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My name is Jodie Janacek, and I am in my first semester pursuing a master’s degree in Professional Counseling. I am grateful for the opportunity to be on the journey toward becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor and eventually establishing a private practice.

In this class, I am eager to learn more about trauma and its effects on mental health. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the common impacts trauma can have throughout an individual’s lifetime, as well as how to effectively recognize and treat these impacts.

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The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics is the guiding set of values, standards and expectations established for counseling professionals (American Counseling Association, n.d.). All licensed counselors train under and agree to the code of ethics.

The ACA is a membership organization that also provides advocacy, resources and education to the counseling profession. In addition to the Code of Ethics, the ACA provides Ethics Consultation Services and receives and manages complaints of alleged ethical violations committed by members of the ACA.

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This initial assignment had me reflect quite a bit on the amount of crisis, trauma, and mental illness I have witnessed or learned of over the years. These are elements of life that affect every individual and have no bounds. I'm excited to be working towards a career where I will gain the knowledge and skills needed to help individuals work through these challenges to find healing and hope. The Introduction to Trauma course is an integral and foundational piece of the M.A. in Professional Counseling program.

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Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders

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Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders

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This assignment led me to do quite a bit of research and I learned something new about each disorder. While searching for helpful resources, I found there are specialist organizations for each disorder that put in great effort and resources to support patients and fund research. For each disorder one can find research papers, information guides, infographics and videos that will help when supporting a client facing diagnosis and seeking treatment.

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Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders Janacek (1)

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This assignment was very interesting and engaging. From watching the film "32 Pills: My Sisters Suicide", I gained new insights into types of trauma and how unique coping and healing can be from person to person (Hedrick, 2017). I saw the ACE study results supported in real life, and was able to think through the types of therapy that could be beneficial to the film's main subject.

I also learned quite a bit reading my peer's comments and posts. It is a learning experience to see details and reflections from the perspective of other developing counselors. A number of excellent points were made that I would not have considered independently.

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Psychological First Aid Online Certificate

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Psychological First Aid Online Certificate

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The Psychological First First Aid course was very well done and provided excellent skills for supporting survivors after traumatic events. I gained a lot from the walkthrough of counselor/counselee scenarios and completed the course feeling more confident about my ability to assist in a disaster response type scenario. Since I live in Houston, these particular skills are likely to be needed in my role as an LPC when we experience tropical storms and/or hurricanes.

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Psychological First Aid Certificate Jodie Janacek

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This assignment provoked quite a bit of thought about the difference between counseling individuals as they experience a crisis and the need for organizations to prepare their employees for such events. Thinking as if I was participating as a team member preparing a clinic for a substance abuse related crisis or mental health threat required analyzing many different factors. Our team assessed types of substance abuse crisis, assessments, ways to intervene, agency collaboration, cultural and special population needs, how to train all players and legal and ethical considerations. The exercise helped me to learn a lot on the topic and see organizational responsibilities during crisis in a new light.

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Crisis Prevention Plan and Threat Assessment_ Positive Recovery  (1)

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This assignment was an excellent exercise in beginning to think like a counselor. I learned quite a bit from the unit resources and was able to impactfully apply the ABC Model for Crisis Intervention for the case study example. It is interesting to assess the various different factors to be analyzed and addressed when working with a counselee. I particularly enjoyed reading through and contemplating the effects of the various different counselor skills and techniques.

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American Counseling Association. (n.d.). Values & statements. American Counseling Association. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements

Hedrick, H. (Director & Producer). (2017). 32 pills: My sister’s suicide [Film]. HBO Documentary Films. https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/32-pills-my-sisters-suicide