Non-Academic Discourse Community

A discourse community is referred to as a group of people within a certain field who share common interests, knowledge and vocabulary. Every human belongs to numerous discourse communities unique to them due to family situations, religious affiliations, ethnicities, personal interests and education. Personally, I am highly involved in a variety of discourse communities, including Best Buddies, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the American culture and Utah State University to name a few. Although this is true, because of personal experience and my pursuit in the social work field at Utah State University, I am particularly familiar with a non-academic discourse community, counseling. This non-academic discourse community is

linked closely to academics and schooling.
The counseling community has proven to be effective and successful within the lives of several struggling individuals. This non-academic discourse community deals with people who experience severe behavioral and emotional issues and are in need of support. Counselors have a passion for helping others by being empathetic, listening to clients and providing appropriate coping mechanisms as well as advice. Within this community, the overall goal is to provide assistance to those with mental illnesses and in capabilities. Patients use counseling in order to receive advice, acquire problem-solving skills and learn to view things in a more positive lens. Each of these benefits of counseling work to help clients improve their overall well-being. In order to accomplish this goal, communication is especially important. Establishing healthy communication in this discourse community requires important components, such as trust, openness, honesty and most importantly, confidentiality. In order for counseling to be successful and beneficial for the patient, confidentiality is a necessity. Patients who wish to utilize counseling cannot fully do so if they feel uncomfortable being honest because of fearfulness that what they share may be publicized. This matters because the subjects and content which are discussed in counseling are private and personal. Some of these subjects can be traumatic experiences, triggers, personal life events, hidden feelings, opinions about others or self-injury to name a few. Patients must feel comfortable and be able to be open in order for counseling to help change them for the better. The counseling discourse community has a lot to offer to those that are willing to put in effort and trust that what is talked about will not be shared by their counselor to any other person. Society views counseling as a group of people who desire to make the world a better place through helping individuals. This non-academic discourse group uses their passions to help others be successful in life.
There’s a twelve page research paper and an academic strategies assignment due Tuesday, a Biology exam on Wednesday, a sociology experimental lab due Thursday and a Marriage and Family Relationships concept map due Friday.

School is one of the main stressors in the lives of students today. Because of this, counseling is an important aspect within the lives of every student that is enrolled in higher education. Academics overwhelm the mind and can even lead to physical sickness at times. It is important to receive counseling because it has a direct correlation to performance in school. Individuals who actively participate in counseling and see a therapist regularly are likely to have higher success rates in school. Some benefits of counseling include having a longer attention span and processing things quicker. Rather than spending time in school thinking about daily worries, those that seek counseling are able to focus on the task at hand and conquer that. On the other hand, individuals who do not see a counselor lack the outside support and tend to struggle more in school. Counselors can also advise students about what classes to take in school in order to prepare them for college. They can also help you maintain a positive support system and keep healthy relationships while at school. Although seeing a counselor may not appear to be something that is important, counseling can have a very positive affect within the academic

world.
Waking up every day and battling your own mind because of a chemical imbalance within your brain due to the genes you were born with is something that I would never wish upon my worst enemy.

Throughout my own life I have battled bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. These illnesses are as severe as stage four bronchial cancer, but unfortunately because they are emotional rather than physical, society doesn’t pay them as much attention. Being a warrior of three mental illnesses is asking to be put into a scorching fire daily and wondering if you’ll ever be able to be as normal as everybody else appears to be. My mental illnesses have affected my school performance in a very negative way the past few years. During high school I somehow managed to maintain a 4.0 G.P.A. all four years, but that number is made up of blood, sweat and many, many tears. I was blessed to be born a very intelligent young woman, but my illnesses were mental blocks for me and resulted in a decline in my school performance. I first took interest in the counseling discourse community my sophomore year of high school. I drove forty-five minutes in order to receive treatment from a well-known, skilled therapist weekly, because it was worth it. Roger helped me with a variety of different things, which ended up benefitting me in my academic career. Taking to Roger jumpstarted my recovery and helped shape who I am today. He taught me to view the world in an optimistic

way and he cleared my mind of my worries. This allowed me to focus when I was in the classroom rather than having to leave and continuously take breaks. He helped me through the drama I had with my friends, which also allowed me to let go of that and focus better on my academics. I can continue to use this same technique now that I am at Utah State University. I can see the counselors on the second floor of the Taggart Student Center in order to keep my emotional health great and receive help with stressful things, since that is mainly what college consists of. I can also counsel with my academic advisor, Reid Youmans. This will keep me on the right path and ensure that I am taking the required classes to be successful here and eventually be accepted into the social work program that is offered.
The counseling non-academic discourse community and the academic world are closely interrelated to one another. An individual’s academic performance has a lot to do with whether they are emotionally healthy and seeking help from outside sources. Whether someone believes they are emotionally healthy or not, every student has potential and should seek extra help to be successful in life, particularly in schooling. I am thankful for the counseling community because it has shaped me into the person that I am today as well as benefitted me in my educational career.