Topic 5: Professional Development {by 2/23}
Based on the reading due this week consider the following discussion point: Your professional development and personal growth does not end once you graduate. What are your thoughts about the best way you can assure that you are continually developing and maintaining your counseling competency?
Your original post should be posted by the beginning of class 2/23. Post your two replies no later than 2/25. *Please remember to click the “reply” button when posting a reply. This makes it easier for the reader to follow the blog postings.
Dr. Adam M Volungis 
Feb 17, 2023 @ 17:18:27
I’m looking forward on continuing my education and experience post-graduation and I think I’ll have many opportunities to do so. I’ve accepted a tentative job offer and was honest with the clinical director about my perception of what I’ve learned so far at internship. She was very receptive to this and ensured that I’ll have access to supervision as well as continued educational opportunities such as workshops, team building, and shadowing. I recognize that I have a lot to learn and I’m eager to be in an environment that facilitates that. I also understand that progression is something that will continue to happen throughout the entirety of my career so I’m putting a lot of effort into building a strong foundation over the next few years. I’m optimistic and ready to continue learning to ensure that I’m competent and able to help my clients as well as I’m able. This will include seeking out additional supervision/support when needed, attending any offered trainings, and completing CEUs post-licensure.
Feb 19, 2023 @ 21:27:30
Hi Frayah,
It’s great to hear that your job offer is ensuring opportunities like workshops, team building, and shadowing! That feels really promising that different agencies are so supportive in helping us to grow as clinicians. Continuing to attend any offered trainings also sounds like a really good opportunity to develop our skills in hopefully many different domains as clinicians!
Feb 20, 2023 @ 14:43:16
Hi Frayah
Congratulations on accepting a job offer! that must feel amazing to be so close to finishing this part of your journey. I know from other discussions that you haven’t had the best go around in internship so I am glad you were able to convey your needs and feel like quality supervision will be provided as part of this new opportunity.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 16:32:02
Hi Frayah!
So happy to hear that you have accepted a tentative job offer! Especially to hear that they were receptive to your internship experience and willing to offer what they have so far! You definitely had a very difficult situation so I hope that you are able to get a much better experience after graduating! Good luck!
Feb 19, 2023 @ 11:31:43
I will make sure to continue developing and maintaining my counseling competency. I believe that I will always be an avid learner and attempting to try new things and learn new things. During my internship, I took an MI training that I really enjoyed. For licensure, I also know that we need CEUs anyway, so that will be another motivating factor to continue education. Times are constantly changing and we would be ignorant to think that once school is over, we are done learning. Furthermore, I will continue to attend therapy for myself and always keep that door open. It is incredibly important for me to continue that for myself. I love the phrase “practice what you preach” as mentioned in the book. If we want our clients to prioritize their mental health, then we should also prioritize our own mental health.
Feb 19, 2023 @ 21:29:39
Hi Jenn,
The MI training that you mentioned has seemed to be so valuable, based on what you’ve mentioned about it and the resources you received there! I think I would definitely be interested in training in MI as well as I feel like this is something I still know very little about. I feel the same way about continuing with personal therapy, as you mentioned it’s the best way for us to ensure that we are prioritizing our mental health while working to help our clients do the same.
Feb 19, 2023 @ 21:33:05
Jenn,
It’s great that you’ve already had some opportunities to learn beyond the classroom or your internship. I’m similar to you in that I really enjoy learning and those experiences should definitely be taken advantage of when the opportunity presents itself. It will help us on our paths and will make you a more competent clinician for sure.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 14:46:00
Hi Jen
totally agree that it is important to practice what you preach as a therapist- even in my internship experience I have been trying to follow that rule, (using the breathing exercises that I ask clients to do etc.) and reading this chapter certainly validated that approach a bit.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 19:39:13
Hi Jennifer, I think it’s amazing that you continue to go to therapy, as you’re absolutely right, it is important to “practice what you preach”. It is true for any profession; I remember asking my physical therapist in the past if he just does his own thing when he gets injured or if he goes to another physical therapist. Basically, he told me it is important to see another professional since they will help you with accountability, offer a fresh perspective, and develop a treatment plan that is fit for that client. There have been many times I tried to heal my injuries assuming I have a general understanding of what I am doing, and doing my own research on google/YouTube, but they never healed until I saw a physical therapist and that accountability piece was there. I think that mental health counseling works in the exact same way.
