Philosophy and Theoretical Approach of an Emerging School Counselor. Lanie Goueth COUN 695C. Dr. Hoffman

Transcription

1 Running Head: AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR Philosophy and Theoretical Approach of an Emerging School Counselor Lanie Goueth COUN 695C Dr. Hoffman April 9, 2012

2 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 2 Abstract In this paper, I describe my own personal approach to counseling by synthesizing the best of Existential, Person-centered and Gestalt Therapy. The details of my counseling philosophy in terms of counseling goals, role of the counselor, techniques and interventions are presented and explored. I explain my worldview and possible ways that it could influence my approach to counseling. An overall reflection on my growth as a school counselor is presented including strengths that I ve discovered and areas that I need to work on further. Finally, my professional 5-year plan is outlined along with specific goals and possible obstacles to those goals.

3 Running Head: AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR Philosophy and Theoretical Approach of an Emerging School Counselor Throughout the course of this program, I feel like I ve peeled off layer, after later of the onion. Learning all of the theories, laws, and ethical principles and putting them into practice with my classmates started off a bit shaky at the beginning. I always asked myself how I could learn to not just use the different techniques, but to make them my own. It wasn t really until recently that I have started to feel a sense of personal connection with the theories and strategies that I ve read about and practiced with in the last two years. It has taken me time to sit and reflect on who I am as a person, and as a counselor. At this point, I feel more able to develop an approach that best represents me. Philosophy and Theoretical Approach From the beginning, my philosophy has been that a school counselor s primary focus should always be to their students. Any competing efforts or allegiances should be set aside in order to dedicate quality time, attention and resources to the student. A school counselor must wear many hats for many audiences. They must have a genuine care and concern for each student as an individual. They must advocate for them when no one else will. In terms of my personal worldview, I believe that people need other people in order to lead a healthy and happy life. I believe that people are held responsible for their own actions, good and bad. I have no authority to judge or condemn, or hold other people to my beliefs and moral standards. Everyone deserves to be loved and believed in, and I should strive to meet that need for as many as I can. Loyalty and dependability are highly valuable attributes to have. As someone who has been fortunate to live and be educated in a first-world country, I should do what I can to help those who aren t afforded the basic needs that I have been freely provided with.

4 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 4 In working with students, I have come to adopt an existential approach to counseling. When I first studied existential therapy, I was really struck by how much sense it made for counseling, and for life in general. Existential therapy is a theory based largely on the philosophy of existentialism, which includes the ideas of great philosophers and writers like Sartre and Nietzsche. I was very attracted to the themes of freedom and responsibility, self-awareness, and the search for meaning, identity and intimacy with others. Corey describes the goal of existentialism as a struggle to find balance between recognizing the limits and tragic dimensions of human existence on one hand and the possibilities and opportunities of human life on the other hand, (Corey 2009). I think that there are a few times in life where these themes permeate our thoughts and feelings much more than others. The first of which is during adolescence. As a school counselor, and former adolescent, I think that an existential approach can be very helpful for students who are struggling daily with these themes in every aspect of their lives. With middle school and high school students, they face this dilemma of wanting freedom and independence, and having to depend on and blindly obey the adults in their lives in almost everything. At school, they have to obey teachers and administrators, and at home they have to obey their parents and older siblings. This often sparks feelings of powerlessness, frustration and an urge to dissent. In using this theory, I feel that I will be able to cultivate the kind of equal, supportive and collaborative relationship that existentialism thrives on. With that relationship, I hope to empower students and encourage them to take ownership of their actions and find their own solutions to their problems. It creates a great environment for the client to find support and innerstrength, and allows me to stay more true to my own personal style. As Russell states, what is

