The Professional Identity of a Mental Health Counselor
The Professional Identity of a Mental Health Counselor
Trineequa Gilbert
Capella University
Introduction The professional identity of a mental health counselor is extremely important. When it comes to finding your professional identity, it is important to weigh out all options to make sure that the profession that is chosen, is what one would see themselves doing for a long time. It is more so of asking oneself if they feel they qualify for the career that they are about to take on. This paper will explain how to become an effective professional counselor, the roles and characteristics of the counseling professional, the different counseling associations, what is required to attain a state license and certification, how to assess your own professional development, and the rise of technology and how it may affect your clinical practice.
Key Philosophies of the Counseling Professional The key philosophies of the counseling profession are wellness, resilience, and prevention. Wellness can be defined as a dynamic state of physical, mental, and social well-being; Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands; Prevention is behavioral biological, or social interventions intended to reduce the risk of disorders, diseases, or social problems for both individuals and entire populations(2009 by the American Psychological Association). One of the struggles in making the case for a wellness effort among counselors is that often counselors do not practice what they preach (as cited in O’Halloran & Linton, 2000).
Roles and Characteristics of an Effective Professional Counselor The roles and characteristics of a professional counselor will vary depending on the type of counselor a person may want to become. The two professional counselors
Trineequa Gilbert
Capella University
Introduction The professional identity of a mental health counselor is extremely important. When it comes to finding your professional identity, it is important to weigh out all options to make sure that the profession that is chosen, is what one would see themselves doing for a long time. It is more so of asking oneself if they feel they qualify for the career that they are about to take on. This paper will explain how to become an effective professional counselor, the roles and characteristics of the counseling professional, the different counseling associations, what is required to attain a state license and certification, how to assess your own professional development, and the rise of technology and how it may affect your clinical practice.
Key Philosophies of the Counseling Professional The key philosophies of the counseling profession are wellness, resilience, and prevention. Wellness can be defined as a dynamic state of physical, mental, and social well-being; Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands; Prevention is behavioral biological, or social interventions intended to reduce the risk of disorders, diseases, or social problems for both individuals and entire populations(2009 by the American Psychological Association). One of the struggles in making the case for a wellness effort among counselors is that often counselors do not practice what they preach (as cited in O’Halloran & Linton, 2000).
Roles and Characteristics of an Effective Professional Counselor The roles and characteristics of a professional counselor will vary depending on the type of counselor a person may want to become. The two professional counselors
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