My journey into counseling is based on my mom being diagnosed with mental illness when I was five years old. Me being in foster care and living with different family members and experiencing every form of abuse from the age of 5 until 18. I had anger issues and I was passive aggressive. I used comedy as a way to take the focus off me but it was mostly in school towards those who offended me. As an adult I went through a process of forgiving which lead me to wanting to help others.
PC 6106 Foundations of Mental Health Counseling
Required Assignment 1: (200 pts)
Description of RA 1:Professional Development Project
In this assignment, you will develop a professional development plan and submit a 6-7 page reflection on the process.
Professional Development Project
Students will (1) interview a licensed professional counselor (i.e., not a social worker, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, case manager) currently practicing in the field about their position, responsibilities, credentials, training, involvement in the profession, specialty area, job market, self-care strategies, and advice to you as a counselor-in-training; (2) explore the ACA website, in terms of benefits, structure and content; and (3) identify licensing requirements (e.g., exams, hours, training) for the state in which you plan to acquire your license (i.e., contact the state/review the website) and certifications you plan to acquire (e.g., Registered Play Therapist, Nationally Certified Counselor); (4) describe your journey into counseling (“Why Am I Here?”).
The professional development project reflection paper should be 6-7 double-spaced pages: (a) summarize interview (including interviewee demographic contact information) and what you learned about the profession from the interview(2 pgs.), (b) review benefits of ACA membership (1/2-1 pg.), (c) summarize the licensure requirements in your state and create a plan and timeline for acquiring your professional counseling license and any additional certifications (2 pgs.), and (d) describe your unique path to the decision to becoming a counselor (“Why Am I Here”) (2 pgs.).
Your final product will be a 6-7 page Word document written in APA format. Your paper should be written in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
RA 1 Grading Criteria
CACREP Core Standards: 2.F.1.d; 2.F.1.f; 2.F.1.h;
CMHC Standards: 5.C.2.a; 5.C.2.k
Assignment Components
Proficient
Max Points
Select a licensed professional counselor
Selected a licensed professional counselor, described interviewee’s professional background and rationale for selecting interviewee.
/12 pts.
Interview a licensed professional counselor
Gathered information about interviewee’s position, responsibilities, credentials, training, involvement in the profession, specialty area, job market, self-care strategies, and advice to counselors-in-training. Demonstrated meaningful reflection on interview experience and described relevance to experience as a counselor-in-training.
/60 pts
Explore the ACA website, in terms of benefits, structure and content
Reviewed and described purpose of ACA and benefits of ACA membership.
/24 pts.
Identify licensing requirements and certifications
Created a plan for acquiring professional counseling license using current licensure board requirements and cited appropriately; included timeline with projected dates for completion of process. Described specialty areas of interest, additional training required and certification process.
/32 pts.
Why Am I Here? (reflection)
Described personal journey into the field of counseling. Included: First time the student considered counseling as a career, how life experiences prepared the student to become a counselor, attributes possessed that will make the student an effective counselor, etc.
Must include two sources from peer-reviewed journals, cited correctly, and included in a reference list.
/48 pts
Academic Writing
Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e. APA); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Written in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in appropriate and accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Use of scholarly sources aligns with specified assignment requirements.
/24 pts
Total
/ 200 pts.
