COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Self-Care Plan
COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Self-Care Plan
Created by: On Date: This is your Self-Care Plan. There are no right or wrong answers. There is no “perfect” way to complete it—you can do so with words, pictures, links, or other creative ways. Be authentic and identify what is right for you at this time. Remember that you can always change your mind and adjust your plan! This document is evolving and flexible, a place to start. This is your contract with yourself to prioritize your health and well-being throughout your graduate school journey. Welcome! How do you know when you are stressed and need to practice extra self-care? What are the signs? 1. 2. 3. Take some time to think about your current self-care. What do you currently do? Mind Current Practices: 1. 2. Body Current Practices: 1. 2. Social or Cultural Current Practices: 1. 2. Spirit Current Practices: 1. 2. Identify new, quick, and easy practices that you could consider trying for each area (examples are given below; you can use these examples if you wish, but come up with your own as well!) Mind (e.g., watching a comedy on TV or reading a book) New Practices: 1. © 2018 Walden University Body (e.g., going for a short walk or dancing in the living room) New Practices: 1. 1 COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling 2. 3. Social or Cultural (e.g., game night with your kids or calling a friend) New Practices: 1. 2. 3. 2. 3. Spirit (e.g., closing your eyes for 2 minutes and breathing deeply, or listening to your favorite music) New Practices: 1. 2. 3. Identify three people you can call or visit to talk about your thoughts and feelings: 1. 2. 3. Identify three affirmative statements, inspirational quotes, images, or links to videos that remind you of your strengths: (e.g., “I know I am strong enough to accomplish this goal,” or listing your strengths from your VIA Survey of Character Strengths) 1. 2. 3. Emergency Self-Care Contract If I notice any of the following signs or symptoms of stress, I commit to find time to take my own good advice. I will avoid doing the following: 1. 2. 3. Instead, I commit to taking care of myself and nurturing my well-being by engaging in the following activities, behaviors, or actions, keeping in mind that my mind, body, socio-cultural self, and spirit all need to be cared for (list at least three, but feel free to list as many as you like): 1. 2. 3. I will contact one of the following people to talk to them about my feelings and thoughts: © 2018 Walden University 2 COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling 1. 2. 3. I will review the following to remind me of my strengths: 1. 2. 3. If appropriate, I will reach out to one of the following available Walden resources if I find I am struggling in school because I am overwhelmed: 1. 2. 3. e-Signature: © 2018 Walden University Date: 3 Assignment Two Week Three The history of the counseling profession is filled with stories of the people and events that helped shape it and make it what it is today. The field has been influenced by multiple historical events, societal needs, and social contexts. The counseling profession continues to evolve through unique approaches and philosophies from the counseling field and from contributions of the American Counseling Association (ACA), American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). For this Assignment, you will examine historical contributions to the identity of the mental health counseling profession, you will discuss how this field differs from other helping fields, and you will analyze a future direction in the field and how it might affect you in your professional role. • • • • • Review Chapter 1 of the Erford course text in this week’s Learning Resources, and select one historical figure (a person) to discuss in your paper. From Chapter 1, select one future direction (from the section “Where We Are Going,” beginning on p. 22) to discuss. Review the webpage “Keyword Searching: Finding Articles on Your Topic: Searching Basics,” located in this week’s Learning Resources related to how to search the Walden Library databases. Search the Walden databases for at least one scholarly article pertaining to the historical figure and/or to the future direction you chose. Use the Research Paper Template in this week’s Learning Resources to complete this Assignment. Refer to your American Psychological Association (APA) manual to assist you in the proper use of APA throughout your paper. Assignment: (2–4 pages, excluding Title Page and Reference Page) Include the following sections: • • • Part 1 – Present o What is counseling? o How does it differ from other helping professions? o Summarize the philosophical underpinnings of the counseling profession. Part 2 – Past o Looking historically, if you showed Part I of your paper to the historical figure you chose, how would this figure handle it? Would the figure be shocked, mildly surprised, or in complete agreement? How would the figure respond? Part 3 – Future o Discuss the future direction you selected that most excites you, and explain how it will enhance your professional practice as a counselor. Be sure to use proper APA format and citations. These details are demonstrated in the template provided for this Assignment. Note: In this program, you will be required to write using the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual format and style. Please be sure to cite your Learning Resources or other resources you utilize for this Assignment and provide a Reference page for your citations. The Walden Writing Center has APA writing tips to assist you. We recognize that this formatting may be new to you, so your Instructor will be providing detailed feedback to you on your writing. As a result, please be sure to review the feedback you receive so you can develop strong writing skills. Books, television, and movies are full of stories revealing the day-to-day realities of various professions. These stories provide a behind-the-scenes look at the often unknown stress, joy, and effort involved in being a doctor, law enforcement agent, or even a chef. What do you think the day-to-day life of a mental health counselor is like? What constitutes a typical day for a mental health counselor, or is there no such thing? This course requires you to complete a Final Project that includes three different parts. • • • Part 1 is due in Week 7. Part 2 is due in Week 9. Part 3 is due in Week 10. Your Final Project provides you an opportunity to uncover the hidden realities of the