Professional Development Project
Foundations Of Mental Health Counseling – Professional Development Project
(Professional Development Project)
I need this back by Thursday January 25, 2018 at 2pm.
I’m in the state of Georgia
My journey into counseling is based on my mom being diagnosed with mental illness when I was five years old. Me being in foster care and living with different family members and experiencing every form of abuse from the age of 5 until 18. I had anger issues and I was passive aggressive. I used comedy as a way to take the focus off me but it was mostly in school towards those who offended me. As an adult I went through a process of forgiving which lead me to wanting to help others.
PC 6106 Foundations of Mental Health Counseling
Required Assignment 1: (200 pts)
Description of RA 1:Professional Development Project
In this assignment, you will develop a professional development plan and submit a 6-7 page reflection on the process.
Professional Development Project
Students will (1) interview a licensed professional counselor (i.e., not a social worker, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, case manager) currently practicing in the field about their position, responsibilities, credentials, training, involvement in the profession, specialty area, job market, self-care strategies, and advice to you as a counselor-in-training; (2) explore the ACA website, in terms of benefits, structure and content; and (3) identify licensing requirements (e.g., exams, hours, training) for the state in which you plan to acquire your license (i.e., contact the state/review the website) and certifications you plan to acquire (e.g., Registered Play Therapist, Nationally Certified Counselor); (4) describe your journey into counseling (“Why Am I Here?”).
The professional development project reflection paper should be 6-7 double-spaced pages: (a) summarize interview (including interviewee demographic contact information) and what you learned about the profession from the interview(2 pgs.), (b) review benefits of ACA membership (1/2-1 pg.), (c) summarize the licensure requirements in your state and create a plan and timeline for acquiring your professional counseling license and any additional certifications (2 pgs.), and (d) describe your unique path to the decision to becoming a counselor (“Why Am I Here”) (2 pgs.).
Your final product will be a 6-7 page Word document written in APA format. Your paper should be written in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
RA 1 Grading Criteria
CACREP Core Standards: 2.F.1.d; 2.F.1.f; 2.F.1.h;
CMHC Standards: 5.C.2.a; 5.C.2.k
Assignment Components
Proficient
Max Points
Select a licensed professional counselor
Selected a licensed professional counselor, described interviewee’s professional background and rationale for selecting interviewee.
/12 pts.
Interview a licensed professional counselor
Gathered information about interviewee’s position, responsibilities, credentials, training, involvement in the profession, specialty area, job market, self-care strategies, and advice to counselors-in-training. Demonstrated meaningful reflection on interview experience and described relevance to experience as a counselor-in-training.
/60 pts
Explore the ACA website, in terms of benefits, structure and content
Reviewed and described purpose of ACA and benefits of ACA membership.
/24 pts.
Identify licensing requirements and certifications
Created a plan for acquiring professional counseling license using current licensure board requirements and cited appropriately; included timeline with projected dates for completion of process. Described specialty areas of interest, additional training required and certification process.
/32 pts.
Why Am I Here? (reflection)
Described personal journey into the field of counseling. Included: First time the student considered counseling as a career, how life experiences prepared the student to become a counselor, attributes possessed that will make the student an effective counselor, etc.
Must include two sources from peer-reviewed journals, cited correctly, and included in a reference list.
/48 pts
Academic Writing
Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e. APA); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Written in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in appropriate and accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Use of scholarly sources aligns with specified assignment requirements.
/24 pts
Total
/ 200 pts.
