My Development As A Counselor

Throughout my development as a counselor I have been acutely aware of my developmental process. I have consciously, with great intentionality, reflected on my development, acknowledging developmental milestones along the way. I have noticed changes within my perceptions and the impact of these changes of perception upon my professional competency and my perception of my competency. During my masters training I continually analyzed professors training interventions and the impact of these interventions upon my personal and educational experience. I attempted to conceptualize the intent of these interventions trying to make a connection with the potential desired outcome. During the training process, I constantly reflected on how these interventions

I feel my reflective approach to my master’s level education caused me to initially gravitate to the developmental model of supervision. However, following my experience as a supervisor, I began to find this model a poor fit. Although, I recognize the value of developmental models, and when examining the various stages, I can identify the validity of each based on my personal experience of development as a counselor in training (CIT), however, as a supervisor I find categorizing a student does not suit my personal style. I feel by identifying the current developmental stage of the student inserts a barrier between myself and the student which inhibits my experience of this person. I feel by conceptualizing a student by developmental stage I am limiting the CIT and limiting my openness to their full personhood. By categorizing the student, my belief is, and this is a gut feeling, I will be adopting assumptions which blind me to potential experiences/needs of the student which falls outside their assigned developmental stage. Under these conditions, I feel I will be out of sync with the CIT and may miss an important need in the