Feb 19, 2023 @ 21:23:22
My thoughts about the best way to assure I am continually developing and maintaining my counseling competency is first to continue to engage in my own personal therapy. I have been in therapy since starting grad school and have found it so helpful in learning to balance the different aspects of my life, mainly with school, work, and now internship. I feel that continuing in my own therapy will be crucial in preventing burnout as well so that I am taking care of myself and am more emotionally equipped for clinical practice. With this, my own therapy experiences have given me insight already into what interventions I have found personally helpful/unhelpful, which I feel will continue to benefit me as I will be ensuring to “practice what I preach” with clients and will genuinely understand how it feels to be on the receiving end of treatment. Similar to this, to maintain my counseling competency it will be important that I am more honest in embracing my weaknesses as a counselor, so that I can work to address them and grow as a professional. Even though it’s incredibly uncomfortable to embrace my weaknesses, it is necessary in order to continue developing as a counselor, and I feel this can be attained through good supervision and my own therapy as well. Lastly, I think it will be important that I regularly complete CEUs with varying topics/interests so as to continue expanding my knowledge of various tx modalities and to stay up to date on effective interventions for various presenting problems. With this, I’ll continue to ensure that the CEUs I pursue are approved by the NBCC and are legitimate.
Feb 19, 2023 @ 21:30:26
Valerie,
You bring up some great points about the importance of personal therapy. I often forget to engage in those practices and put it on the back burner so I appreciate that you emphasized the importance of it. I also think that having an unbiased perspective can be essential when we’re dealing with so many different stressors. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 14:40:22
Hi Valerie
Going to therapy has been on my to list as well – I am so glad to hear that you have found it to be beneficial, we all have a lot on our plates and learning balance as you mentioned is so key. I like what you said about learning from it too what interventions and teqniques you have found helpful and been able to utilize those learnings with clients.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 22:27:42
Hi Valerie,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience of having a therapist. I have also been in therapy a little before starting my master’s degree. My therapist is from Colombia, and we use telehealth. I have visited her in person a couple of times, but most of my treatment has been tele. One of the benefits of having a therapist is that I can talk about my patients/families (previous job) and figure it out how personally I am moved with them, leaving that burden in session instead of bringing it at home. I also implemented some of the CBT forms, especially when I am overthinking or I have a significant challenge to overcome.
Feb 21, 2023 @ 14:25:29
Hi Valerie!
I feel very similarly as you in regards to continuing to engage in therapy. I have been seeing my therapist for a few years now and therapy has been extremely helpful for managing all the different aspects of life at the moment and I can imagine it will be helpful when transitioning from being a full-time student to being a full-time therapist. Like you said, it’s so important to figure out what interventions and skills work for you so that you can better help clients! Additionally, keeping up to date with literature and learning new types of treatment modalities is something that I am interested in as well. As much as I love CBT and the program at Assumption, I look forward to learning other ways to treat clients as well.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 10:21:14
Valerie,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I agree, seeking out our own therapy and utilizing that resource is so invaluable in terms of getting that firsthand experience of being on the other end, but also preventing that burnout you mentioned. In terms of practicing what you preach – I know I feel so much more confident giving a client a coping skill or homework assignment to try if I have also used it. I think it also adds something to the therapeutic relationship to be able to say to a client things like “Yeah, not every coping skill works for every person, I for example prefer X of grounding technique over Y” etc. and helps them be willing to try new things.
Katie
Feb 20, 2023 @ 14:33:15
One of the things that drew me to the field of mental health / study of psychology was the idea that my learning would never stop and that I would to some degree be a student for life. I expect the understanding and science of mental health intervention will advance rapidly during our lifetime. As clinicians we will be obligated to keep up with education as the understanding and techniques advance. I love the idea of holding membership in professional orgs. and attending conferences someday. I can see myself taking additional courses down the line as well – I really enjoy coursework (when I am not completely burned out)…
Continuing to read books and articles. Conferences in my mind are the most exciting way – but of course will require planning and money. My priority immediately after graduation however – is just to find a really solid supervisor- my experience with supervision at Spectrum has been like “fine” – but I know that it’s important to me to find someone who is genuinely dedicated and invested in providing me with consistent and quality and frequent supervision post-graduation.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 16:35:01
Hi Lexi!
I 100% agree with your statement that you are a student for life. Such a great way to look at this field! it is interesting that if we were into math, the numbers will always calculate the same, but not mental health! that is constantly changing and adapting and we need to change and adapt with it!
Feb 20, 2023 @ 19:23:29
Hi Lexi, I think that reading books and articles is a great way to stay informed and continue learning new things. Also, I wonder if agencies are sometimes willing to pay for their clinicians to attend conferences? Might be one question worth asking during the interview when we consider different job opportunities!
