Pursuing A Degree In Clinical Mental Health Counseling

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The primary reason I want to pursue a degree in clinical mental health counseling is because I want to be an effective counselor to adolescents in different environments. Throughout the course of my life, I have endured many challenges and navigated many obstacles. Surviving my dysfunctional home as a child and moving through the social and relational challenges in my life has molded me into a strong and determined student in any subject I desire to learn about. I had no strong role models during my childhood, and my familial relationships were shaky at best. Combined with the typical challenges of adolescence, such as inconsistent and toxic friendships, my life was not a smooth ride during my childhood. Because of these adverse experiences, …show more content…

I believe the best pathway for me to be an effective counselor to adolescents from different cultures is to pursue a degree in counseling that will prepare me for the field and provide opportunities to educate myself on multicultural differences among clients. To exemplify and utilize my compassionate heart towards teenagers, I devoted my past two summers and my upcoming summer to working summer camps, where thousands of teenagers arrive weighed down by varying burdens. My experiences at camp have provided ample opportunities to practice connecting and building relationships with adolescents, the population I want to work with in the field. In addition to spending my summers serving the youth, I also am dedicated to the classroom, learning everything I can that will help me be an effective counselor. This dedication has paid off, as I have a 4.0 GPA at Texas Tech University. As I prepare to enter the professional field of counseling, I believe I bring significant value to the counseling …show more content…

In addition to the multicultural competence I bring to the counseling field, I also bring value to the field through my experiences at camp. Without licensure, it is nearly impossible to accrue clinical experience in the field of counseling. However, working as a camp counselor is one of those ways one can gain experience that is valuable in the counseling field. For example, I have experience managing crisis situations at camp and following standards regarding mandatory reporting of child safety issues. While professional codes of ethics have different rules, having experience following standards and having difficult conversations with adolescents has prepared me as much as possible for clinical settings. These experiences will be valuable in a cohort, as I can offer insight on adolescent trends and how they orient themselves, which are necessary to understanding teenaged clients. Finally, another way I bring value to the counseling field is through my academic determination and passion for the field of

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