5 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 5 crucial is that you create your own authentic way of being attuned to your clients (Russell, 2007). While I am very attracted to the main themes and philosophy of the existential theory, I have come to understand that existential therapy is much more of a background philosophy and approach to life, than a precise or structured counseling model (Corey 2009). After going through several sessions with students trying to think of ways to do existential therapy, I now appreciate that existential therapy is more of a posture, than a true and defined template. Existential therapy is not a stand-alone therapeutic model. It is more of an enlightened viewpoint and philosophy from which to frame the counseling session. In learning about all of the various approaches and techniques to counseling, the thought of synthesizing all of the theories and techniques into my own approach to treating clients became quite daunting. Some things that I believe that every young person needs are unconditional positive regard and acceptance, self-discovery, and a sense of empowerment. Working in the school counseling setting, I have seen that there is such diversity among the students that I have had to grow to be very integrative and multidimensional as a counselor in order to be effective. As someone who is personally contemplative and reflective, I find great value in the philosophical approach to counseling. The existential counselor encourages the client to embrace life and the responsibilities and freedoms that come with it. The client is awakened with the empowerment that comes with the freedom of choice. The therapist gets to accompany the client on their journey to find their own deeper meaning and purpose in their lives. On that foundation, I plan to integrate various aspects of both Person-centered therapy and Gestalt therapy. My approach to counseling is based on humanistic psychology, and can be best understood as a

6 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 6 holistic synthesis of the third force under which existential, person-centered and gestalt therapy fall (Corey, 2009). The many roles of today s school counselor are dynamic; so employing my existential person-centered gestalt approach in the school setting could be quite advantageous. Bringing together these theories, I will be more balanced as a counselor and able to relate with a wide range of personalities. With students that prefer a more direct approach, I can emphasize more of the Gestalt strategies. With students who need more support and empathy, I can emphasize more of the person-centered aspects of my approach. The existential backdrop of my approach will serve to help kids develop a deeper understanding and acceptance of themselves. With bullying and school violence being a fact of life in most schools, my existential approach can provide much needed empowerment and connectedness on both an individual and group level. Working with kids, I have learned so much about the human experience, the world, and myself. I want to be present and accessible as a counselor. Rogers says that the primary role of a counselor is that of a facilitator. In order for the counselor to facilitate the personal growth of others they must also learn and grow (Herlihy, 1985). Both Rogers and Perls discourage analyzing clients, and encourage being emotionally and experientially present with the client. As a counselor, I don t believe that it s my position to teach or judge clients. Instead I should support and engage with them so that they can come to their own interpretations and conclusions. Growth as a Counseling Professional In reflecting on my experience in this program, it has shown to be one of growth, selfrealization, and professional development for me as a counselor. At the start of the program, I was very unsure of my abilities as a real counselor. Specifically, I was nervous about working with real clients, I lacked confidence in my counseling and leadership abilities, and I worried

7 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 7 that I would not be successful in my first paid position as a counselor. Through trial and error, challenging myself past my comfort level, and drawing from all of the training and education that I ve received thus far, I feel like I have come a long way in my personal development into a professional school counselor. Everything moved really quickly this year, especially compared to my first year in the program. Instead of getting the time to plan everything out, and practice and rehearse, I felt like I had to jump into the deep end right away with work, fieldwork and school. Although in retrospect, it was really good for me to have to start off like that, it was really difficult for me to move past my aversion to situations that I don t have much control over. At the start of this school year, I got a paid counseling job on campus at the Stephen Benson program. I was assigned clients, given a counseling handbook and sent on my way the very first week of the semester. I felt a lot of pressure to help these students, and longed for the security that the two-way mirrors provided. At the end of my very first meeting with my first client, he hugs me, and unknowingly sets off all of the ethics alarms that I picked up in my first year of the program. My weekly supervision meetings were a great resource for me to get a chance to debrief, and get guidance and advice on how to deal with various counseling dilemmas and improve as a counselor. Collaborating with my coworkers and supervisor gave me really helpful ideas for working with my clients at work, and also with my clients in my practicum and fieldwork site. All of the experiences that I ve had in my journey as a school counselor have revealed several areas that I ve needed to work on and improve. The ASCA national standards and guidelines are such helpful, powerful tools and great assets to me, as I grow more familiar with the school counseling profession. As my caseloads grow at work and at my fieldwork site, I find