Feb 20, 2023 @ 22:14:20
Hi Lexi,
I also like the idea of reading books and reading journals. I think it is important to have those reference books that we know are fundamental principles of CBT and that we can have them handy to consult about cases. I also downloaded a few audio books for CBT that I would like to listen to in the car, but I have no time yet. Also, I have utilized the APA training with Maclean Hospital, they are really good, and this is one of the benefits of being a member of them.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 10:25:11
Lexi,
You make such a good point – I think my love for learning will come back a bit once I’m not burnt out at the end of our program, and I’ll be excited to have the chance to learn something new. Like we’ve talked about in class, these courses can be so expensive so like you said, more of a “once I’m settled in my position” type of problem. A good supervisor/agency who supports our growth is a good start!
I like to read as well, so good quality books on different psychology topics are always an interesting and relatively inexpensive way to grow my knowledge.
Thanks for sharing,
Katie
Feb 23, 2023 @ 12:46:02
Hi Lexi,
I completely agree! The fact that learning and growing in this field never stops is also a big factor in what drew me to the field. I also am expecting and excited for the mental health field to advance throughout our careers. I have been closely following a new treatment for PTSD, and am excited that the Biden administration has reached out to SAMHSA about forming a task force as the phase 3 FDA trials have been wrapping up successfully. I think advancements like this could drastically change mental health treatment for some individuals, and I am excited to be able to keep learning about these interventions as research develops. I also am a huge fan of conferences, and always leave feeling as though I have learned so much to take with me. I am hopeful that some employers may also support conference attendance.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 19:20:59
I think that for continuing your professional development and counseling competency it is important to take advantage of trainings, seminars, and workshops when you are able to. Furthermore, it’s important to learn from your colleagues and be open-minded, and willing to continue learning new skills after graduating. I also think that it’s important to make good use of supervision since many supervisors have a lot to offer.
On the other hand, it is also important to learn from clients, be an active listener and recognize that every client is unique and has something new to offer. I also think that many clients are culturally diverse and clinicians should take time to learn more about the client’s culture and things that are important to them. Lastly, I think that it can be beneficial to obtain access to current literature and stay up to date with latest research.
Feb 21, 2023 @ 14:21:58
Pawel,
I totally agree that learning from your clients is another way to maintain competence and continue developing skills. Like you said, many of our clients come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, allowing for them to teach us things about their culture and even how therapy is viewed from that lens. I think this is a great way to learn and keep yourself competent. I also agree that supervision is another important way to continue learning and maintaining competency. This is something that has been helpful for me throughout my internship and something I value as I am looking for jobs. Thanks for sharing!
Feb 23, 2023 @ 12:50:46
Pawel,
I love the point you make that we also have a lot to learn from our clients. When I think of career development, I often think of learning from trainings or other professionals in the field. Although they do have a lot to offer, I agree that there is so much we can learn from individual clients. Even just in my internship, the individual needs and backgrounds of clients have inspired me to further my knowledge and competencies.
Feb 20, 2023 @ 22:33:23
One of the caveats from the lecture is that sometimes as a beginning counselor, you are not confident about your skills and get so overwhelmed with the new job that implementing the therapy process with our clients ends up being “just going through the emotions.” This could be a risk, mainly if the agency’s principles rely on productivity and statistics of accomplishments reports and record notes. Hence, it is easier to prioritize the agency system/reports to follow productivity and then leave our patients aside. One of my exercises is preparing for patients who have shown genuine interest in counseling; I review the last session, prepare the session with the goal session forms, and have material ready for the patient. Hence, for the pt who are not interested in counseling but are in compliance because they want to obtain the methadone treatment, I prioritize the assessments in the system, trying to have more time with them to build rapport and potentially open a door for therapy, trying to balance the agency and pt’s needs with this strategy.
Another suggestion from the chapter is having a good supervisor competent in CBT. This is ideal; however, we may have one of these supervisors of “do whatever feels right from your gut” or a laid-back personality. Even if we are stuck in the situation of a supervisor of these characteristics, if we advocate for ourselves, we can request a change, leave the agency, or pay privately for a supervisor who will guarantee to grow in CBT counseling skills.
Finally, I would like to refer to the continued formal training, The Beck Institute CBT Certified Master Clinician (BICBT-CMC) and the Beck Institute CBT Certified Supervisor (BICBT-CS). I would like to hear thoughts about the pros and cons of getting any of these certifications and if obtaining any of these certifications will benefit you in the long run. Another is the Academy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which also provides training and certifications.