daily life of a mental health counselor and develop an understanding of counseling in the real world. The Final Project requires you to interview (in person) a licensed mental health counselor that works with a population in a setting that interests you. For example, if you are interested in working as an in-home counselor with children diagnosed with mood disorders, interview someone who does this work. * You will conduct the interview, review it, and write up a narrative of what you learned about mental health counseling and your area of interest. Your write-up will be a narrative that applies the information from this course and what you learn from the interview you conduct. Your Final Project will help you develop a better understanding of what it means to be a mental health counselor. Based on this understanding, you will choose a topic for social change, and in the final week of the course, take steps to advocate for change. Please note that you must interview a licensed clinical mental health counselor. It is NOT acceptable to interview a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, addictions specialist, school counselor, or other mental health provider for this assignment. Counselors have unique training, credentialing, and ethical standards. Because this course is housed in the School of Counseling, this assignment is to be oriented toward that unique professional identity. TO PREPARE: • • Review the Final Project Overview document found in the Learning Resources for ways to help you find an appropriate interview subject. Review the Interview Questions in Section I of the Final Project Overview document that you will ask the counselor during your interview. • After the interview, review your notes and draft your Final Project using the Final Project Template document found in the Learning Resources. Be sure to support your points with citations back to the Learning Resources from the course. Remember that this paper is where you demonstrate your mastery of the course material, in addition to reporting on your interview. PART 1: INTRODUCE YOUR INTERVIEW SUBJECT Write a 1-page summary that includes the following: • • • • Whom you are interviewing. Describe his or her professional license, setting, population/specialization, and any other relevant information. Explain why you selected this counselor to interview. Even though this assignment is only 1 page, you are expected to apply the same APA format and style and scholarly writing requirements that you have applied to other formal writing assignments in this course. Submit your Final Project Part 1 Assignment on or before Day 7 of Module 3, Week 7. PART 2: CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW • • Conduct a 30- to 45-minute interview with your interviewee. During the interview, take detailed notes. Complete your interview on or before Day 7 of Module 3, Week 9. PART 3: INTERVIEW WRITE-UP AND REFLECTION Write 5–7 pages in length (double-spaced), not including the title page and references and include the following: • • • A detailed description of your interview, the questions asked, and the responses you received. Note: Your write-up should be presented as a narrative rather than a listing of questions and answers. How this information relates to the material in the course. Using APA style citations, support your points with specific references to the Learning Resources (including texts, media, and peer-reviewed scholarly articles) from the course. Please review the Final Project Rubric located in the Course Information section of our course. A reflection on the following questions: o o o o . Consider your response to the Week 1 Spark Discussion question. How has your vision changed over the past 11 weeks? What is the same? What new insights have you gained? What did you learn from the interview that you did not learn in the course? What, if anything, did you learn from the interview that contrasted with what you learned in the course? How did this interview shape your perceptions of being a clinical mental health counselor? COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Final Project: The Role and Life of a Clinical Mental Health Counselor You may use the hyperlinks below to access specific sections of this document: Final Project Overview ~ Final Project Details ~ Final Project Sections ~ Timeline for Completion Overview Books, television, and movies are full of stories revealing the day-to-day realities of various professions. These stories provide a behind-the-scenes look at the often unknown stress, joy, and effort involved in being a doctor, law enforcement agent, or even a chef. What do you think the day-to-day life of a clinical mental health counselor is like? What constitutes a typical day for a clinical mental health counselor, or is there no such thing? For the Final Project in this course, you will uncover the hidden realities of the daily life of a clinical mental health counselor. For this Final Project, you will conduct an in-person interview with a licensed clinical mental health counselor. You are encouraged to seek out an interviewee who works with a population in a setting that interests you. As you write up your interview for the Final Project, apply the information from this course to demonstrate your understanding of what it means to be a clinical mental health counselor. Please note that you must interview a licensed clinical mental health counselor. It is NOT acceptable to interview a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, addictions specialist, school counselor, or other mental health provider for this assignment. Counselors have unique training, credentialing, and ethical standards. Because this course is housed in the School of Counseling, this assignment is to be oriented toward that unique professional identity. If you are confused about this requirement, please contact your Instructor for clarification. Final Project Overview ~ Final Project Details ~ Final Project Sections ~ Timeline for Completion © 2021 Walden University 1 COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Final Project Details Final Project Due Dates The Final Project consists of three parts to help you stay on task throughout the course: • • • Part 1: A 1-page summary of the person or agency you will interview. Due Module 3, Day 7, Week 7. Part 2: Conduct the interview. Complete by Module 3, Day 7, Week 9. Part 3: Interview Write-up and Reflection. Due Module 4, Day 7, Week 10. Final Project Criteria (Part 3) Part 3 of the Final Project is a 5- to 7-page paper (not including title page or references) that consists of two sections: (1) a narrative summation of an interview that incorporates material from the course, and (2) a personal reflection on the experience of conducting the interview. Remember to do the following: 1. Demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking appropriate to graduate-level scholarship. 