8 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 8 it easy to get lost in the culture and habits of the environment, and lose sight of the principles outlined by ASCA. I have to grow to become more intentional in constantly referring back to the guidelines that ASCA provides to ensure that I m always above reproach in ethical and legal issues. Assessing my strengths has at times proven challenging. Through friendships and professional relationships, I ve grown to realize that I m a caring, attentive, loyal person. The process of being a part of this school counseling program has really helped me to realize and embrace both my personal and professional strong suits that I hadn t recognized before. I ve learned from my professors, supervisors, and coworkers that I am hardworking, adaptable, and reliable. From my classmates, I ve learned that I am a creative thinker and problem solver with rich experience as a teacher, learning support specialist, and technology enthusiast, that I can use and share as a professional school counselor. I realize that I still have things to work on, and skills to build, but that nervousness and self-doubt has dissolved, and freed me up to approach new challenges with the confidence that I ve gained through all of my experiences over the last two years. I look forward to the new experiences, challenges and growth that are yet to come. 5-Year Plan My plans for the next five years are unfortunately very uncertain. As I come closer to completing the program, I am growing less confident that I will be able to find work at a school. The job climate seems to be persistently worsening for school counselors. I feel like I need to be prepared with several back up plans in case my fears are realized, and I m not able to find a position as a school counselor. As such, I have come up with two possible paths that I can take once I complete this program this coming fall semester.

9 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 9 My ideal plan is to get hired at a middle school as a school counselor after graduation. During my first year, I would get a feel for the culture of the school, assess the needs of the population, and design a comprehensive school counseling program that would adequately address those needs. During my first two or three years, I would choose one or two things to devote most of my time and energy to, and become really skilled and knowledgeable in them. With these contributions, I would get some parents and teachers to partner with me and support these endeavors. Keeping track of the impact they make on student achievement would serve to win the support of the administration and other members of the school and community. After having set in roots, I would spend my fourth and fifth years broadening my school counseling program, and using data collected to stimulate systematic changes necessary to better serve my students. The most obvious obstacle to this plan is the previously stated fact that very few schools in southern California are hiring. As such, I ve been very intentional about where I choose to do fieldwork, so that I can set roots, and build relationships that might help me to gain employment in the future. Another possible challenge to this plan is the fact that I will be new at the school, and may have a difficult time getting key stakeholders to buy in to my program. An alternate path that I ve been considering in the case that I don t find a school counseling position is to continue my education and get a counseling license and higher degree in psychology or counseling. I ve realized how much I value research and policy making, and how important they are for the counseling profession. I also feel like there is so much more to learn, and if I have the opportunity, I would like to pursue a PhD or at least take further coursework to obtain the LPCC licensure here in California. With these assets, I might be able to better meet the needs of school aged children, and improve conditions for those who advocate for

10 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 10 these children. I think that the main obstacle to this goal has to do with finances. School is so expensive and time consuming, and the less expensive options are nearly impossible to gain admission to. Also, although it seems like a great asset for a school counselor, the new LPCC license seems extremely complicated and daunting to acquire. If I choose to go this route, I would need to do a lot of research, get advice from a range of people in the field, and find creative ways to pay for it all. While this alternative plan is not my first choice, I would be excited to continue my journey down this path if that became the more viable option given the economical climate. Time will tell what will happen in the next 5 years, but I am confident that this program has given me the critical tools that I need to face the many obstacles and challenges ahead. I m excited to get out there and emerge as a professional school counselor.

11 AN EMERGING SCHOOL COUNSELOR 11 References American School Counselor Association. (2004). Ethical standards for school counselors. Retrieved April 6, 2012, from Corey, G. (2009). Chapter six: Existential Therapy. Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (pp ). Belmont: Thomson Brooks/Cole. Herlihy, B. (1985). Person-centered gestalt therapy: A synthesis. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development, 24(1), Russell, JM (2007). Existential psychotherapy. In AB Rochlen, Applying counseling theories: An online, case-based approach (pp ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice- Hall.