Professional Development Plan for Lourdes Irimia - Essay Example

Professional Development Plan for Lourdes Irimia In the current economic times is very important for everyone to have a career goal. Prior to the last twenty years most people were happy to have a well paying job. Today a "job" is not as satisfying as it once was and a career has become more important. Many people are returning to school to get the education in a career that they will enjoy. Although going to college is not necessarily going to end in a job for the rest of a person's life, it does acquire skills that can insure an income that is more than minimum wage. With a career, an individual can be sure that the employment they find will be compatible with their skills and abilities. ESTABLISHING A PROFESIONAL IDENTITY As a counselor, a professional identity is important and it should be built on ethical standards. Often these standards are developed through a combination of intrinsic information (the information acquired through parents and the environment) and a course of study. I have chosen a counseling degree because it meets my needs to help others. Programs of Study My program of study is Mental Health Counseling. I chose the Walden University programs because: The M.S. in Mental Health Counseling Program will help prepare you to address and treat clients' mental health needs knowledgeably, ethically, and with respect for diversity. (Walden University, 2009). I also wanted a program that was CACREP accredited because I knew it would give me a strong foundation for further study or towards finding a job. I wanted a flexible program and this one offered a combination of online classes, interactive simulations, face-to-face residencies and a practicum and internship that were based on practical skill. I thought I would have a strong foundation and skills that were available to use right away. I was impressed by the structure of this program and the fact that the professors are leaders in the mental health field. I find the curriculum challenging and it is very balanced so that the student is exposed to every possible situation that they may see in their future counseling practice. Professional Development Plan I have been enrolled in the M.S. in Counseling program at Walden University for several semesters now and my coursework has helped me make better decisions in my current employment. I have worked with teenagers and their parents for several years and I have learned strategies to enhance my work with this population. Before this coursework, I was in pharmaceuticals so I knew how to treat customers and how to develop their trust. All of the experience I developed prior to entering this coursework laid a foundation for working with people and some of their problems. I also have learned about regulations, policies and the needs of families with teens. My plan is to finish the degree and then to find a position that will give me a chance to work with a variety of cultures, and where I can do family therapy specializing in teenagers. I would like to help people who would normally be turned away because of problems or "glitches" in the system. One I have my degree, I plan to pursue professional development on a regular basis to keep my skills fresh; I will do this through interaction with professional organizations, through conferences, and through local meetings of mental health professionals. My Personal State Licensing Program I live in the state of Florida and Florida's state Mental Health Licensure requirements are: 1. A Master's degree in counseling or a related field. 2. Two years of post Master's supervised experience under the supervision of a licensed mental health counselor or the equivalent (64B4-31.007 (1) a-e F.A.C. ) and who is approved by the Board. 3. A course in human sexuality, substance abuse and HIV education. 4. At least 1,000 hours in a supervised, clinical practicum and internship. (Florida Department of Health, 2009, p. 1). Licensing will allow me to become an insurance provider if I decide to do private practice. Licensing insures that the counselor has met a specific set of standards and that they are practicing ethical conduct which will be important to my clients. FIVE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE AMERICAN COUNSELING ASSOCIATION Mental Health Counseling is a field similar to medicine and it has a code of ethics that all counselors are to follow. The ACA Code of Ethics is important for counselors to learn because it provides a framework for them to follow when dealing with clients and with the business of counseling. The ACA Code of Ethics has five main purposes that help counselors understand what the ACA expects of its members. Purpose 1: To provide clarification to practicing counselors, new counselors and clients as to the "nature" of the ethical code and how it relates to practice. Forester-Miller and Davis (1996) suggest that all purposes have a moral principle that they describe. According to these authors this purpose is about "autonomy" and the "concept of independence" for each counselor and their clients (p. 1). This means that counselors must be able to work on their own and encourage their clients to understand that they have the answers to their problems and they can make decisions according to their own values, although when making decisions based on ones own values, they may not be the same as other people's values and there may need to be some compromise. To operationalize this purpose I will make sure that I understand my own values and opportunities in counseling. It will be important to adopt an observer position sometimes while looking for ways to help the client find their own way to change their lives. The counselor must act as a "guide" or "facilitator" to help the client understand they can stand on their own once the counseling process is completed. Purpose 2: The Code helps support