Feb 21, 2023 @ 14:19:12
Maintaining and developing counseling competency is such an important part of being a mental health counselor, so much so that it is required by the licensing board. So, first and foremost, attending trainings and making sure I get the necessary CEUs is one of the ways that I plan to continue developing my skills and making sure that I am a competent therapist. Additionally, continuing to engage in my own therapy is something that I think will be beneficial for me. I’ve had the same therapist for a few years now, and not that long ago I was thinking about possibly stopping therapy once I graduate and get settled into the new stage of life as a new counselor. However, after reading the chapter and thinking about it in more detail, I don’t think this is a great idea, and it would definitely be in my best interest to keep attending therapy, if for no other reason than to keep “practicing what I preach”. Another important way to maintain competency as a counselor is to have a competent supervisor, especially when getting my first job. I want to be able to have conversations with my supervisor where we work together to figure out what the best option is, which is something that I have been grateful to experience with my supervisor during my internship. I have also found that group supervisions are another helpful way to maintain my competence during my internship, and I hope that wherever I end up following graduation that this is something carried throughout various organizations. Finally, I think taking the time to look for other sources of education is something that I will do once I am working and eventually when I have my license. This could be attending conferences or staying up to date with journals, new books, and articles regarding different approaches and techniques.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 17:15:30
Hi Kaitlyn,
I appreciate your disclosure about attending therapy yourself. I have also been thinking about going back to therapy after I graduate. I think it is good to practice what I preach, gain the client’s perspective, and practice self-care. Is this something you disclose with your clients?
Mar 07, 2023 @ 10:53:38
Hi Kaitlyn!
I love that you brought your own therapy experience into your discussion post. I feel that my therapy experiences in the past have certainly informed my approach in many different areas. Modeling the care and unconditional positive regard that a past therapist used with me has helped me to connect with my clients in incredible ways. I am not currently in therapy, but your post has got me thinking about going back!
Feb 21, 2023 @ 19:42:00
I have been thinking about this question since the beginning of the semester. I found that continuing education and updating my knowledge with evidence-based practice helps me construct more ideas and maintains my counseling competency. Also, it is important to constantly be aware and humble to accept and seek new information. In addition, practice is important for my competency as mastery of different skills requires many experiences in the field. Lastly, it is crucial to engage in supervision to receive feedback and consult with others about your practice which process improves your counseling competency.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 13:22:24
Hi Moises,
I think receiving feedback in supervision will be extremely important for developing and maintaining our counseling competency. As new therapists, having a supervisor who provides helpful and constructive feedback will help us in building the skills we need to maintain our competency as counselors.
Feb 22, 2023 @ 22:10:28
Something that excites me about continuing to develop and maintain my competency as a counselor is being able to take specific workshops, trainings, and consultation groups through my future position. While we might groan at having to take CUEs, these courses were developed to help us continue growing as counselors and assist in maintaining our competency. I think a lot of agencies and organizes have recognized the importance of trainings or lectures, and have begun utilizing them to continue developing their employees’ competency. Having the potential to take workshops to become certified in specific forms of therapy/training, such as ARC, art therapy, etc, excite me as it opens the opportunity to competently engage in different therapeutic techniques. Similarly, my future job position has weekly and/or monthly consultations groups on specific presenting problems. In these groups, clinicians present cases within the specific diagnostic criteria and the group proposes potential next steps. I think something that has always helped me learn best is being able to have an open dialogue and bounce ideas off of other people. Not only does it allow you to see from a different perspective, but it also may point to something simple that happened to be overlooked or towards helpful resources. Much like others have mentioned, but continuing to learn about myself through my own therapy experience will continue to be highly valuable as it may point to areas where I need to develop as a professional.
Feb 27, 2023 @ 10:54:44
Hello Francesca,
I enjoyed reading your post. I have similar ideas about CUE’S. There are many different workshops that can be unique and show different interventions and perspectives on treatment modalities. My current job is not related to psychology but there are times that I have learned new skills from workshops and training. I also found that training is a way to network with other organizations and professionals.
Mar 07, 2023 @ 10:50:12
Hi Francesca!
