Relationship between Personal and Professional Development - Assignment Example

? PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO Professional and Personal Development Portfolio The link between a person and the profession has always been there, and will always be there. The simple reason as to why this is so lies in the fact that both of these conflicting sides at times all reside in the same body. You are a person first and a professional second; therefore, there is some entanglement (Rogers, 2004). However, just because the two reside in the same body does not make it right or even incorrigible. Attempts have to be made to properly define both of these sides with the aim of using each one successfully in different spheres of life. For instance, as a counselor, I have to supersede my own self when dealing with other people. If I allow my personal prejudices to intervene; then, I am likely to leave the client with a less than effective remedy. This paper shall seek to un-wrap such entanglement between the personal and the professional. I shall also evaluate my own traits that might interfere with my vocation as a counselor. Finally, I shall seek to establish connections between my personality that are aligned with psychological therapy, as well as try to integrate my acquired knowledge about my own development and my self-awareness. There is a strong relationship between personal development and professional development. The same case applies to me. Personal development entails issues such as gaining confidence, dealing better with internal conflicts, being assertive, engaging one-self in productive relationships, being respectful of other people, being able to persevere in difficult moments, being focused, and even being full of energy. Indeed, the list goes on and on (Lawport & Sills, 2005). At a personal level, I am a person who is patient and passionate. These values are necessary in life, more so in counseling. In counseling, the rationale is that you listen to clients articulating their problems and troubles, and then you seek solutions for them. Therefore, impatience is an oxymoron in as far as my profession is concerned. Only a person who is willing to listen will understand the concerns that are hidden in the darkest of recesses of the clients’ hearts. Patience might with time fade because one might meet a client who is poor at articulating themselves, and is economical with the truth. This is where passion sets in. According to Lapworth and Sills (2001) passion is the oil that powers one’s engine. From the personal example cited above, it is clear that there are certain aspects of the practitioner’s personality that have huge bearing on their professional personality. This is how the development of virtues such as patience at the personal level overreaches into one’s professional conduct. The other synergy that exists between the two has to do with personal experiences. Personal experiences greatly inform the way we relate with other people, but more importantly with our clients. As a counselor, I had my experiences with addiction, attachment and loss. Such experiences are an auspicious omen as far as this profession is concerned. Someone who has dealt with an addiction is likely to know the difficulty of withdrawal as opposed to someone who has not. The practitioner who has not undergone any destructive attachment might find it difficult to understand how the chains of habit can lock a person in their own prison (Pepovic, 2004). Another aspect worth exploring revolves around the biases that we have in our personal lives. Racism, chauvinism, elitism, patriarchy, among others should not interfere with the discharge of professional duties. For example, dismissive attitudes towards women can make it difficult for a person to take female clients seriously during counseling. Such prejudices also make a practitioner lose objectivity. They are likely to recommend the wrong remedies to the client as a result of their personal prejudices interfering in the discharge of professional duties. In assessing the link between personal and professional development it is imperative to note that most practitioners are usually under counseling themselves. This is important in helping them stay more attuned with the recommendations that they suggest for their own clients. The practitioners are not a god, they need to be constantly reminded of their professional development, and the best way to do that is to place them in the shoes of the client. Another aspect of personal development that contributes greatly to professional development has to do with training. Practitioners are required to attend special courses where they learn how to discharge their duties. Even after completing training, even a MSc degree as is in my case, practitioners are required to attend several seminars in order to extend their boundaries in as far as the field of counselling is concerned. These seminars and other training help practitioners to relate with fellow professionals, as well as exchange experiences and lessons. Such sharing is evidence enough of the need to improve both personal and professional relationships for best results (Bayne, Jinks, Gollard, Horton, 2008). Regardless of the amount of time and effort one makes towards being an all-rounded individual, and by extension a professional, there are always shortcomings. These pitfalls come from several sources (Popovic, 2004). One of the problems that affect me the most is that I over-concentrate on one shortcoming; thus, giving room for another to ambush me absentmindedly. Such shortcomings can affect my effectiveness as a practitioner. Trying to be one’s own judge is extremely difficult, but there are shortcomings which, despite my efforts to ignore them, still persist. For instance, I had a painful past with experiences of loss, attachment and addiction. Deep knowledge of these experiences is on my part are a burden. The reason why this is so is that memory of these experiences, especially when I am dealing with a client facing them now, fills me with a sense of inadequacy. I try with little success to convince myself that they are in the past, but the client’s stories ensure that they are forever fresh in my mind. In such situations, deep inside my heart, I lack conviction in what I am passing on to the client. I know and understand how hard it was for me to deal with the loss, and any recommendations that I suggest to the client have a huge shadow of despair hanging over them. My approach to counseling is also client-centered. I believe that I should give the client all the time and opportunity to tell their own story. The problem with this approach is that clients