The Counseling Profession and Ethics course provided me with an understanding of the ethical principles, responsiblities, and legal requirements that take place in the counseling profession. Throughout this course, I development a deeper appreciation for the importance of decision-making. This course helped educate me on the counselor's responsbility to protect their clients and the rights each client has. 

     One of the major aspects to the Ethics class learning about the American Counseling Association (ACA.) This course helped me apply the proper ethical decision-making model through various case studies. Through these case studies, I was able to significantly increase my ability to identify ethical violations and how they should be handled. This course helped me learn how to prioritize the safety and well-being of my clients. 

     This Ethics course helped expand my knowledge of legal responsibilities. During this course, we explored topics such as informed consent, confidentiality, and mandated reporting. Also, I've been able to expand my knowledge on professional boundaries. Learning all of this in Ethics has helped me implement them in real time at my internship as I build rapport with my clients. 

     This course emphasizes the importance of a professional counselor identity. I learned that this identity is strengthened in various ways, including continued education, supervision, and self-reflection. Ethics helped me understand the impact of collaboration with other professionals and how this can have a significant positive impact on my client's well-being. 

     Lastly, this Ethics course helped me reflect on my own personal values and potential bias. I've used this to ensure that my clients at Cook County continue to feel safe and seen. I continue to engage in training and ongoing supervision that allows me to grow in the field. Counseling profession and Ethics has helped me gain the knowledge and skills to make proper ethical decisions and uphold proper boundaries with my clients. In moving forward, I will continue to be responsible and promote meaningful change as I reflect on my own thoughts and actions. 

informed consent final.edited.docx

This artifact showcases the process of the informed consent. It details the concept of confidentiality, which is an important part of the client-counselor relationship. This artifact showcases a breakdown of what payment would look like, including pay scale and late fees. 

     Through my experience in human development, my understanding of lifespan has expanded past a basic concept of life stages. Currently, I understand the complexitites and growth that exist over the span of life. 

     One of the most critical concepts I now recognize is developmental psychology. A major influence on my understanding of this is Erik Erickson. The eight stages of life have played a significant role in how I work with my clients. These stages impact our indentity and how we view the world. 

     In addition to Erickson's developmental stages, learning about trauma over the lifespan has been effective in my career. I've realized there are a multitude of ways trauma shows up in my clients and how it shapes their view of the world. The knowledge I've gained from this coursework has helped me understand that our development is not linear and we may find ourselves struggling with past traumatic events. 

     Human development has increased my care and empathy for those around me. I've made it a point to remember that everyone has been through something. 

lifespan final.ppt

This artifact is about postpartum depression in women. It shows how it not only impacts women, but men and children too. This artifcact provided me with valuable information on how the many differences of postpartum issues, which impact many women across the globe. 

     Group therapy look be used in a mulitude of ways. How a group is conducted often depends on the overall goal of the group and the facilitor or co-facilitor. Group sessions provide individuals with a safe space and encouragement from peers who are navigating similar challenges. Group therapy can be held in different settings, such as schools, hospitals or correctional facilities. 

     Group sessions require organized and detailed planning to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all who attend. Group facilitators hold a significant responsibility of implementing proper strategies that help promote group cohesion. One of the most crucial components of group therapy is to ensure all members understand rules ans expectations of the group. 

     Group sessions can come in different aspects such as,  psychoeducational, counseling and support groups. During my time in my graduate program, I've had multiple experiences creating mock counseling proposals and participating as a member in the group setting. These experiences have helped prepare my in the role of  observe different types of groups in natural settings, and create a group that would be would used as a part of our service learning experience. 

    Group counseling enables counselors to observe how individuals navigate social settings while they work on their realtionship-building skills. When reflecting back on my own experiences as both an observer and participant in group sessions, I've been able to recognize how people come together when they're facing similar hardships. I have gained a deep appreciation for the diverse way people face their emotions and cope with their situations.

     I consider myself an organized and adaptable person. My training in group counseling has allowed me to understand the importance of flexibility. Using flexibility on my internship site at Cook County Corrections has helped to gain the trust of many in the groups I've led. Remaining present and flexible has ensured that members of the group feel safe to become more open and vulnerable with one another. I want to make sure each individual member feels seen and heard in my groups. As a part of my groups, I request feedback from members that I continue to incorporate into future group sessions. I am excited to continue my journey and learn more as a facilitator. 

  group proposal.edited.docx

This artifact is a prospal I created with a partner based around grief. We created this to bring awareness on the different forms of grief people experience in life. This group work experience gave me the perfect opportunity to run a "coping with grief" group in the corrections setting that I'm currently working at. 

     The Career Development course has helped strengthen my understanding of assessments, theories, and interventions that help guide individuals through career decision-making through their lifespan. Through this course, I've been able to gain insight of career theories, especially Social Cognitive Career theory. Career Development has helped enhance my ability to support my clients who may be facing career transitions and life challenges as I continue to help them grow in all aspects of their life. 

