Coun 500 Personal Identity Paper
Professional Identity
She’la S White
Liberty University
Abstract
This paper will provide the reader with a reflection of my professional identity. This will focus on the role of a professional counselor and the differences between a professional counselor and other related professionals. It will also integrate how religious and spiritual beliefs can impact professional counseling. It will summarize my beliefs and values and what I plan to do so that I will not impose my beliefs on clients. Also, I will reflect on what I have learned during this course and how it will impact my future as a counselor.
Professional Identity
Section I: Professional Counselor Role
The role of the professional counselor is to provide mental health services and substance abuse care to individuals, families, and groups (American Counseling Association, 2011). The professional counselor is trained to empower clients to achieve their “mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” (Neukrug, p. 5, 2014). There are many different fields in counseling such as social work, psychology, pastoral counseling, and psychiatry. All fields in counseling have similar goals to empower and support clients in all areas of life, however, there are huge differences between them all.
There are different types of professional counselors. Professional counselors include school counselors, clinical mental health counselors, marriage and family counselors, addiction counselors, student affairs and college counselors, and rehabilitation counselors (Neukrug, 2014). All professional counselors have a master’s degree in counseling, which provides them with broad trainings and expertise in individual, group, and family counseling, administering and interpreting assessments, and conducting research, just to name a few (Neukrug, 2014). Professional counselors differ from other fields of counseling from the trainings provided in different programs. Other related mental
She’la S White
Liberty University
Abstract
This paper will provide the reader with a reflection of my professional identity. This will focus on the role of a professional counselor and the differences between a professional counselor and other related professionals. It will also integrate how religious and spiritual beliefs can impact professional counseling. It will summarize my beliefs and values and what I plan to do so that I will not impose my beliefs on clients. Also, I will reflect on what I have learned during this course and how it will impact my future as a counselor.
Professional Identity
Section I: Professional Counselor Role
The role of the professional counselor is to provide mental health services and substance abuse care to individuals, families, and groups (American Counseling Association, 2011). The professional counselor is trained to empower clients to achieve their “mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” (Neukrug, p. 5, 2014). There are many different fields in counseling such as social work, psychology, pastoral counseling, and psychiatry. All fields in counseling have similar goals to empower and support clients in all areas of life, however, there are huge differences between them all.
There are different types of professional counselors. Professional counselors include school counselors, clinical mental health counselors, marriage and family counselors, addiction counselors, student affairs and college counselors, and rehabilitation counselors (Neukrug, 2014). All professional counselors have a master’s degree in counseling, which provides them with broad trainings and expertise in individual, group, and family counseling, administering and interpreting assessments, and conducting research, just to name a few (Neukrug, 2014). Professional counselors differ from other fields of counseling from the trainings provided in different programs. Other related mental
References: American Counseling Association (2005) Grold, K. (1996). How to find a good therapist: Finding & evaluating a private therapist. Retrieved from http://www.healingwell.com/library/health/grold1.asp Neukrug, E. (2014). A brief orientation to counseling . Belmont, CA: BrooksCole, Cengage Learning.