Pursuing a Career in Counseling Essay

My pursuit of becoming a School Counselor led me to apply to the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland, College Park. I am a former student at University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After graduating and teaching for two years in Prince George’s County Public Schools, I discovered my true passion lies not only in the classroom and students’ academics, but playing a pivotal role in the growth of their career, social, and personal development. Although I am no longer teaching full-time at the moment, my interaction with students from diverse backgrounds left an indelible responsibility to continue making a difference in our students. The objectives and mission of the School Counseling Master’s Program at University of Maryland can best help my goal of becoming an effective counselor and leader who is an agent of change to students and service the mental and emotional well-being of the younger generation.

I desire to pursue school counseling as my career to become an effective and successful leader in this profession. Why? I have always held a passion for touching the lives of the youth in a great and positive manner. A licensed school counselor entails helping students with academic achievement, personal/social growth and career development, ensuring students become the industrious, well-balanced adults of tomorrow. while, operating as a professional school counselor involves me obtaining the appropriate knowledge and skills that will support me with providing exceptional service for clients. I believe that I can obtain this intelligence here at Capella University. I comprehend that as a professional school counselor I would be expected

It was during my senior year of college that I decided I wanted to become a school counselor. Up until my senior year in college at Penn State I did not know where I wanted to take my career but I knew I wanted to work in a school setting and I knew that I wanted to work with kids. When it came time to choose an internship site for my last semester, I chose an alternative school called Buxmont Academy in Bethlehem where I would be shadowing two of their school counselors as well as engaging with the students themselves. I got to work with these children on a more personal level, gaining an understanding of their emotions, experiences, and difficulties, as most of these children came from broken homes, and drug and alcohol related settings. I am interested in becoming a school counselor because I want to help. When I become a counselor I want to make a difference in a child’s life whether that be by simply giving them support that they might not have in their lives or helping them make changes to better themselves and their futures. A counselor has such an important role in helping to shape young children and that is something that I want to be a part of.

From this twenty year counseling veteran I learned about a functioning guidance program, the role of the counselor, the amount of time she spends in various components of the program, how to foster a positive relationship with the teachers and faculty, ways to continue to develop professionally, and insight for a future career in school counseling. As I drove away from the school, I felt a mix of emotions such as, intimidation, excitement, and hopefulness to name a few. When I began to try to take in just how much is required and how many people rely on a school counselor it was intimidating. In my mind I began to wonder if it is possible for one person to be that much to that many people and still keep some kind of balance. As soon as the thought passed through my mind, I immediately heard the words of wisdom that had been shared with me, "don 't beat yourself up for not being able to be everything to everybody." I also reflected on how upbeat the counselor sounded when she talked about her role in helping students become "the best people

One of my goals for the future is to obtain my master degree in school counseling. I believe that school counselors can make a tremendous difference in student lives; they can empower students to reach their full potential. I am currently working as a Parent Involvement Facilitator for the Washoe County School District, and I am also doing my internship with a school counselor at an elementary school. In addition, my undergraduate degree is in Human Development and Family Studies. Also, I volunteer at my church as a youth leader. Most of the positions where I have worked or volunteered, I have been able to work with families to help them reach their goals. For example, in my position as a Parent Involvement Facilitator I help families find

Through my work as a counselor at Buena Vista High School in Lakewood I have been able to perform developed a strong interest in helping students succeed. While helping to organize a college and career day event, performing credit/grad checks with seniors, and counseling students who had educational, personal, and social challenges, I have XXXX

In all, these circumstances have led me to where I stand today. Becoming a high school guidance counselor is not only a career but one of my biggest dreams. The realities I have faced have given me the experience and knowledge of what it means to aspire for something I could not easily have. My goal as a counselor is to serve all students equally despite their circumstances. However, as any careers, there are problems I will have to

Divorce Intervention Groups I. Rapid Rate of Divorce A. Fifty percent of marriages end with divorce (American Psychology Association, 2016). Empirical studies show children from divorced families at a higher risk to struggle behaviorally, academically, and mentally (Connolly & Green 2009). B. Research shows these problems could transfer into adulthood without treatment (Connolly & Green 2009). Due to the high number of students experiencing divorce, the counselor manages the roll of facilitating interventions with long term results. II.

Community Based Learning Assignment I chose to follow the pathway of Option I; to research a topic that is related to the course information. Starting out, I set out to research the effect of divorce on children. Soon after I realized the topic was too broad and narrowed it to the effects divorce has on a child’s academic success. In the beginning, I assumed there wouldn’t be a significant difference between those with and without divorced parents in academics. I knew some kids grew up in rough situations, but thought the action, and the experience, of the parents getting divorced would be the most impactful factor in the decline of activity in school. Going through the experience of parents splitting up, I believed, was the trigger leading

Divorce is a significant and mounting problem influencing children’s social and academic development. It has been found to be one of the most traumatic events that can occur in the life of a child (Beverly, Molloy, Hart, Ginsberg & Mulvey, 2007). Support groups have been found to have a positive effect on students by helping them deal with the situation constructively and mitigating their attention back onto their academic performance and positive peer relations (Beverly et al, 2007). Corey, Corey and Corey (2014) highlight the first step in planning a group is to come up with a proposal. This purpose of this paper is to put forth that proposal for implementation of a divorce support group in a particular school setting.

The children of divorced parents often struggle in school because of a divorce. Not having a father or a mother figure at home at any given time can have traumatic effects on the young. It can be quite bothersome for students to focus solely on academics while experiencing something emotional within the family such as a divorce. In the article

[It is generally know that the divorce rate in the United States hovers around fifty percent, including forty percent under the age of 21. In that fifty percent one of every six adults is likely to go through a divorce twice. Not only does divorce affect the adults involved, but forty percent of children in the United States will experience parental divorce (Portnoy, 2008). Children with divorced parents struggle with negative consequences emotionally, mentally, and academically compared to those children from intact families.]

Familial relationships play a vital role in the lives of individuals. Humans form and foster relationships early on in development. Within the first years of life, infants rely on their primary caretakers in order to meet their physical, emotional, social, and psychological needs. As children grow older, they learn to meet their own needs by means of self-regulation. This means to self-regulate is fostered through the attachment cycle, a foundation for relationships that creates and provides a way to adjust and adapt to future experiences, building a sense of autonomy and self-efficacy within the child. Today, many children face parental divorce, and their family dynamic and attachment cycle are altered. Divorce disrupts daily lives and often traumatizes children, affecting their self-perception and concepts of regular behavior. The stress and frustration endured by parents if often carried over to the children. The stress associated with divorce impacts the lives of children and puts them at risk for emotional, physical, academic, and psychological problems.

The purpose of this paper is to further examine the effects of parental divorce on the college student well-being. The effects of parental divorce are often based on adolescent well-being, contrary this paper aims to shed light on the effects on young adults. Research for this paper was collected from a variety of sources including; web pages and psychological journals, studying well-being. The questions addressed in this paper include how does family and the importance of family effect college student well-being and how does a parental divorce effect college student well-being.

All families have been touched by divorce either within the nuclear family or extended family. Unfortunately, within the nuclear family separation and divorce have become an all too common experience for many American children. When divorce happens in a family the ones affected most are the parents and their children. Teachers are also affected by the divorce of their student’s parents as they themselves have a front-seat to the crisis in the family and how it affects their students.