Thomas and Sosin (2011) in Chapter 15 address professional issues in counseling. In reading through the text, the point that stuck out to me the most was about talking about how counseling is a constant journey. The authors discuss how most journeys have an end; however, counseling is ongoing. No one ever wakes up one day and is finished with growing as a counselor. In entering the counseling world, this is good to know, yet also frustrating. This is good to know in order to prepare myself as a lifelong learner. This is also frustrating because it can feel like one is continuing to strive and could feel stagnate.
With this chapter, a student can prepare in being a lifelong learner and be willing to continue to grow in personal and professional areas. Being a can be lifelong learner can be a challenge, but also rewarding as well. A student has to have a personality that is willing to make changes and to grow within his/her personal and professional life. With the ACA code, there are continuing education credits that a counselor needs to fulfill and some of those credits are ethics and other are professional development.
Reference
Thomas, J.C., & Sosin,L. (2011). Therapeutic Expedition: Equipping the Christian Counselor for Journey. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group
Hello Shiloh,
ReplyDeleteCounseling is definitely an ongoing journey that requires mental health professionals to keep up to date. It can be very demanding but at the same time is rewarding. This is rewarding because it allows the counselor to gain the most updated knowledge and new strategies to better assist the client. Great post!
Hey Victor! I totally agree. It is definitely important for our clients to be up to date on everything including ethics and other research areas. I know this would be extreme, but I just think about a doctor who didn't stay up to date on stuff how scary that would be! Thanks for your comment!
ReplyDelete