PHILOSOPHY OF COUNSELING
I believe that counselors should help clients develop healthy coping skills in an empathic and supportive environment so that they can handle life’s stresses in a productive way. The goal is to help clients discover that they are not victims in their lives but that they have choices, which can empower them to create meaning and purpose in their lives. However, I certainly acknowledge that not everyone has equal opportunities to make the choices they would like, due to their culture or environmental life circumstances. A good counselor is cognizant of their client’s unique life circumstances and is able to counsel them in ways that are compatible with their worldviews. Clients are encouraged to take responsibility for their lives while receiving some structure and direction from which to begin. Many people know that something is wrong in their lives (i.e., they don’t feel the way they want to feel), yet they don’t know how to begin to make positive changes. A number of people may be caught in negative self-fulfilling prophecies or faulty thinking and do not know how to break patterns that lead to unconstructive emotions and behaviors. My duty is to act as a partner, guide, and teacher for clients and help them address concerns, express feelings, formulate goals, and develop action plans that will allow them to live more satisfying lives.
Although the aforementioned forms the foundation of my counseling technique, my approach is still integrative in nature. I do not have a “one approach fits all” philosophy/approach of therapy. Some approaches work well for some people, while other people respond better to a different approach. Depending on the client’s needs and goals, I will use perspectives and techniques from well-established counseling theories, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Reality Therapy, Existential Therapy and Systems Therapy.
My interests are many, but the true crux of what I hope to accomplish is being an advocate for children constitutional rights, thus helping to keep children on task and doing my part to help children obtain a bright future. I aspire to provide individual, group and family counseling to adolescents and their families; implement assessment and consultation services; and develop, direct, and evaluate comprehensive counseling services so that I can help the underprivileged populations in places that are in need of my skill set.
Although the aforementioned forms the foundation of my counseling technique, my approach is still integrative in nature. I do not have a “one approach fits all” philosophy/approach of therapy. Some approaches work well for some people, while other people respond better to a different approach. Depending on the client’s needs and goals, I will use perspectives and techniques from well-established counseling theories, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Reality Therapy, Existential Therapy and Systems Therapy.
My interests are many, but the true crux of what I hope to accomplish is being an advocate for children constitutional rights, thus helping to keep children on task and doing my part to help children obtain a bright future. I aspire to provide individual, group and family counseling to adolescents and their families; implement assessment and consultation services; and develop, direct, and evaluate comprehensive counseling services so that I can help the underprivileged populations in places that are in need of my skill set.