Describe your personal approach to counseling and then apply your approach to a specific case.
Is there a template? In week one you were provided a template to help you organize your writing for the week 1-4 assignments. You may have noticed that in addition to formatting the template in APA, we used the assignment instructions to create heading to organize the paper. Next, we copy and pasted the questions that needed to be addressed under each section with screen clips of the rubric. We also suggested that you use transition sentences to begin each paragraph that included some of the same words used in the question that you were addressing in a paragraph. Last, we suggested that after you complete a section, that you should review your work against the rubric to ensure you addressed all requirements. For the final project, we would like to see you generalize those same strategies to create your own template to organize your writing for the final project. For example, the below prompts are organized into two major sections with 9 subsections, how might you organize your paper using level one and two headings? The above strategy is a sure-fire way to clearly organize your writing and make sure you do not ever forget to address a question or rubric point.
Personal Approach to Counseling
In this section, you will describe your personal approach to counseling. Please address the following:
1. Philosophy of Human Nature: Discuss your personal philosophy of human nature (e.g., are humans innately good or bad, what motivates us, what is the cause of stress and suffering, how does change occur, how do we grow, how does wellness occur, how do we function?). Address at least 5 areas of human nature. -suggested 1-2 page in length.
2. Counselor Role: Discuss what you believe your role to be as a counselor in the following ways:
Discuss the counselor role in terms of qualities important for building a therapeutic relationship (being non-judgmental, demonstrating empathy, unconditional positive regard…etc.). Discuss what role you feel a counselor should play in helping clients/students make changes, work toward goals, and overcoming obstacles. Additionally, address roles that are specific to your preferred future work setting (e.g., clinical counselors and school counselors will certainly share some roles; but, there are other roles unique to each position). -suggested 1-2 page in length.
Personal Approach to Counseling
Applying Your Approach to a Specific Case
This template is just a suggestion, and you may need to adapt it to fit your own personal approach to counseling and the specific case you choose to discuss. Be sure to use APA formatting and to cite any sources you use in your paper.
Here is an example of how you could use this template to discuss a specific case:
Case Description
John is a 16-year-old boy who is struggling with anxiety and depression. He has been feeling anxious and down for most of the past year, and his grades have suffered as a result. He is also having trouble sleeping and concentrating. John is reluctant to talk to his parents about his problems because he is worried that they will be disappointed in him.
Counseling Intervention
I would use a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) approach with John. CBT is a type of therapy that focuses on helping people identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors. I would help John to identify the thoughts and behaviors that are contributing to his anxiety and depression. We would then work together to develop strategies for changing these thoughts and behaviors.
My personal approach to counseling informs my choice of intervention in the following ways:
Evidence from research and theory supports the use of CBT for anxiety and depression. For example, a meta-analysis of 42 studies found that CBT was an effective treatment for both anxiety and depression.
Evaluation
I would evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention by monitoring John’s symptoms of anxiety and depression. I would also assess his progress towards his treatment goals, such as improving his grades and getting enough sleep.
Specific goals that I would hope to achieve with John include:
To measure John’s progress towards these goals, I would use a variety of assessment tools, such as the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory. I would also ask John to keep a journal of his thoughts and feelings, and to track his sleep patterns.
I would hope to see significant improvement in John’s symptoms within 3-6 months of treatment. However, it is important to note that everyone progresses at their own pace. The most important thing is that John is motivated to make changes and that he is committed to the treatment process.