I am also really excited to participate in trainings with other clinicians and learn about other forms of therapy. I have always been interested in trauma informed approaches and PTSD treatments (such as EMDR). I see CEUs as a way for us all to learn new skills in specific areas that will help us to help others. I agree that working with others is such an amazing way to gain insight. I have learned so much from my colleagues and supervisors. It definitely informs my practice and helps me to become a better therapist.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 10:15:05
I think at this point in my career, one of the best ways to ensure I keep up with CEU’s is to find an agency that offers some sort of reimbursement or in-house trainings. Personally, I’m so excited to be learning new interventions because I feel I’m only just starting and have so much to explore. I’m looking forward to being able to add to my skill set and I think working in a place where they offer a lot of trainings or provide some funding for them will help me stay on track. I can be a procrastinator so that’s something I’ll have to be aware of, but thankfully since I’m early on, I’m not at the point of dreading the CEU classes/trainings yet. The field is constantly evolving and there’s so many types of interventions/specialities that it will be interesting to be introduced to some new things! For example, at my internship, we had a guest speaker talk to us about perinatal mental health and even just that brief introduction was so informative and eye-opening. That’s an area I could see myself diving into a little deeper.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 13:14:26
Hi Katie,
I can definitely relate to being a procrastinator at times, which may become a problem later on but as of now I am also looking forward to expanding my knowledge to the many different types of interventions and specialties through these trainings. I also really enjoyed the perinatal mental health training and found it to be very interesting and helpful. Even though it was brief, it was extremely helpful in understanding the basics of postpartum mental health. I think just having this basic background knowledge is beneficial moving forward and definitely an important area I want to continue to grow my knowledge in as well.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 12:36:36
Although continually developing and maintaining my counseling competency does sound like it could require a lot of work, I find myself excited about this aspect of our career. I have really appreciated the solid foundation that our program has provided us with. However, it has left little room for specialization. The requirement to consistently engage in PD not only will help me to maintain my competency, but will also allow me opportunities to learn about more specific counseling interests of mine. For example, I am very interested in couples counseling, but was unable to learn about it in our program. I also appreciate the opportunity to continuously learn and grow so that I won’t feel stuck of stagnant in my career. One way I plan to have continuous opportunities for PD is through an APA membership. A membership would give me access to career and professional development trainings and opportunities, while also including five free CE credits a year. In addition to this, when I am working with an agency, I would want to ensure that they are supportive of and/or fund PD opportunities. I think that, beyond the CE requirements, I am so excited and passionate about this field that I will always pay attention to new and different treatment approaches, and will be open and excited to stay up to date with new research.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 13:00:08
I think there are multiple ways that I can continue to develop and maintain my counseling competency and own personal growth once I graduate. First, continuing individual therapy for myself has already been and will continue to be extremely helpful in terms of my own personal growth. Attending therapy has helped in reminding myself to implement the skills for myself that I “preach” to my clients. Being in therapy myself continues to challenge me, help me develop more skills, and also is a one of my major forms of self-care. Additionally,
CEUs are going to be extremely important in terms of my continuous professional development. As a new therapist, there is going to be so much to learn through these different trainings, which is something I look forward to.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 17:09:05
Hi Giana,
I am glad you are able to continue your counseling competency through going to therapy yourself. I think this is noble, helps to practice what we preach, and helps us understand the client’s perspective. Is this something you disclose to a client?
Feb 27, 2023 @ 10:45:15
Hello Giana,
I totally agree with individual therapy. It is beneficial to prevent burnout and promote growth as a clinician. These are areas I need to work on. Also, I totally agree with CEU. I found them helpful to refresh content you already know.
Feb 23, 2023 @ 15:46:30
So far within my training as a mental health counselor, I have learned that continuing education (CE) is important. I have been able to schedule time within my agency for additional trainings and courses, including Substance of Misuse, Narcan, CBT for GAD, and CBT for Depression. Even though I have learned about the latter two trainings in my classes at Assumption, I know there are topics and interventions that I have overlooked and began using again after the trainings. I know from my current education and internship experience that CEs are not only required for licensure, but they are important for continual growth and maintaining competency. I also can learn from my colleagues at my internship by shadowing their sessions with clients. Perhaps they have different skills, knowledge, and ways of establishing rapport that I can learn from. Maybe they can shadow me and correct where I have personally not succeeded. Being able to accept criticism is a growth area for me, and it is something that I can work on. Lastly, I can practice what I preach. So far, I have benefited from progressive muscle relaxation and breathing retraining, but there are other interventions that I can practice outside of the sessions. For example, I can practice being vulnerable, developing positive therapeutic relationships, new coping skills, and altering my own negative automatic thoughts. And while I may not personally discuss this with clients, my own experience could give me a new perspective on how they feel.
Mar 07, 2023 @ 10:45:46
I believe that the best way that I can ensure that I am continually developing and maintaining my counseling competency is by making sure that the career that I choose offers plenty of opportunities for development. Some of the jobs that I have interviewed for offer numerous trainings, as well as providing a stipend for CEUs. Choosing an agency that takes development seriously is definitely important to me. I will also have to keep track of the number of CEUs that I participate in over the next two years. To do this, I will create a spreadsheet to keep track. I will just have to keep on top of it and remember to fill it in.
I also learn a lot by chatting with my colleagues and participating in case presentations. Perspective can be so helpful, and I am continually taught skills during these interactions that I may not have thought of or known about previously.