Counseling can be a self rewarding field that makes the counselor feel satisfy with themselves for helping many in need. The issue is that the necessity for mental help is great and many are not receiving the help they need due to different factors. Reading through Thomas and Sosin’s literature I read this quote, “Expert in the field of counseling and psychology have pointed out that the need for counselors will always exceed the supply” (Albee, 1968). It seems like the need for mental health professional is great and many are attempting to attend to that calling; however; not everyone is appropriately equip for the field.
Thomas and Sosin talk about the foundation and the fundamentals of helping in their book. Reading through them as a counselor in training it makes you think the great importance of possessing the appropriate equipments, techniques, and theories to go out in the field and execute the skills learned to impact lives. As a child I went through my parent’s divorce and had to cope with it on my own. Professional help was neither accessible for us nor affordable. I grew up and continuously kept seeing the same scenario I lived in many minority and low income families. I later in high school realized that I want it to become a mental health professional and help those in need.
We all have been called to this field. Let’s make sure we equip ourselves properly and go out there and execute an outstanding job. The need is great and we might not be able to help everyone, but every single live we help makes a difference. We probably were called to this field to help that one person. The harvest is plentiful and we are the few ones to go and work the field.
Hi Victor,
ReplyDeleteThanks you for sharing with us in your post! You are so right that many of us who are seeking out this field have felt some kind of calling to help those around us. I, too, experienced the divorce of my parents and had to use all of my own coping skills and resources. I was blessed to have a wise woman from my church with a history in lay counseling to guide me and help me deal with the process in a healthy way. Some of the lessons I learned with her still shape who I am. Experiencing that process played a huge role in bringing me to where I am today, not just as an individual, but as a professional as well.
Victor, I enjoyed reading your post, I to can relate to growing up in similar circumstances. Fortunately, my mother is a brilliant woman with a passion for Christ and used him as a guide for her life. In doing so she set an example for my family of what it looked like to go all in with Christ. I believe you're 100% right when you say we all have been brought to counseling for a reason, even if it is just for that one person.
ReplyDeleteVictor, your post reminds me of the words of Carl Rogers that we ought to spend more time seeking counselors than training them. As Sosin and Thomas described in their first chapters, the journey of becoming a counselor means much more than learning the right skills or interventions.
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