Counseling Interview on Ethics, Advocacy, Multiculturalism, and Professional Reflection

📄 Words:	1394
📝 Subject:	Psychology Ethics
📑 Pages:	5
✍️ Type:	Essay

Introduction

The purpose of the paper is to analyze and compare the information obtained during the course interview. The paper also discusses learning resources, such as the code of ethics. The paper has two parts: an analysis of the information obtained during the course and the interview. Thus, in this write-up, I will present a summary of my interview with I.M. and B.S. and my personal reflections on my future as a counselor based on the information I learned in this course.

Narrative Summary of Interview

I conducted interviews with two counselors, I.M. and B.S. I.M. works as a Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) School Counselor, and B.S. works as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) at a high school in California. They describe their reason for becoming a mental health counselor as a persistent desire to assist others, particularly children with mental health concerns, both at school and at home. This motivation is extremely significant since, in today’s environment, youngsters require mental health therapy due to chronic stress. Counselors feel that the primary distinction between themselves and other helping professionals is that they do urgent crisis assessments and screen pupils for emotional difficulties and mental health issues.

Counselors also believe that there are not enough counselors in the current situation and that more should be hired. However, some districts are laying off counselors due to personnel and financial constraints. This issue must be addressed since personnel such as counselors play a critical role in their communities (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). On a normal day, counselors come in and go over the week’s agenda; also, the day is determined by the crisis – if children have crises such as behavior problems or difficulties, they receive quick care. Counselors are considered excellent professionals for their prompt responses to specific circumstances.

Legal and Ethical Issues

I.M. and B.S. face a variety of legal and ethical challenges daily, including Child Protective Services (CPS) reports. Counselors are supposed to report any concerns about a child’s safety and well-being to CPS, but doing so can sometimes exacerbate the child’s situation. According to the American Counseling Association (2014), counselors should aim for social justice. As a result, an issue develops since failing to submit concerns to CPS may constitute a code violation.

Another issue is secrecy since parents and instructors sometimes request that counselors share information about our sessions with children. Still, they are unable to do so because the classes are confidential. Then, parents and teachers feel left out and upset when counselors refuse to provide sensitive information. In this regard, it is important to note that counselors should maintain the confidentiality of information acquired from clients (American Counseling Association, 2014). Counselors may have difficulty in circumstances where withholding may harm the child.

Multicultural Issues

The counselors in the interviews believe multiculturalism is essential since their school has many pupils from many nations. Counselors state that they do not consider skin color, background, or culture, but will mention them, if necessary, when contemplating preventive steps for a pupil. This reaction is consistent with what I have learned in class since counselors follow the code, appreciate diversity, and employ a multicultural approach to promote individuals’ value, dignity, potential, and uniqueness within their social and cultural contexts (Beaumont et al., 2021). This also contradicts what I learned in class, where counselors stated that they occasionally evaluate a student’s culture and background. However, this could be justified by the fact that they seek an individualized approach for each client, which improves the intervention.

Advocacy

The counselors say they lobby at a higher level through their district supervisors. If they require funds for student programs or resources, they should contact their governors or senators for assistance. They primarily advocate to parents on problems such as emotional assistance for children, coffee chats with parents, and parent-teacher conferences.

They also advocate for students by meeting with instructors and conveying their needs. For example, if a kid believes a teacher is mistreating them, counselors may urge that they be moved to a different class to improve their chances of success. This does not imply that the instructor has harmed the kid; rather, it might indicate that their personalities do not complement one another and that the student’s needs would be better served in another classroom.

Thus, the counselors’ responses are contrasted with what I learned in class. Counselors fight for the student’s best interests, which leads to better aiding techniques. They are eager to resolve their clients’ issues by engaging district administrators, parents, and instructors (Beaumont et al., 2021). The replies I received contradicted what I learned in class: that counselors can order a kid moved to another grade level. However, it may be justified because, as the counselors mentioned, the student and teacher may not be a good fit, which would decrease the effectiveness of the instruction.

Self-Care and Wellness

In their response, the counselors noted that caring is difficult since they have so many kids and want to visit them all every day as planned, but they cannot always do so. They worry and strive to make the most of their time, and what they excel at is supporting one another as partners. Since there are three counselors at the school, if one has spare time, he helps the other with his duties, but even then, they may not be able to reach every student on a given day. Thus, the information I received contradicts what I was taught throughout my training: that counselors must endeavor to take care of themselves to be productive employees. Mutual aid is a valuable practice in a field as complex as counseling (Beaumont et al., 2021). Working as a team, school counselors can achieve better results than when working alone.

Final Thoughts

Counselors remind us that information and experience received from books differ from real practice. They suggest not confining oneself to a single geographic location when contemplating therapy, and, depending on the area chosen, discovering what people there need and what sort of assistance they require. This information contrasts with what was learned during training, which states that a counselor should not restrict themselves by geographical region. This will help improve the efficacy of assistance and enhance knowledge of the client’s requirements (Beaumont et al., 2021). As an optional inquiry, I inquired whether the counselors had any regrets. In response, they stated that they regretted not keeping geographical options open and not confining themselves to only particular locations. They also regretted not investigating the requirements of other places compared with neighboring ones.

Personal Reflection

Reflection on the Discussion

My perspective on the counseling profession has evolved during the last 11 weeks. I understood how vital the notion of secrecy is while assisting a customer. My belief that being a social change agent entails encouraging people and positively influencing how they think, solve issues, and see themselves and the world has not changed. I also continue to think that I would encourage diversity and inclusion while also understanding my clients’ cultural demands without prejudice and taking into consideration their customs and conventions. I have also understood how crucial it is to expand my geographical horizons and not confine myself to a few locations.

Similarities and Differences

The interviews taught me the importance of regional opportunities and of understanding the population’s requirements. According to the interviews, counselors occasionally examine a student’s culture and history, which contradicts what I learned in class. However, as previously indicated, this is justified by their striving to develop a personalized method for each client, thereby enhancing the intervention.

Personal Impact

Working as a mental health counselor can benefit me personally by deepening my empathetic understanding and my capacity to communicate effectively with a variety of individuals, thereby improving the quality of my interpersonal interactions. Working with people who have mental health concerns can help me develop stress-management methods. I will be able to utilize this information in my own life, which will benefit my mental health.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the counseling profession encompasses many important aspects that affect a counselor’s effectiveness. While studying and conducting interviews, I realized the importance of giving myself fully to my profession. I now realize that a counselor must be interested in their work and the client’s well-being, but not forget to take care of themselves. Additionally, they should deeply respect people’s differences and follow codes of ethics.