Term Paper on "Counseling Personal Reaction the Student, a Bachelor-Level"

Quoted Instructions for "Counseling Personal Reaction the Student, a Bachelor-Level" Assignment:

Below is a field interview done by a student (the Interviewer) with a Mental Health Counselor III, Jackee Richburg of Charleston/Dorchester Mental Health Center in S.C. I need a 4 page personal reaction paper based on the interview. The following questions should be addressed: What pleased the interviewer? Dismayed the interviewer? Frustrated the interviewer? About yourself? How did the information provided by the counselor help confirm or disconfirm your decision to become a counselor.

The paper needs to be written from the students point of view. This paper must be relevant to students vocation not life. The student (interviewer) works as a clinical counselor (bachelors level) on the PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) team with Jackee (person being interviewed). Therefore, The student has the same sentiments as far as the stressors and dissatisfactions go, and also the positive aspects of the job. The student chose Jackee to interview because he loves his job and wants to continue working in a similar environment when he gets his masters and doctorate, preferably in a supervisory position. An ultimate goal of the student would be to be a Director of a program in the same field. An ABSTRACT must be included.

The following guidelines should be followed: 4 pages; APA format; written in 3rd person; abstract must be 120 word maximum in APA format not indented; double space throughout the entire paper including the abstract; one inch margins; times new roman; 12 point font; headings should include an INTRODUCTION, FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION; make sure paper includes a clear thesis.

1. OCCUPATIONAL/ORGANIZATIONAL INTERESTS.

Questions: How did you become interested in this occupation? What attracted you to this occupation? What attracted you to this particular occupation?

Answer: A desire to work with people with disabilities and make a positive difference in peoples lives.

2. GETTING STARTED IN THE OCCUPATION.

Questions: What entry-level jobs might qualify a person for this occupational field? What is the progression of jobs, from the beginning to the top?

Answer: At the department of mental health college graduates with a bachelors degree usually start out as Clinical Counselors. There is very little advancement opportunities at the bachelors level. Usually people move on to get their masters and start as a Mental Health Counselor I (MHC I), then with experience they progress to a MHC II, then a MHC III and finally to a Chief MHC. The next step is to a supervisory or management position such as the Director of a program. A license is not required for the masters level clinicians but it is strongly recommended for management and supervisory positions.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES.

Questions: What responsibilities and duties do you have in your work?

Answer: I am the team leader of the Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) team at Charleston/Dorchester Mental Health Center in SC. A typical day begins with a staffing of all of the clients that are being seen on a particular day or the clients that need to be seen. An organized daily schedule is planned at this time for each person on the PACT team. PACT is a program that involves providing treatment for clients in the community instead of the traditional clinic format. The clients usually consist of clients that are in need of intensive services. Each client is usually seen several times a week. The clients usually have obstacles or dispositions that make it hard for them to make it to the clinic. These can include transportation issues, non-compliance to treatment and lack of family support. The PACT team consist of a Psychiatrists MD, MHC III, CC and a Nurse. After the morning staffing the team goes out in the community to do home visits and provide treatment. The team sometimes goes together and sometimes separates depending on the circumstances.

4. ABILITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED.

Questions: What skills, aptitudes or personal qualifications does a person need for this occupation? What essential abilities are needed to do your job well or what types of people survive and do well in this field?

5. VALUES AND PERSONAL SATISFACTION.

Questions: What aspects of this occupation give you personal satisfaction? What values are expressed by this occupation?

Answer: I get great personal satisfaction when I work with a client with a severe psychiatric condition that everyone in the general public has given up on or didn’t believe this individual could function appropriately in society ever again and I succeed in helping them turn their life around, obtain employment and live independently in the community as a normal healthy individual.

6. PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS.

Questions: What personal traits, values, and interests are necessary or helpful to succeed and advance in this occupation?

Answer: It is important for a counselor to have the following characteristics: Trustworthiness, empathy, good listening skills, commitment to your clients, self awareness, the ability to look past your own values and biases and understand the clients point of view from their own values and biases, and a genuine desire to work with and help people with disabilities.

