On Becoming a Counselor: An Exploration of Counselor Competencies As I began to read Davis and Meier's (2011) The Elements of Counseling, I was immediately intrigued by the title of Chapter Five, “Counselor, Know Thyself”. In the title, I made intuitive connections with many important concepts imbedded in Philosophy. As an example, In Plato’s Phaedrus (2003), the master protagonist, Socrates, explains to Phaedrus that he has no time to explain trivial things, “…and the reason, my friend, is this: I am not yet able as the Delphic inscription has it, to know myself; so it seems to me ridiculous, when I do not yet know that, to investigate irrelevant things.” As I reflect on the handout Competencies in Professional Counseling and Related Human …show more content…
As a practicing Mental Health Counselor, it will be incumbent that I plan, schedule, and attend a variety of conferences, trainings, and seminars. While planning these events, I will pay particular attention to my weaknesses in the topics of “Knowledge and Application of Evidence-Based Practice, Knowledge of Measurement and Psychometrics,” and “Diagnosis” as significant weaknesses (Western Oregon University, 2017). Further, if there are workshops available to increase my knowledge of the Behavioral approaches to counseling, I will be cognizant of my aversion towards these approaches and make sure I attend them. In conclusion, I have reflected upon the Competencies in Professional Counseling and Related Human Services handout and offered a detailed exploration of my strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, I offered an argument in support of my proposed method for attenuating my strength and improving my weaknesses. This culminated in a plan for continuous self-improvement, in all areas, upon completing my regiment of study at
As a result, I am learning how to assist clients without labeling the client and developing a proper diagnosis. Assessing client problems should happen throughout the counseling process. In the beginning, counselors get background information on their clients to help the counselor develop a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Correct diagnosis of clients is vital to receive reimbursement from insurance companies for counseling services. Assessments help the counselor determine an appropriate treatment for the client. Assessments can help clients realize their strengths and weaknesses (Whiston, 2017). Helping the client understand their strengths can assist the client in building confidence, reach the clients counseling goal, and implement healthy choices in the client’s
A brief historical view of the counseling profession with a concentration of the philosophies on the wellness model will be discussed.
Sharf, R. S. (2008). Theories of Psychotherapy and Counseling: Counseling and Cases (5thed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
I cannot infuse any tools or assist the client in becoming aware of self and needs without humbly accepting that my thoughts and actions are fallible because I am merely human. Although I have yet to practice counseling, I know one of the biggest changes I need to make in my life is to understand and know a person’s situation before assessing and attempting to offer Godly counsel. Effective intra-disciplinary integration is destined to my humility as a professional. I cannot counsel any client without truly knowing who he or she is and allowing God to show me the most operative technique for creating change in that person’s life.
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
Since 1976, The American Mental Health Counselors Association has been committed to establishing and promoting vigorous standards for education and training, professional practice, and professional ethics for Clinical Mental Health Counselors. So far, this association have 7,000 clinical mental health counselors but its organization is continuously growing (AMHCA).” “The American Mental Health Counselors Association have licensures laws in all 50 states, and the association seeks to enhance the practice of clinical mental health counseling and to promote standards for clinical education and clinical practice that anticipate the future roles of Clinical Mental Health Counselors within the broader health care system. This association was ultimately put together to define and promote professional identity of mental health counselors (AMHCA).”
¬When considering what my own personal philosophy of counseling would be, it was eye opening to consider who I was a person and how much I have grown. The self analysis was new to me because I never thought about how I do that on a day to day basis. Reviewing the questions I found that a lot of my focus surrounded family, my significant other, and close friends. Constantly living in a diverse population and having that as my surrounding also made its mark in my answers. I also noted that both past and present influences, but primarily the present, play a large role in my own perspective. By following the prompt, I was made to understand that my thought process makes me think of what is occurring in the present and how I can alter these happenings to help shape the future that I want.
HS 43 Term Paper 4 Core functions of a Substance Abuse Counselor By Roslyn Smith Introduction This paper will discuss the following 4 Core Functions of a Counselor: Case Management, Client Education, Crisis Intervention, Referral and their primary purposes. Discussion Case Management According to IC & RC, Case Management is defined as, “activities intended to bring services, agencies, resources, or people together within a planned framework of action toward the achievement of established goals.
Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. W. (2014). Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Systems, Strategies, and Skills (4th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
A common struggle for counselors can sometimes be to find the right balance between “the demands or managed mental health requirements and obligations to clients” (Braun & Cox, 2005, p.426). Often times counselors may be t...
Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (9th Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
During my initial self-evaluation and assessment of me as a perspective counselor, self- awareness was an essential aspect of becoming an effective counselor. I am aware of certain things that can prevent me from becoming a competent counselor such as being unaware of my strengths and weaknesses. As a current community support worker, I have already had the opportunity to work with individuals who require different levels of support. Providing assistance to the specific population has given me the chance to utilize my communication skills. My work experience has also allowed me to be more self-aware, and open minded. After taking the techniques of counseling class I am more than confident that I have grown professionally since the beginning
Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (ninth ed., pp. 291-301). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
In order to be an effective counselor, one must remember to keep the client(s) in mind. The goal is to assist the client(s) in living the best life possible for that particular person or persons. With that being said, one cannot forget that they have their own set of morals, values, ideas, and the like. Social workers have to keep in mind that there will be cases that are complex and a favorable outcome may not be possible. In the instance that I am confronted with an issue that conflicts with my religious beliefs, I plan on assisting the client as much as possible by adhering the National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics, NASW standards for the Practice of Clinical Social Work, and discussing my concerns with my supervisor while