulate personal and professional growth (Gysbers & Henderson, 2006). There are three stages of counselor development. The first stage is one of reliance. In this stage the supervisees are highly motivated but they lack basic counseling skills. During this stage, the supervisee’s focus is mainly on how to perform a skill and master that skill. They rely significantly on their supervisor at this time. They depend on textbook theories rather than real world experiences and the utilization of theories in practice. During this stage, it is required that the supervisor teaches the fundamentals of counseling to enhance the trainees’ skills. Stage 2, the trial and error phase, is when a lot of the performance anxiety and lack of confidence comes into the picture. It is the job of the supervisor to support the supervisee and build their self- confidence. Supervisors need to bring awareness to the ineffective behavior that the supervisee may exhibit without destroying their confidence and desire to work in the field. During this stage, the supervisor’s focus shifts from reflection on data from the counselor/client relationship to the supervisee’s performance anxiety. This is a time for questioning and experimenting allowing

From this twenty year counseling veteran I learned about a functioning guidance program, the role of the counselor, the amount of time she spends in various components of the program, how to foster a positive relationship with the teachers and faculty, ways to continue to develop professionally, and insight for a future career in school counseling. As I drove away from the school, I felt a mix of emotions such as, intimidation, excitement, and hopefulness to name a few. When I began to try to take in just how much is required and how many people rely on a school counselor it was intimidating. In my mind I began to wonder if it is possible for one person to be that much to that many people and still keep some kind of balance. As soon as the thought passed through my mind, I immediately heard the words of wisdom that had been shared with me, "don 't beat yourself up for not being able to be everything to everybody." I also reflected on how upbeat the counselor sounded when she talked about her role in helping students become "the best people

On a very basic level, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology will allow me to become a suitable match to a career in mind science through learning

My desire was to challenge myself and pursue my belief in life-long learning. And yes, the last eight weeks have definitely been a challenge intellectually in IDS 101. After the first two weeks of school, I seriously questioned why I would go back to school at fifty-one years of age for personal satisfaction. The days were long and I wasn’t sure I still had the self-discipline and determination that would be needed to finish. Over the last eight weeks, this class gave me numerous opportunities to hone my skills in critical thinking, research, and writing. This class has given me the necessary skills to continue toward completing my degree.

Argosy University has affords this author the opportunity to complete the required classes, in the study of human behavior, in pursue of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. In doing so, It has allowed me to assess my goals, reflect on my successes, and look toward to the future with a bright new perspective. Consequently, having gone through the process of being more selective in my career choices has given me a clearer vision of the future and allowed me the opportunity to pursue a more realistic career path. Through this experience, I have gained a more focused direction in my career path, with a clearer perspective of the various aspects of the field of psychology. Being aware of my own inner self and consciousness and accepting myself for who I am, enable me to better recognize and understand the needs of others.

Nuekrug, E. (2014). A Brief Orientation to Counseling, Professional Identity, History and Standards. Brooks/Cole Cenage Learning.

The American Counseling Association (ACA) developed the code of ethics with six principles in mind that they thought were the foundation for ethical behavior and decision making: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, fidelity and veracity (American Counseling Association, 2014). This lead to the six different purposes for the code of ethics. First, it sets ethical obligations and ethical guidance for professional counselors (American Counseling Association, 2014). Second, it recognizes ethical dilemmas that are relevant (American Counseling Association, 2014). Third, it clarifies what is ethically expected and accepted of its members (American Counseling Association, 2014). Fourth, it is an ethical guide for members deciding the best course of action and expectations for conduct, when it comes to those using their counseling services (American Counseling Association, 2014). Fifth, it supports the mission of the American Counseling Association (American Counseling Association, 2014). Finally, it has standards that serve as a baseline for questions and complaints for ACA members (American Counseling Association, 2014). To fulfill the purposes of the code of ethics, the ACA categorizes the ethics into nine different areas (American Counseling Association, 2014).

School counseling as always caught my attention. When I started my higher education, I had a focus on studying Elementary Education. However, after completing a college assignment for one of my psychology course, I found a very interested area in Psychology which is counseling. Since then, I have falling in love with counseling, and have spent a lot of time researching the career. I have conducted different interviews and have engaged in different counseling events that have helped me get to know the career. Therefore, when given this assignment, I felt more than prepared because I have spent a lot of time researching this career. However, I used the given source, ONET, to have more of a broad understanding about School Counseling.