Premium Essay

Family Counselor Career Paper

Submitted By
Words 1040
Pages 5
According to my four-letter Meyer-Briggs personality type a career path that suits the INFP type falls under the realm of counselor/ social work. Oddly enough for the longest time I considered going to college to become a marriage and family counselor, because of my preexisting interest that is the career I will be focusing on. This career choice is my pick because I enjoy talking to people, and helping them with whatever issues they may be enduring.
In a typical day a counselor does a variety of activities that cater to each client. In the setting of marriage and family counselor their priorities reside in addressing the issues that plague a family or marital unit on a day to day basis. The counselor would address issues individuals have, and help to make process that combat each issue. Along with this there would be a safe space made to address each issue and discuss them in a nonconfrontational way. In other words, the counselor would create an environment that allows everything to be addressed and eventually solved leading to a happier and better family unit. …show more content…
There is a variety of majors to choose from that would go on to allow one to become a counselor such as psychology, social work, and psychiatry. Regardless of the major chosen a certain number of clinical hours are required to let one go onto practice as a licensed counselor on their own. These clinical hours make it so that one is working under a licensed professional to learn in a hand on setting the dos and don’ts of counseling. The completion time of the clinical portion on average takes roughly two years to complete and afterwards one may take, and pass, a state exam to become

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Pediatric Counselor Research Paper

...Mental health, family, marital and pediatric counselors are very important intoday’s society due to the skyrocketing rate of mental health issues. The duty ofthese counselors is to help manage and ease the pain of those suffering from issuesinvolved in these areas. Personally, I started out my education by wanting tobecome an elementary education teacher. However, once I looked into the area ofcounseling a little more, I realized this is a better fit for me. Counselors have theduties of helping their clients understand things such as diagnoses, problems andpainful experiences. After helping their clients understand these things better,counselors work on helping those people improve their well being by developinghelpful strategies to implement into their lives.The first thing I learned about in researching the career of a pediatric/familycounselor is that you are unable to practice until you obtain your master’s degree orhigher in counseling. There is no program that allows you to become a certifiedcounselor with simply a bachelor’s degree. Therefore, education is extremelyimportant. In order to get into most graduate degree programs, you need to meetcertain requirements, such as obtaining a bachelor’s degree and passing certainundergraduate prerequisite classes....

Words: 475 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Spiritual Discernment

...Spiritual Discernment in Counseling Paper Instructions Purpose: To practice ethically as a professional counselor, it is important that you as a counselor trainees develop an awareness of your personal values and an ability to identify and manage potential biases. The American Counseling Association’s Code of Ethics mandates that “Counselors are aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counseling goals. Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees, and research participants” (A.4.b.). Therefore, it is important that you spend time identifying your own values, understanding the origin of these values, and discovering how your personal values may adversely affect your ability to work with clients with differing values. The purpose of the Spiritual Discernment in Counseling Paper is to 1) familiarize you with the views of vocational decision making and the will of God that are advocated in Christian circles today, 2) explore and identify your own approach to spiritual discernment, 3) increase your awareness of how your approach may influence your counseling, and 4) develop a strategy to work with clients with different approaches to spiritual discernment. Directions: To complete this paper, download the article “Discerning Spiritual Discernment: Assessing Current Approaches for Understanding God’s Will” by Dennis Horton, found in Blackboard. Divide your paper using the headings below (without...

Words: 606 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Psychology Term Paper

...Final Paper PY 570 Sevena McClain University of West Alabama March 6, 2015 Abstract Behavior problems within our youth have become a major problem in today’s society. In one (1) out of every three (3) families there is at least one (1) family that suffers more than others with this problem. There is a demand for help at making a difference in our at-risk adolescents and individuals who are willing to provide services for those that are suffering with behavior problems. The goal is to modify a model that can assist them in what society needs to help prevent at-risk adolescents from making repeated mistakes through a therapeutic process. There are many homes and schools that are in an uproar, because nothing is being done to help families that cannot afford the proper therapy they need to help them. The detention centers are over crowed as well as the prisons. With this being said, this paper will provide the information needed to assist with at-risk adolescents behavior problems that are causing them to be labeled at such an early age. The Behavior Approach with at-risk teens Upon graduation from the University of West Alabama, The author plan to continue her education and obtain her doctorate degree in counseling. After she succeed in her educational endeavors and work in her field of studies to obtain skills and knowledge, she would like become an entrepreneur. She has always dreamed of being her own boss. She plans to open a group home for troubled female adolescents...

