My Professional Journey to Become a Counselor

My current job at the State Mental Health Unit is where I have started and discovered my passion for counseling. With an understanding of the mental illness came the understanding of the importance of counseling as a form of treatment. I learned that counseling may be difficult as it needs to be person specific. What works for one individual may or may not work for another. While “finding counseling” has felt like a very long process already, I know that the process of “understanding counseling” has just begun. This semester I have learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. I have learned about the counseling process, ethics, different counseling theories, and more importantly about myself, my values, and what it is going to take for me to be the best counselor that I can be. Knowing my natural style and that I have scored very highly on the irrational thought, “I must be perfect in all that I do”. As a future counselor, I see the importance of pairing my natural style with counseling theories as well as working through struggles I have myself, so that I will be able to help future clients who may be struggling with the same thing! This paper will explore my personal and professional development due to the course materials, and how this development will affect my future as a counselor. This semester alone has helped me learn my natural style of interaction, theoretical perspectives in counseling, value systems, populations to serve, and how to incorporate the knowledge in my future career.

Natural Style of Interaction

My natural style of interaction consists of being introverted, detailed, thinking, and structured. This was determined after watching the “Exploring Your Natural Interaction Style”...

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...y 21). Exploring Your Natural Interaction Style Based

Upon Jungian Theory and Myers-Briggs Typology. ADAC605 Clinical Mental Health

Counseling as a Profession. Lecture conducted from Lock Haven University,

Lock Haven.

Erickson, D. (2014, February 16). Examining Every Day Behaviors. ADAC605 Clinical Mental

Health Counseling as a Profession. Discussion Forum from https://lhu.desire2learn.com

/d2l/le/1626050

Gladding, S., & Newsome, D. (2010). Clinical mental health counseling in community and

agency settings. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Neukrug, E. (2011). Theories in action. [DVD]. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Sharf, R. S. (2012). Theories of psychotherapy and counseling: concepts and cases (5th ed.).

Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.