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)

Professional Development Project

In this assignment, you will develop a professional development plan and submit a 6-7 page reflection on the process.

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.

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.