have problems being fully open when it appears as if they are engaged in a monologue. I realize it is important to lead the client along the way and help them express emotions which might be unclear to them, but which I can see clearly as a practitioner (Bayne, et.al, 2008). I have several experiences that I can share with the client, but some perverse caution overcomes me and in the end it does not help the client. The client needs to feel that what they are going through is mutual so that they can believe that the remedies I suggest will indeed be effective. My other personal issue that might be interfering with my professional mandate is the fact that I am not the trusting type. I always prefer a cautious approach. Clients do not always tell the truth, but that is no reason for me to doubt them. I need to adopt an approach that allows me to believe first then verify later, rather than casting my doubts at the outset. This impediment has the potential of interfering with my performance since I take a lot of time to come to terms with the client’s condition; thus, I find myself unprepared at times to offer solutions since I spend more time trying to verify, rather than seeking solutions. The other shortcoming is not of my own making, but it nevertheless impacts on my flexibility. I have mostly dealt with issues related to depression and self-esteem (Bayne, et.al, 2008). Both of these issues have personal elements attached to them. What I mean by that is that they are issues the clients are suffering from in their personal life. I have not practiced as much on issues dealing with clients’ professional life. They are also important since work is an important part of many clients’ lives. They spend five out of seven weekdays at work and the improvement in the arena of work is therefore critical. Dealing with such issues repeatedly has also filled me with the perception that all client issues can be cured by a sort of panacea. This is not right since the rationale behind counselling is to let the client tell their story with all its specifics, and then expect an answer that is tailor made for them (Dryden & Reeves, 2008). Even with my shortcomings; however, I do have values that are in line with psychotherapy and more specifically the BACP framework. I relate very well with all my clients stories. This is very much in line with beneficence (Lago & Kitchin, 1998). I always try to do what is in the best interest of my clients. I genuinely seek answers to their challenges without any bias and even more importantly I am not discriminative. Extremely important is the fact I respect the autonomy of the clients. I do not seek to help them by prescribing a moral code or a lifestyle which is like my own. I merely seek to help them find solutions that are attuned to their current environment. If the client shows willingness to adopt a new value system, I encourage them. However, I do this after thoroughly evaluating them to ensure they are ready for the change, and not merely reacting. Creating links between self-knowledge and acquired knowledge on personal development is imperative. There are several inconsistencies that will be unmasked by trying to match who we know we are and what we know we are supposed to be. The conflict resulting from this can be hard to contain at times. In serious cases, it interferes with a person’s professionalism and renders them less effective. For instance, I know that I am a very assertive person. At the individual level, it is an important trait that helps me become specific about what I want. However, I know that this is unsustainable in my field. The main reason is that it might scare the client and make them instead to be economical about what they say, and what they keep secret. As a result, I have tried to tone down a lot on this quality and perhaps that is why I find myself almost quiet during entire sessions with a client (Bond, 2008). I have also deliberately sought to improve relationships with those around me. Improving relations makes me open to talk more with others and not merely to live by them. People around have important experiences to share, just like clients have gripping stories to tell. Listening to these stories prepares me for the challenging task of persevering with clients. Over time, such openness earns someone a vast experience from which to draw important conclusions and final recommendations (Bond, 2008). Not to be ignored are the personal conflicts that boil inside with regards to what one is expected to do, and what one does eventually. I have worked on improving the confidentiality with regards to client information. Initially, this was a challenge because there were some cases on which I needed to consult. Nowadays, I instead use my names when mentioning my clients’ stories to fellow professionals. This is very important because confidentiality is the cornerstone of successful counseling (Bond & Mitchels, 2008). In conclusion, the connections between personal and professional life are extremely strong. At times, qualities from one side may affect one’s performance on the other. Therefore, it is important for practitioners to note these areas of entanglement and seek ways of resolving them. In resolving them, it should also be clear to them that rectifying the personal side greatly improves the professional side. There are several ways to correct such anomalies. One of the most effective ways is following the plain guidelines of the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy. This framework sets in plain terms what is expected of a practitioner: confidentiality, autonomy, beneficence, respect, among several others (James, 2011). References Bayne, R., Jinks, G., Collard, P. & Horton, I. (2008). The Counselor’s Handbook. London: Nelson Thorne’s Publishers. Bond, T. (2000). Standards and Ethics for Counseling in Action. London: Sage Publishers. Bond, T. & Mitchels, B. (2008). Confidentiality and Record Keeping in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Recording Confidences. London: Sage Publishers. Dryden, W. & Reeves, A. (2008). Key Issues for Counseling in Action. London: Sage Publishers. Hawkins, P. & Shohet, R. (2001). Supervision in the Helping Professions. Milton Keynes: OU Press. James, D. (2011). Therapy Today and the BACP Ethical Framework: Knopf, London Lago, C. & Kitchin, D., (1998). The Management of Counseling and Psychotherapy Agencies. London: Sage Publishers. Lapworth, P. & Sills, C. (2001). Integration in Counseling & Psychotherapy: Developing a Personal Approach. London: Sage Publishers. Popovic, N. (2004). Personal Synthesis. London: PWBC. Rogers, C. (2004). On Becoming a Person. London: Constable Publishers. Read More