From a historical perspective, understanding the origins of counseling

Professionalism

Overview: From a historical perspective, understanding the origins of counseling helps counselors in training ground who they will be as professionals; in this final project, you will provide the foundation for your identity in the counseling profession and the knowledge to set personal and professional goals to facilitate your continued development.

Prompt

In this assessment, you will write a self-reflective essay addressing who you are as a counselor in training and where you intend to go professionally.

Focus Area: Mental Health Counselor (Focus – Children & Adolescence)

Specifically, the following  critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction: In this section, you will describe yourself as a professional counselor in training and how you fit into the evolution of the counseling profession.

A. Explain your personal  rationale for becoming a professional counselor. Why is this a professional fit for you?

B. Describe the  history of counseling and how it influences who you are now, a counselor in training.

II. Philosophy of Counseling: In this section, you will begin to develop your own philosophy of counseling by considering your own professional interests and ethics.

A. Explain how your  interests align with the field of professional counseling, as opposed to another social science discipline. Why are you a good dispositional fit for the profession?

B. Explain how your emerging professional identity ethically aligns with the  ethics of the American Counseling Association.

III. Focus Area: In this section, you will describe specific factors associated with the specialty area of counseling that you’re interested in practicing within.

A. Explain the specific requirements for professional counseling licensure in the  state (Texas) where you intend to become licensed.

B. Describe the specific requirements for professional counseling licensure in the  specialty area you intend to focus on (Young Children & Adolescence). Consider the necessary supervision, postgraduate hours, and so on.

C. Describe how your professional  abilities are aligned with your intended licensing goal.

D. Describe a counseling  organization that is specific to your intended specialty area.

E. Explain the  professional benefits of membership in the organization that you have identified.

F. Describe specific  ethical code factors that are considered when working in the specialty area which you intend to become licensed in.

IV. Self-Evaluation: In this section, using your knowledge of what it means to be a professional counselor, identify personal strengths and areas for growth that you will bring to the profession.

V. Goals: In this section, develop two SMART goal statements that capture the expectations of a personal and a professional goal that should be achieved as a result of your learning.

 

Submission

Your final submission should be 6 – 8 papers (excluding the front page & reference page), a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final project. Your paper should be double spacing, one-inch margins, and 12-point Times New Roman font. Sources should be cited according to APA style.