     My experience in Career Development has helped expand my understanding in the connection between career, family, identity and how they impacts my clients' experiences in every day life. Through case studies, roleplay and discussion, I've been able to understand career exploration and goal setting. These experiences help me empower my clients to overcome barriers to employment and create realistic career goals. 

     In moving forward, I plan to prepare myself to assist my clients in making good career decisions. I want to ensure I empower them while they manage career transitions. I hope to make an impact with my clients and use empathy to understand their wants and needs. 

career final.edited.docx

This artifact showcases my own personal narrative. It shows my wordview and how that has impacted my career decision-making. This artifact implements the Social Learning theory and the impact of Happenstance in my life. 

     My diversity class has helped my gain a deeper understanding of multiculturalism. Along with expanding my knowledge on diversity, I've gained an awareness of my own worldview. Engaging in this coursework helped me recognize how diversity is an important and complex aspect that makes up how someone navigates through the world.

     My personal worldview has been shaped by many layers, such as education, upbringing and environment. Taking the time to reflect on what I've learned in diversity helped me realize that I was not fully aware of how my own cultural background influenced bias and assumptions. 

     Cultural immersion was one of the most important parts of this coursework. Engaging with individuals from different communities encourages me to remain open-minded and step out of my comfort zone. This helped me learn to become more flexible with clients in my session

     One of the most important takeaways I've gained is the importance of showing up to discussion with the intent to understand instead of respond. I understand cultural competence is an on-going process and require active self-awareness. As I move forward, I must remain aware that individual have different cultural norms. It is my job to remain educated and know a little about everything. 

cultural immersion experience.edited.doc

This artifact break down the importance of different perspectives. If forced us to take a hands on approach and be in the present, which can be hard to do since we are in school.  I enjoyed getting to discuss another culture's worldview and understand those around me. It helped me step outside my comfort zone and understand how I'm supposed to show up in session for my clients. 

     The Assessment course gave me the skills necessary to appropriately select, adminster and interpret a multitude of counseling assessments. Throughout this course, I have developed a deep understanding of the use for both standardized and non-standardized assessments. Assessment has helped me gain insight on how important these matters are to deterimining career interests, mental health, personality, and many other aspects of my clients' lives. The Assessment course helped strengthen my ability to communicate the need for assessments for my clients. This course has stregthened my ability to discuss assessments in a clear and direct way, which helps my clients grow. 

     This course has helped me interpret the appropriate assessment findings. Through various case studies and role play, this course helped me develop an understanding on determining the limits and strengths of each assessment. Assessment has strengthened my ability on when to implement these assessments into my treatment plans. Assessment helped reinforce the importance of being an ethical counselor and how using cultural humility is a huge factor in my sessions. 

     In the future, I want to ensure I'm prepared to use assessments responsibly. As a counselor, I want my clients to feel safe in my hands when using assessments and help support positive outcomes in our sessions. This course has made me aware that this is and ongoing process and can be used as a tool that empowers my clients when used correctly. 

case studies assessment tony and mia.docx

This artifact showcases the use of assessment in the mental health field. It was two different case studies that allowed me to implement my understanding of assessment. In this artifact, I discussed the clients' limits, strengths, and creating a treatment plan. 

     Over the course of Research Methods, I've developed an understanding of the many layers that exist in research. Prior to this class, I just saw it as basic information. This class helped me recognize that the data gathered is often structured and critical and takes careful planning. 

     One of the most important aspects I've gained from this class is the ability to formulate proper and focused research questions. As someone who struggles with numbers and math, this coursework was informative and helped me realize how accountability in research is crucial. 

     This class has helped me grow as a counselor and researcher. I feel more confident in my ability to apply the research I come across in my own experience. Also, this class has helped me understand scholarly articles much better. 

final research proposal.pdf

This artifact showcases an extenstive research group project. This taught me the importance of quantitative versus qualitative and how it impacted research. This research proposal was broken down into a lot of foundation work, which helped us understand the importance of the data behind. 

     Helping Relationships was one of the first classes in this program. I was both excited and anxious to start it. This course first helped me understand the importantance of establishing trust and creating a safe space withhin the client-counselor dynamic. While learning how to implement these in session, I learned how to apply active listening skills, appreciate silence during session, use open-ended questions and how all of these combined can have a powerful impact. 

     This course helped me streghten my self-awareness. We created various scenarios in roleplays that helped me reflect on how to build rapport with my clients. These roleplays helped me establish specific communication styles that I have carried over to my internship at Cook County Corrections. Helping Relationships has helped build the foundation of my counseling profession and understand why it's so important for my clients. 

     Additionally, my course showcased the significance of multicultural competency and recognizing the many strengths, identities, and lives experiences that my clients may bring to session. Helping Relationships encouraged me to become a counselor that values deep vulnerabilities, openness, respect, and advocacy. 

     Lastly, this course has had a profound impact on who I am today. Helping Relationships has helped me gain confidence in my counseling skills. As I move forward, I plan to continue hone in on my counseling skills, especially skills that help promote client growth, vulnerability, and resilience. 

final interview project.edited.docx

This artifact showcases the growth over the span of the course. In this artifact, I discuss the skills I've developed and what changes I've noticed in myself.