Words: 2402 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Uc Personal Statement

...Describe the world you come from—for example, your family, community or school—and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. My life began in a place few people have heard of –Ridgecrest, California—a small town next to a naval base in the Mojave Desert. I live in Bakersfield now, but Ridgecrest will forever be my home and it gave me the foundation of the person I am today. With my mother working on the naval base and my father working in the police force, I was constantly around a military and law enforcement environment. Growing up in a culture that serves others, it became a part of me and close to my heart. This became a bigger impact on me when my brother left for the military when I was only eight years old. Even though I grew up in that culture, my brother leaving became personal and affected me more than I ever thought it would. It is through this sense of community and service, and the events that would unfold, that I know my future involves counseling military personnel. Just months after my brother left, my father was transferred to Bakersfield and I had to leave my friends and family. I had gotten over those losses and adjusted well to the “big city.” The summer between my freshman and sophomore year in high school my mother and I went on vacation with friends to their cabin. When we returned, my father had gathered his belongings and was gone. He said nothing of this to anyone and allowed us to come home and find out on our own. It was...

Words: 2342 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Factors Influencing Career Choice of Bsa Students in Adamson University

...Statistics projected that there will be a 15.7% increase in the number of accounting jobs between 2010 and 2020. This increase in demand gives the importance to study and understand the factors that motivate and encourage students to take up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy as their college course, so that quality graduates will meet the demand in the field of accounting profession. This paper also helps high school teachers, parents and guidance counselors on how they can influence students to take up BS Accountancy in their tertiary level. On the other hand, it also informs the students on the advantages of being accountancy major and an accountant in the future. Factors Affecting Students’ Choice of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy as Major A Review of Related Literature and Studies Accounting as defined by Webster is the system of recording and summarizing business and financial transactions and analyzing, verifying and reporting the results. On the other hand, Accountancy is the profession or practice of accounting. Bachelor of Science in Accountancy prepares students for careers in accounting firms, financial institutions, public sectors, and financial departments of companies. It is an in demand course since there is an upward trend and opportunities to accountancy graduates and these graduates are expected to experience much faster employment than the average in this decade. Thus, colleges and universities are in need to produce a sufficient supply of quality graduates...

Words: 2643 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Career Counseling

...Career Counseling Term Paper [SCHOOL NAME HERE] [YOUR NAME HERE] [DATE HERE] Person-in-Environment The person-in-environment theory concentrates on the situation one may find him or herself in over the course of one’s life. For example, various life stages may include preparing to graduate from high school, going into college, graduating from college, getting married, buying a home, having children, and so forth. These various situations impact the person in different ways. Also, the social context in which the person experiences these stages is also relevant. For example, if a person is entering college and is seeking employment in an area in which other people of the same age are not seeking higher education, there will be some conflicting priorities, needs and abilities that the person will encounter and have to cope with. Another term used to describe the person-in-environment theory is “ecological system” (Zunker, 2012, pg. 57). While this term is more commonly used when talking about flora and fauna in the wild, it is very applicable to career counseling as well. The career world is often congruent to that of the animal kingdom. There are hierarchies, competition for resources, and inevitably someone thrives and someone fails. By focusing on this corresponding model as an analogy to how one’s career may evolve over time and through various obstacles, a career counselor can help a person to focus on external issues and how to best handle them. This is...

Words: 2088 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Community Colleges

...potential for community colleges to advance their students’ careers and earnings, student graduation rates are abysmal. According to a report by National Center for Education Statistics, 13 percent community college student complete their degree in two years, 22 percent graduate in three years, less than 30 percent have earned a degree in four years (Figure #). A separate study of California community colleges found that only 24 percent were able to either transfer to a four-year college or obtain an Associate's degree within 6 years. We identify six factors in the literature explaining poor community college completion rates:lack of student preparedness, lack of personalized support from understaffed counselors and teachers, uncertainty...