2. Support your points with specific references to the Learning Resources (including texts, media, and peer-reviewed scholarly articles) from the course and the interview. Please review the Final Project Rubric located in the Course Information section of the course. 3. Follow APA Publication Manual guidelines. Writing must be free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors. Information on scholarly writing may be found in the APA Publication Manual and on the Walden Writing Center website. 4. Adhere to Walden’s Academic Integrity guidelines. See “Policies on Academic Honesty” under Walden University Policies and Information in the Guidelines and Policies area. Final Project Grading Part 1 of the Final Project, Introduce Your Interview Subject, is worth 8 points. Part 2 of the Final Project, Conduct the Interview, is ungraded, and no submission is required. Part 3 of the Final Project, Interview Write-up and Reflection, is worth 20 points. It is graded according to the Final Project Rubric. © 2021 Walden University 2 COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Final Project Overview ~ Final Project Details ~ Final Project Sections ~ Timeline for Completion Overview of Final Project Sections Part 3 of the Final Project consists of two sections, summarized below. Section 1: Narrative Summation of Interview Your summation should be presented as a narrative rather than a listing of questions and answers. It is recommended that you audiotape the interview so that you may review it as you complete the Final Project. For the interview, use the following questions. Several questions relate to topics covered in this course so that you may gain an understanding of how the course topics apply to the life of a counselor. If a question is related to a weekly topic, the week number is indicated in parentheses after the question. Interview Questions 1. Describe your motivation for becoming a mental health counselor. 2. How is the profession of counseling unique within the helping professions? How does it differ from psychology or social work? (Week 3) 3. What professional license do you hold? What are the requirements for professional licensure in your State? 4. What are your thoughts on the current labor market for counselors? 5. Can you describe what a normal day looks like for you as you do your job? 6. What ethical and legal issues do you have to keep in mind each day? (Week 4) 7. How does understanding and respecting multiculturalism help you as a counselor? (Week 8) 8. How have you engaged in advocacy (for clients, for the profession)? If so, what did that involve and how did it go? (Week 9) 9. What do you do to maintain self-care and wellness? (Week 2) 10. What’s the best piece of advice you can give me as a counselor-in-training? 11. Add one additional question of your own choosing. © 2021 Walden University 3 COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Write up this section of your paper as a narrative rather than as a list of questions and answers. Use citations to the Learning Resources to demonstrate your application and mastery of concepts from this course. For example, how does what your interviewee said about ethics relate to what you learned in the course? Section 2: Reflection In this section, you reflect on both the interview and the course. In your reflection, respond to the questions below. Your reflection should be presented as a narrative rather than a listing of questions and answers. 1. Consider your response to the Week 1 Spark Discussion question. How has your vision changed over the past 10 weeks? What is the same? What new insights have you gained? 2. What did you learn from the interview that you did not learn in the course? 3. What, if anything, did you learn from the interview that contrasted with what you learned in the course? 4. What do you anticipate the impact of being a clinical mental health counselor may be on who you are personally? © 2021 Walden University 4 COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Final Project Overview ~ Final Project Details ~ Final Project Sections ~ Timeline for Completion Timeline and Tasks for Completing the Final Project Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Suggested Tasks • Determine the population and setting to focus on for the project. • Identify potential counselors to interview. • Make contact with potential interviewees. • Schedule an interview. Week 7 Required Task • Submit by Day 7 a brief (1 page) paper in which you identify your selected interview subject and explain why you have selected that person. Week 8 Week 9 Suggested Tasks • Schedule the interview. • Prepare for the interview. • Interview the counselor (by the end of Week 9). • Draft the Final Project. • Make an appointment with Walden Writing Center tutor to review draft. • Incorporate the tutor’s suggestions into final version of project. Week 10 Required Task • Submit by Day 7 your completed 5- to 7-page Final Project. © 2021 Walden University 5 1 Assignment Week 7: Interview Subject [Insert Student Name Here] School of Counseling and Human Services, Walden University [Insert Course number here]: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling [Insert Instructor Name Here] [Insert Due Date Here] 2 Assignment Week 7: Interview Subject This is where you will briefly introduce the topic of this paper in one short paragraph. Licensed Mental Health Counselor Interviewee This is where you will introduce the counselor you plan to interview for your Final Project. Relevant Information Under this heading, you will describe your interviewee. Please be sure to include the interviewee’s training (i.e. graduate institution and degree) and licensure/certification information. Explanation of Selection Follow the guidelines of this assignment to explain why you have chosen this person to interview. Your paper should be no more than 1 page, double-spaced. 3 References Erford, B. T. (2018). Human development throughout the lifespan. In B. T. Erford (Ed.), Orientation to the counseling profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations (pp. 311–336). Pearson Education. Include links to the interviewee’s profile, agency/practice website, and their state licensing board website. Add additional references, as needed.