the mission of the association. The mission of the ACA is "to enhance the quality of life in society by promoting the development of professional counselors, advancing the counseling profession, and using the profession and practice of counseling to promote respect for human dignity and diversity" (American Counseling Association, "ACA Mission Statement"). Forester-Miller and Davis state that the moral principle attached to this purpose is the "do no harm". In this purpose counselors should strive to treat their clients well, understand when they need to refer them to someone else and encourages them to maintain ethical standards in all that they do. (p. 2). A firm foundation to do no harm (also called "malfeasance" in the ACA Code of Ethics) encourages counselors to stay away from behaviors that would do harm to clients, physically, mentally or spiritually. In designing my professional identity and my development plan the idea that clients should be treated well is my motto. Before I started my coursework, I was already involved with family therapy and I saw that there were mental health professionals who did not seem to have their client's best interest at heart. I have seen first hand the fact that some counseling organizations turned away potential clients because of problems in their organizations. My way to operationalize this purpose is to strive to treat every client well and help them move through their challenges to become the people they want to become; I also want to help to create systemic change. Purpose 3: The Code provides a foundation for best practices in the field and ethical behavior. According to Foster-Miller and Davis this purpose is also about not harming clients (p. 2). In my opinion this is very important and the way that a counselor creates best practice and ethical behavior is to open their eyes to the world around them. This means continuing professional development after their coursework and finding a variety of ways to help their clients. This purpose takes the guess work out of working with clients because it provides a foundation for every type of situation a counselor could find themselves in and gives a solution. To operationalize this purpose I will stay knowledgeable about ethics and consult them on a regular basis. Purpose 4: The Code provides a foundation of ethical behavior that encourages counselors to create a "professional course of action" that will provide best practices for mental health practitioners and promotes the value to clients in using counseling services. To operationalize this purpose it will be important to make sure that I continue to do professional development to keep up with changes in the mental health field. Joining professional organizations is key to this purpose because they have publications, workshops, seminars and often local meetings that give counselors a chance continue learning; this can also be a source for counselors to contribute information to their colleagues. Purpose 5: The Code provides a basis to discuss ethical complaints and positive inquires for members in the organization. According to Forester-Miller and Davis this purpose is important because it encourages counselors to operate effectively and in an ethical manner so that they can build trust with their clients. It also asks counselors not to threaten the therapeutic relationship (p.2). To operationalize this purpose I will stick to a Code of Ethics faithfully and make sure that I conduct myself appropriately in counseling sessions. IMPORTANT ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN There are so many professional organizations to join that to pick a few can be overwhelming. The three that I have chosen are: The American Counseling Association (ACA), the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT) and the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA). American Counseling Association (ACA) The purpose of the ACA is education. Their mission statement is: To enhance the quality of life in society by promoting the development of professional counselors, advancing the counseling profession and using the profession and practice of counseling to promote respect for human dignity and diversity (American Counseling Association, 2009, "About Us: Mission Statement"). The ACA is very important to any mental health counselor because it is a national organization which means the counselor will gain wider knowledge of the counseling field. For me it will be a primary organization in addition to my local chapter. They educate through leadership training, reading materials and through a conference once a year. I believe that it is important to keep up with current needs in the field and to keep my skills current. I think that this is in line with my values because I believe that the client should come first and that as counselors, we have the opportunity to make sure we give the best of care. I want to be the best in my field and the "best" means having current information in the field and being able to draw from it in helping clients. International Association of Counselors and Therapists (IACT) This organization states that it is "the premier association for holistic practitioners". Their major focus is to "exchange ideas, information, techniques and methodologies" (IACT Website). I thought this organization would be a good to join because it includes a diversity of practitioners. Their membership includes clinical social workers, NLP practitioners, clergy, licensed massage therapist, substance abuse counselors and hypnotherapists just to name a few. Their mission is to: Provide a foundation from which it is possible to make available the discoveries of the 'grass roots' explorers to those of advanced academic background, and to supply a conduit through which researchers can make their discoveries available to practitioners (IACT Website). This organization was interesting to me because it had so many different people to share ideas with and counselors could be exposed to fresh ideas from all over the world and through a variety of disciplines. One value for me is to learn more about other cultures to be able to work effectively with them. I also thought it would be a good idea to join a global organization. Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA) Florida is my home state so it made sense to me to get involved with a local organization. The purpose of FMHCA is to educate its members through literature (a newsletter, journals and other professional writings), workshops and other resources to help counselors update their skills; they also have a legal component that advocates for the counseling profession. This purpose also combines with my values of truth, honesty and being successful in the field. THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL CHANGE When I first looked at this section I had to think about my idea of social change and how counselors would fit into that definition. Usually we associate social change with many different aspects of the law or people who are fighting for a cause. Lee and Rodgers (2009) suggest that it is a counselor's responsibility to become a part of social change. They suggest that the public arena is a perfect place for counselors to bring public awareness to certain situations (p. 285). They suggest talking to the media, supporting alliances or creating new ones, lobbying legislatures and other policy makers and becoming an advocate for clients. To me this means that mental health counselors must be on the cutting edge of advocacy for the clients we serve. We are helping society by helping clients become better citizens through the therapy work they do and we are affecting social change by helping our clients become more balanced and whole. As an example, my interview was with Dave Zachau, a counselor who has worked with sexual offenders for 30 years. Mr. Zachau stated that he affects social change in two ways. The first way is to help the sexual offender stop his behavior or curtail it in such a way that it does not affect society in a negative way. He is also an advocate for this population by being a member of and being active in, the Association For Treatment Of Sexual Abusers. He wants to help society understand that if they do not help sexual offenders, they are not given a chance to move on with their lives. For my practice working with families would create social change because I helped teenagers find a better way of behaving and I would help parents learn better parenting skills where necessary. This would create a stronger individual and may decrease incarceration for some of the teenage population and this would create more productive citizens. I can also see that I would become involved in programs that worked towards helping this population and at some point I may even contribute articles to a newsletter or other publication when I thought my ideas would help other counselors or the general public. PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW My interview was with David D. Zachau, MA, PCC-S. He became interested in psychology in undergraduate school and this turned into an internship program where he learned about counseling. He suggested that licensing was important because of insurance and because it gave the client an idea that his credentials were sound. One issue that I had not heard of before was that of getting onto insurance panels. According to Zachau, this would allow an individual to take certain types of insurance and become a "preferred provider" of mental health services. He said that if and individual were on several panels it could help to get into an agency quicker. I felt that my views were in alignment with his views of the profession. He felt that working with clients was the most rewarding part of the work and I also feel that working with clients is rewarding. He said that counseling would not make you lots of money but you would have steady income as you pursued your work. I feel that it is important to work for the clients rather than chase money also. I felt that we shared the same values in that we saw a type of client that was important to us and we were open to advocating for that group of people to insure that they received proper treatment. CONCLUSION I feel that I am on the right track for my profession and the experiences that I have had have made me a stronger person and a stronger counselor. I am open to the possibilities as I move forward in my program of study and I know that I am gaining a strong foundation to move forward. I feel that the coursework at Walden has increased my understanding of mental health counseling but it has also given me practical skills that I am currently using. The interview I did opened my eyes to a broader focus and I am thinking about private practice in the future, but not until I have done agency work for a few years. I think that creating a professional identity is very important because it shows your clients and your community that you are an effective mental health counselor. This also shows that you are willing to work to a high standard of ethics and that you will help clients move forwards in their lives. Since we study many different counseling theories, we can take a little from each one to develop our own identity. We could also find other ways of working with a certain client group that might be helpful information to our colleagues. Finally, I believe that with the current U.S. Administration focused on healthcare that it may be a prime time for mental health counselors to be working. References American Counseling Association (2005). Code of Ethics. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/TP/Home/CT2.aspx. American Counseling Association (2009). About Us. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www.counseling.org/AboutUs/. Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (2009). About FMHCA. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www.floridamhca.org/. Forester-Miller, H., and Davis, T. (1996). A practitioner's guide to ethical decision making. Retrieved August 4, 2009 from http://www.counseling.org/Counselors/ PractitionersGuide.aspx. (Available in .pdf format). International Association of Counselors and Therapists (2009). About IACT. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www.iact.org/. Lee, C.C. and Rodgers, R. A. (2009). Affecting systemic change in the public arena. Journal of Counseling & Development. 87 (3), p. 284-287. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier database. (AN: 42842830). Mental Health Counseling (2009). Florida Department of Mental Health. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/491/soc-lic- req.html#Mental%20Health%20Counseling. Walden University. (2009). M.S. in Mental Health Counseling. Retrieved August 1, 2009 from http://www.waldenu.edu/Degree-Programs/Masters/M.S.-in-Mental- Health-Counseling.htm. Interview Questions And Notes Individual found through Psychology Today listing Wednesday August 5, 2009 Dave Zachau Psych & Psych Services 750  South Abbe Road Elyria,  Ohio  44035 440-323-5121 www.psychandpsych.com 1. Are you a native of Ohio? (I chose Elyria because it was an interesting name). Not a native of Ohio, but I was born in New Jersey and lived in Pennsylvania. 1979-80 job market was better in Ohio than PA. Elyria had the large mental health center NORD Center. Was working for forensic division under a psychologist who did this. Enjoy investigative evaluation types. 2. How long have you been in the counseling profession? Since 1980. Counselor license when it had a grandfathering program. Licenses 1985. About 30 years of counseling. 3. Are you in private practice or do you work for an agency? Private practice. 4. Are you licensed? Why or why not Licensed since 1985. Because in private practice for insurance purposes which speaks to a financial piece. 5. What professional organizations do you belong to (if any)? Ohio Psychological Association--was psych assistant and most of the professional organization was around the psychology filed as a psych assistant. As the counselor license matured, ended up joining the ACA which was more oriented towards education and guidance counselors. Over the last 10 years more clinical counseling., Association for treatment of sexual abusers, ACA 6. Why did you choose counseling as a profession? Majored in psych undergraduate, enjoy helping people and the whole process of evaluation, psychological testing and diagnosis. As much as the therapy piece. The origins go back to the fact that things specific to his childhood with different experiences which would be an interest in it anyway. 7. What benefit do you receive after all these years to keep you working in the profession? Find it rewarding to be working with people involvement in either assessing the nature of their problems or treating them. The benefit is from the clients. His wife and he co-own the private practice. She had the practice for about 30 years. Business has grown over the years. 8. What specific "types" of clients do you enjoy working with? Which ones do you not like working with? Marital therapy, works with sex offenders find it challenging and rewarding. Do not like working with younger adolescents and don't have expertise with this but has no interest it. 9. Do you ever take time for vacations? Takes vacations, but can't take a lot because money stops in private practice. 10. What advice would you give someone who is just entering the profession? Healthcare reform because whatever Obama does with it will effect the practice. Essentially if a person is going into the profession with financial reward as one of the issues should find something else. They are being reimbursed at the same rate as they would for 25 years ago. Have to work more hours in order to get the money you need to get it. Making money is the wrong profession. Become more acclimated to the business side of the profession if you didn't get it … getting onto insurance panels. Someone who is coming out of a graduate school go to an agency job first then to private practice. Be aware that they are not going to get into private until they are going to panel programs first. Major insurers their provider panels are closed. Could take a few years before they can get o those panels. Agency setting for a few years first. Certification by those healthcare programs. Understanding that part of the "game" because it is extremely important to this. Some internship experiences will tell you about this but most of the time this is not given. Key issue - not on the panel, not going to be attractive to a private 11. Do you feel that you are affecting social change as a counselor in some way? If so, how? Primarily with sex offenders affecting social change. His work impacts at least this small corner of society. 1) Victim side -- is primary and a priority but 2) on the offender side there is a lot of social policies in place that are reactive and have caused a lot of damage in regards to offenders attempting to rebuild their life. Many are getting out of prison after a few years after committing terrible, heinous crimes. Average time is 3-5 years. Hit the restrictions the social policies and they are placed under "protecting the community" but they are more politically driven than research driven which makes it more difficult to get people out into the community again. Statement of Consent:  I have read the above information. I have asked questions and received answers. I consent to participate in this interview . Printed Name of Interviewee David D. Zachau, MA, PCC-S Interviewee Signature and Date David. D. Zachau, MA, PCC-s 8-4-09 (No way to sign unless fax it somewhere?) Signature of Student and Date Read More