Words: 685 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Roles and Responsibilities of a Clinical Mental Health Counselor

...The Roles and Functions of a CMHC Abstract The clinical mental health counseling approach has been described as a continuum with healthy individuals on one end and severe mentally ill individuals on the other; consequently, everyone can benefit from clinical mental health counseling. The client-counselor relationship is one in which the client is led to identify strengths and challenges, and develop skills with the goal of independent problem-solving, long-term benefits and future prevention. This paper seeks to explore these domains further.  Clinical Roles and Approaches of the CMHC The clinical mental health counseling approach has been described as a continuum with healthy individuals on one end and severe mentally ill individuals on the other; consequently, everyone can benefit from clinical mental health counseling. According to Hersehson and Poser (1987), the client-counselor relationship is one in which the client is led to identify strengths and challenges, and develop skills with the goal of independent problem-solving, long-term benefits and future prevention. Clinical mental health counselors (CMHC) are trained to treat their clients holistically and to use diverse approaches to address wide-ranging issues, diverse cultural backgrounds and life styles, and community settings (Gladding & Newsome, 2011; Myers & Sweeney, 2007). According to Gladding & Newsome (2011) the CMHC will provide services in the following capacities: Mental health counseling...

Words: 1343 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personal Narrative: A Career In Counseling

...The person I chose to shadow happened to be a female approximately 30-40 years of age. She is a counselor, teacher, mother, and mentor for all students who visit her office. However, the school would say that her areas of expertise are Counseling, University Retention, and Social Welfare. During her average day she deals with student breakdowns, reports for the office, emails, and instructs a Freshman Year Experience course. Many people would consider her superwoman. But then again doesn’t every woman take on these roles in her life? Balancing a professional work environment while tending to a family. Could it be that her position as a counselor strengthens this thought and question? Human Resources Approach According to Miller, “the human resources approach acknowledges contributions of classical and, especially, human relations approaches to organizing” (45). I thought that this concept related best with my interviewee. As program coordinator as her official title she is in charge of many responsibilities. I asked her if she could describe her job as well as what are her main responsibilities were for. Her response was financial aid counseling, personal counseling, career & graduate/professional school counseling, and career services. She then explained her role as a program coordinator for that...

Words: 1350 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Legal Issues in Human Services

...A Conflict for Counselors Crystal Anderson University of Phoenix BSHS/332 Professional, Ethical, and Legal issues in Human Services Audra Stinson October 8, 2012 A counselor’s perspective Social workers study psychological and sociological aspects of counseling. It is believed by some professionals, work performed by practitioners considered technically guided from their educational experience. There is communication abroad that suggests most or nearly every social worker develops ethical practices from their training or state licensing boards. During therapeutic involvement counselors explore various methods of intervention tactics learned. However, it is other viewpoints critical for the development of each therapist style. This paper examines the development of this counselor’s personal values, ground rules, and ethics in a professional setting. The main focus describes viewpoints of the counselor’s perspectives, the effects, and sources, which contributed to these notions. This paper further explains the counselor decisions in ethical practices. Moreover, primarily counselors are responsible for the entire treatment process for their clients. This relationship often entails a variety of settings, such as private...

Words: 2183 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Group Dynamics

...the behavior of the groups so that a complete understanding of the behavior is obtained. There are many types of groups that people become a part of in their everyday life including family, community, church, and within their profession. Memberships to these groups are important because it plays an important role in their behaviors and attitudes. This paper will identify an organizational group of which I have been a part of and will give analysis of the group dynamics of my chosen group. As a part of the analysis the group will be described including the purpose, goals, and demographic nature such as gender, education, and so forth. The stages are development experienced by the group is described and the structure and effect of the structure on the effectiveness of the group is written to help readers understand the importance of the group. Explanation of the dynamics of group behavior within the group and analysis of the effect that group has on me concerning group polarization, conformity, and groupthink concepts. Counseling Department for Georgia Department of Corrections There are many reasons to why a person joins groups but the main reason is because the group membership helps him or her form a need of satisfaction. When I decided to change my career goals and become a counselor instead of climbing the ladder of success from a security point, I wanted to personally experience how different jobs within the Department of Corrections work together to make the organization...

