The world of the Counselor An introduction to the counseling profession 5e chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Counselor's Identity: What, Who, and How? Chapter 2: The Counseling Profession’s Past, Present, and Future  Chapter 3: Standards in the Profession: Ethics, Accreditation

Chapter 1: The Counselor's Identity: What, Who, and How?

 Chapter 2: The Counseling Profession’s Past, Present, and

Future

 Chapter 3: Standards in the Profession: Ethics, Accreditation, Credentialing and Multicultural/Social Justice Competencies

The Counselor's Identity:

What, Who, and How?

Guidance, Counseling and Psychotherapy: Variations on Same Theme?

The following PowerPoint slides lists a number of professionals in the field For each, see if you can identify the following:

 Major professional organization(s)

 Major roles and functions

 Names and types of credentials

 Names of accrediting body associated with it

 School Counselors

 Clinical Mental Health Counselors (Agency Counselors)

 Marriage, Couple, and Family Counselors

 Student Affairs and College Counselors

 Addiction Counselors

 Rehabilitation Counselors

 Pastoral Counselors

Social Workers

 Psychologists

 Clinical Psychologists

 Counseling Psychologists

 School Psychologists

 Psychiatrists

Psychoanalysts

 Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses

 Expressive Therapists

 Human Service Practitioners

 Psychotherapists

Benefits of:

 National and regional conferences

 Access to malpractice insurance

 Lobbyists

 Newsletters and journals

 Mentoring and networking

 Information on cutting-edge issues in the field

 Codes of ethics and standards for practice

 Job banks

ACA American Counseling Association

 19 Divisions of ACA (see pp 12-13)

 Associations Related to ACA

▪ ACAIT: ACA Insurance Trust

▪ ACAF: American Counseling Association Foundation CACREP: Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs

▪ CORE: Council on Rehabilitation Education

▪ NBCC: National Board for Certified Counselors

▪ CSI: Chi Sigma Iota

ACA American Counseling Association (Cont’d)

 Branches of ACA

▪ 56 Branches

▪ 50 state branches

▪ Puerto Rico and Washington D C

▪ Associations in Latin America

 Four Regional Associations in U S

 Membership Benefits of ACA (see Bottom of p 14)

AATA: American Art Therapy Association

 AAMFT: American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists

 APA: American Psychiatric Association

 APNA: American Psychiatric Nurses Association

 APA: American Psychological Association

 NASW: National Association of Social Workers

 NOHS: National Organization for Human Services

 9 Common Factors

 6 “Working Alliance”

 3 “other:

 More than any other component, most related to positive client outcomes

 See Rogers’ definition, p 18

 A personal characteristic to embrace

 A skill to learn (Chapter 5 will address this)

 Sometimes called “Positive Regard”

 Foundation for a therapeutic alliance

 An attitude that regardless of what the client says, he or she will be respected

 Suspension of judgment

 In some manner, almost all counseling approaches stress acceptance of client and client acceptance of self

• Research on genuineness shows that it may be important

in client outcomes

• May be related to emotional intelligence (ability to monitor one’s emotions)

Embracing a wellness perspective

 Counselors can easily become stressed, burnt out, have

compassion fatigue, and experience vicarious traumatization

 All of above can lead to countertransference

 Myers and Sweeney suggest attending to:

▪ Creative Self; Coping Self; Social Self; Essential Self;

Physical Self

▪ See table 1.1 page 21

 Personal Therapy? (85% of helpers have done it!)

 Other ways?

 Since culture influences ALL relationships, throughout this text, and especially in chapters 14 and 15, cultural

competence will be discussed

 Cultural Competence (Cont’d)

 For now, consider D’Andrea and Daniel’s RESPECTFUL model:

The “It” Factor

 The unique way that each therapist has of working with clients

 Using your unique personality to connect with the client and build a working relatinoship

 What is your “it” factor?

Compatibility with and Belief in a Theory

 As counselors, we have to find a theory that “fits” our personality style

 Helpers are usually attracted to theories that they find comfortable

 The more you feel comfortable, like, and understand your theory, the more you will believe in it

 Strong belief in a theory helps clients believe in the helper’s approach and yields better client outcomes

 Counselor expertise (mastery) has been shown to be a crucial element for client success in counseling

 Perceived incompetence is often sensed by clients

 Demonstrated through helper’s desire to:

▪ Join professional associations

▪ Mentoring and supervising

▪ Reading professional journals

▪ Continuing education

▪ More!

 Competence (Cont’d)

 Shown throughout ACA’s ethical code:

1 practicing within one’s boundary of competence

2 practicing only in one’s specialty areas

3 accepting employment only for qualified positions

4 monitoring one’s effectiveness

5 knowing when to consult with others

6 keep current by attending continuing education activities

7 don’t offer services if physically or emotionally impaired

8 assure proper transfer of cases when incapacitated or leaves a practice (ACA, 2005, Standard C.2)

 Cognitive Complexity

 Cognitive complexity means you are a:

▪ Helper who believes in your theory but able to question it

▪ Critical thinker

▪ Helper who views the world from multiple perspectives

▪ Likely more empathic, open, and self-aware

▪ Better able to cure “ruptures” in the counseling relationship

▪ Person who is not seeking “truth”

▪ A person who does seek the best way to help your client

 Hopefully, your program will support you and challenge you to view situations in new and complex ways

 Inclusion of Multiculturalism in the Profession

 Small number of person from culturally diverse groups entering counseling profession

 We all need to make the helping professions attractive for people of color

 To become culturally competent, all counselors must:

1.Learn counseling strategies that work for all clients2.Work with client s from diverse backgrounds

3.Gain a deep appreciation for diversity4.Acquire an identity as a counselor that includes a multicultural perspective

Knowing Who We Are and Our Relationship To Other Professionals

 Professional identity gives us a sense of who we are, and who we are not.

▪ Helps us know:

▪ how to practice only within our areas of competence

▪ when to consult with other, related mental health professionals

▪ when to refer clients because of our lack of expertise

▪ when to refer clients due to lack of cross-cultural knowledge and skills with some clients

Impaired Mental Health Professionals

 We have a responsibility to know when an impairment will

negatively affect our clients

 Know to seek help for our problems

 Know when to “limit, suspend, or terminate” work if our

impairment negatively affects others

 Impairment can lead to incompetence

▪ Incompetence is unethical and can be illegal and lead to malpractice suits

Personal Therapy and Related Growth Experiences

 Can you understand your client if you have never sat in his shoes (been in counseling)?

 Counseling prevents countertransference

 Counseling helps you develop as a counselor

 Other ways of growing: prayer, meditation, relaxation exercises, exercise, reading, other???

 We can grow personally and professionally throughout our lives