Master's In Counseling Personal Statement

The decision to pursue a Master’s in Counseling is one I have come to after years of personal, academic, and professional exploration. In my early twenties, I became a paralegal, with the intention of eventually attending law school. After graduating from Cape Fear Community College, I began working at Pennington and Smith, a family law firm that handled divorce, child custody, and financial cases. Over the following several years of work as a paralegal, I learned a few important things. I found the philosophical aspects of the law much more interesting than the technical details of pleadings, trial procedures, and civil rules. As such, it quickly became apparent that law school was not the right path for me. I also realized that the behavioral
While at UNCW, I have established a solid academic foundation that has helped prepare me for graduate level studies. This fact is validated by my placement on the Dean’s List multiple times while at UNCW and by my 4.0 GPA. The courses I have taken in Statistics, Experimental Psychology, Personality Psychology, and Theories of Counseling, have provided me with the confidence to excel in a graduate program. I have also gained experience by completing a Counseling Practicum while at UNCW. As part of the practicum, I volunteered at the Onslow Women’s Center, an organization that assists victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. I have participated in workshops on trauma-informed practice, completed training to become a hospital advocate for sexual assault victims, and assisted with case management and coordination of services for clients. Working in the domestic violence shelter and answering crisis calls has been an eye-opening experience. Caring for people who are working to heal the wounds of abuse, violence, and sexual assault has inspired me to focus on trauma counseling as I move forward in my
I have chosen to pursue the Clinical Mental Health Counseling track because I believe that it will teach me the technical and interpersonal skills to assist individuals who are recovering from complex trauma. Courses such as Counseling Techniques and Diagnosis and Treatment in Counseling will prepare me to understand the symptoms of trauma and related mental illnesses. UNCC’s courses related to topics such as addiction, multicultural counseling, and group therapy will provide a solid foundation, while the extensive practicum and internship requirements of the program will help me learn to put those foundational skills into practice. The research interests of Dr. Valerie Balog, including women and trauma and gender issues, would be especially relevant to my area of interest. I believe that my interests in the interplay of gender and sexual assault could mesh nicely with the interests of Dr. Balog and that I would learn a great deal working with her. Also, working with Dr. Pam S. Lassiter on her research relating to gender, sexual orientation, women’s issues, and multiculturalism would help me build a broader understanding of the complex social issues surrounding trauma and