Words: 2032 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Client Specialization

...Counseling Specialization of Interviewee This paper was written with the help and the information given by Bethel Smith a Licensed Professional Counselor also known as a Mental Health Counselor. Her areas of concentration individual therapy, couples and families groups to help them feel mentally and emotionally better. She helps her client wholeheartedly everyday by siting down patiently with each individual and truly listening to them and through a variety of techniques, helping them to find the answers they are looking for. She enjoys educating her client about assertiveness, thinking errors, communication, the dynamics of thoughts, beliefs and behaviors and how they play a role in emotional experience. Results of the Interview- What was...

Words: 1268 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Syllabus

...related materials and contacts. For Blackboard Help: Contact Joan Draper, for online help: jdraper@mercy.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the basic ethical issues and current trends affecting the counselor working in a contemporary school or agency. Topics include: the nature and scope of counseling, the definition of ethics and its meaning for professional counselors, and the relationship between counseling and professional ethical practice as defined by the American Counseling Association. The variety of agency and school settings are examined to illustrate the specific ethical guidelines that apply to schools and agencies. Professional norms, such as non-malfeasance, patient autonomy, and confidentiality are explained. (3 credits) TEXT: Ethics in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Standards, research and emerging issues (4th edition) Elizabeth Reynolds Welfel (2013) Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage ISBN13: 978-0-8400-2858-7 American Counselor Association Code of Ethics http://www.counseling.org/docs/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=4 Code of Ethics of the American Mental Health Counseling Association. Available on-line at www.amhca.org/ethics.html American School Counselor Association Ethical Standards for School Counselors, Available on-line at www.schoolcounselor.org/library/ethics.pdf Program Outcomes (PO) – Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling Program Outcome (PO) Code | Program Outcomes (POs) | Program Goal (PG)...

Words: 4592 - Pages: 19

Free Essay

Examining United States Military Culture from a Civilian Perspective

...Examining United States Military Culture from a Civilian Perspective Greg G Jacobs Albizu University This paper is put forth as a cursory examination of the culture of the United States Military from the perspective of an individual intending to work as a therapist or mental health counselor with current or former members of the military and their families. Although it is very important to think of every individual as unique unto themselves, there are shared customs, traditions, traits, beliefs, needs, and, challenges, common to members of the military culture. It is believed that in exploring these common items one can be of greater assistance in our supporting role to military members, families and ultimately the military’s mission. This author hopes to cover several topics that relate directly to the culture of the U.S. Military and therapists intending to work with this population. These topics include emotions, themes of isolation and alienation, the stigma associated with getting help, multiculturalism and how it relates to these individuals, honor, demographics of the new all-volunteer service, reasons people join the military, authoritarian families, parental absences, allegiance to the military mission, military hierarchal structure, and the defining features of the Fortress (secrecy, stoicism, and denial). Concepts of Military Culture “The whole culture of the military is that you don’t talk about feelings or emotions” (Marshal, 2006, p...

Words: 4361 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Nt1310 Unit 4 Assignment

...Assignment: Section 8: Integrated summary of assessment results in relation to the personal information from Stage 1, including career implications. Write a report summarizing the results of the four assessment instruments. Report each instrument individually, and then discuss the ways in which the separate results reinforce or contradict each other. Demonstrate how the results of the assessments relate to the personal subjective information gathered in Stage 1. Finally, based on all of the data, suggest some criteria for occupations that might be a good fit for this individual, and why you came to those conclusions. (Suggested total pages: 8 to 12) To help develop a better understanding of Hira’s vales, interests, personality type, and strengths, Hira completed four assessment instruments. In this paper, the results of the four assessment instruments will be discussed. In addition, this paper will compare and contrast the individual results of the four assessment instruments and her personal history gathered earlier. Lastly, this paper will suggest some...

Words: 1330 - Pages: 6