7. CAUSES OF DISSATISFACTION.

Questions: What do you like least about your job and why? In other words, what are the major frustrations, annoyances, or sources of dissatisfaction in the occupation? What problems, both internal and external, cause dissatisfaction in the job or workplace?

Answer: Case loads are too large where I am unable to provide the amount of care needed or that you would like to in order to maximize my clients potential. Lack of bed’s available in the psychiatric hospitals. It is very difficult finding a bed when a client is in need of hospitalization; this has been an ongoing problem. Lack of public transportation. Clients continue to struggle in getting to and from the mental health center. Sometimes staff feels like a taxi service. Finally, too much paperwork. Billing takes up a lot of valuable time that we could be spending on our clients for treatment.

8. UNIQUE QUALITIES OR STRENGTHS.

Questions: What do you like most about your job and why? What strengths set this occupation apart from others? What are the best things you can say about this occupation?

Answer: I enjoy PACT because it takes away the burden of sitting behind a desk all day. Moving from client to client and staying busy in the community makes the day fly by which helps avoid burnout and boardism.

9. WORKING CONDITIONS.

Questions: How much time do you spend at work? Is the amount of time you spend on the job due more to the nature of the occupation or to the nature of the particular organization? Does your working time affect the amount of time you can spend with your family? How do people dress for work there? What type of stress do you experience on the job?

Answer: 37.5 hours a week is required for full time employees at the Department of Mental Health. It is hard to complete a weeks worth of work in this amount of time. Sometimes it is necessary to do my paperwork at home to complete my work week. The dress code is somewhere between casual to formal. Sometimes if the employees such as myself are working in the field, we are allowed to dress comfortably due to the nature of the job. The job can be very stressful at times due to the population we work with and the dissatisfactions of the job discussed in #7, But the reward of helping people change their life for the better out weighs the stressors.

10. SALARY RANGES.

Questions: What are the beginning, average, and top salaries or wages in this occupation? How does your organization pay in comparison to other organizations in the industry? What fringe benefits are offered?

Answer: Salaries for bachelor level employees start around $23,000.00 a yr, masters level start around $27,000.00 a yr, and managerial or supervisory masters level positions begin at 35,000.00 a yr. The salary range of each pay grade is about 20,000.00 dollars, but nobody ever gets close to the top of their pay grade. The benefits are great because mental health is a state agency.

11. ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

Questions: What opportunities exists for advancement, promotion, or change of jobs within this occupation?

Answer: There is very little opportunity for advancement at the bachelors level. They seem to get to a certain level and then are stuck for good unless the get a masters. There is unlimited opportunity for the masters level depending on ones goals, motivations and interests.

12. RELATED OCCUPATIONS.

Questions: What are other occupations related to this one?

Answer: A lot of people in the same field work at the Department of Social Services, Department of Health and Human Services and Vocational Rehabilitation.

13. TEMPORARY WORK AND COURSES TO TAKE IN COLLEGE.

Questions: Could you suggest any temporary work and courses to take while in college.

Answer: The Department of Mental Health is always offering internships for people in this field to help students gain experience in this field. I believe a psychology major is a good way to go in college. I got my masters in Rehabilitation Counseling. Professional Counseling and Social Work are also two of the most popular roads to take for a masters depending on your interests.

14. FUTURE PROJECTIONS.

Questions: What do you see in the future for this occupation? Will there be a continued demand for it? Is the number of workers in the occupation growing or declining? How secure will employment be in this occupation?

Answer: This field is one of the fastest growing fields out there. The demand for employees out there far outweighs the supply. Working for a state agency provides a lot of job security because you are supported by the government.

15. SPECIAL PROBLEMS AND CONCERNS.

Questions: Are there any special problems, concerns, situations, circumstances, or challenges of which a person should be aware when considering this occupation? How would you try to solve these problems or face these challenges?

Answer: Although there is a huge demand for people in this field the state is currently in a budget crunch which has caused a hiring freeze along with no pay raises. We are

having to cut back on all the resources we have to dig ourselves out of this hole. We have decreased the deficit by millions in the last couple of years and are almost out of the hole. Also, don’t expect to make a lot of money in this field; one must have a genuine desire to help others in order to survive in this field.