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My name is Alex Porras.

I am in the Professional Counseling LPC program.

One personal goal that I have is to give myself more grace. I always want everything to be perfect and I have to give myself grace in knowing that my best is okay and not to stress myself out over the littlest thing.

One professional goal that I have is to keep working on my empathy and always being open to finding techniques and resources that can help clients once I am in my role. Not everything will work for everyone so being able to tailor treatment plans to everyone with the right resources is something that is important for me to continually work at as a professional.

What I would like to get out of this course is a better understanding of trauma and knowing how to be an effective helping professional with people who have had traumatic experiences.

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The ACA code of Ethics sets guidelines to make sure that counselors keep a high standard of professional/ethical conduct in their role. For its connection to my professional role, It goes over different parts the counseling practice, like the relationships towards the clients and towards colleagues, confidentiality and informed consent, professional responsibility, and Multicultural Issues/Diversity. This is just some of what is in the ACA code of Ethics and as a helping professional, it is important to maintain these guidelines to make sure the clients well-being is not compromised.

ACA 2014 Code of Ethics

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Unit 1, Assignment 1, Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge - Reflection

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Unit 1, Assignment 1, Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge - Reflection

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This first section was introductions, and I got to learn a little bit about my fellow classmates! Aside from that, in this first assignment, I learned an interesting fact from NAMI about how people in rural areas have limited access to treat their mental health (Winton, 2022). Being in a bigger city, it never crossed my mind that people in rural areas struggle more to manage their mental health than people in urban areas. For my potential role, this can help me be more mindful if someone is from a rural area to help them overcome any stigma that they may face in starting treatment for their mental health.

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Unit 1, Assignment 1, Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge - Artifact

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Unit 1, Assignment 1, Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge - Artifact

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Unit 1 Section 1 Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge - Artifact

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Additional resource - Unit 1, Assignment 1, Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge

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Additional resource - Unit 1, Assignment 1, Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge

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I found this additional resource through NAMI. Rural minds is a nonprofit that is dedicated to addressing the challenges that people with mental health issues face in rural parts of the United States. I wanted to include this resource because prior to finding this information, I never thought about rural communities and the difficulties they face with mental health. They have a free program called Rural Mental Health Resilience which has free mental health resources such as fact sheets, organizations, and guides for planning a community meeting (Rural Minds, n.d.). I feel this program is important because it keeps people informed and helps fight the stigma that rural communities have about mental health.

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Rural Mental Health Resilience Program — Rural Minds

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Unit 1, Assignment 4, Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders - Reflection

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Unit 1, Assignment 4, Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders - Reflection

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For this unit, my takeaway from this section is that no mental health disorder is singular, they all have their main category and then branch off from there. These mental health disorders can end up intertwined with one another and learning how they can affect each other is important to understand as a helping professional. It is applicable to my role to be able to understand the different subcategories of each specific type of mental health disorder to be able to give effective treatment to individuals seeking help. For example, I can help someone who is coming in with severe anxiety but if the anxiety falls under Phobic Disorder rather than GAD, I will want to make sure to come up with a treatment plan that would help appropriately.

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Unit 1, Assignment 4, Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders - Artifact

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Unit 1, Assignment 4, Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders - Artifact

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image from The Difference Between OCD and Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling), (n.d.)

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Additional resource - Unit 1, Assignment 4

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Additional resource - Unit 1, Assignment 4

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I wanted to include this resource because when I was doing research for the anxiety portion under OCD, I thought about trichotillomania (TMM). I did not know much about TMM but this article did a great job of explaining it. I thought that OCD and TMM where both obsession based, but TMM is a compulsion for hair pulling and there is a positive feeling from it. Compared to OCD where there are no positive feelings from the compulsions.

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Unit 2, Assignment 2, Developmental Discussion on Trauma - Reflection 

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Unit 2, Assignment 2, Developmental Discussion on Trauma - Reflection 

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This section was an intense one. There were four different discussion board posts that we needed to do. From the overall section, the takeaway that I had was about ACE studies. Prior to this I did not have a lot of experience or even knowledge about it. I do think that the studies are do show a correlation between adverse childhood experiences and the well-being as an adulthood. I also did not have a lot of knowledge of the different types of traumas. I learned that burnout is considered trauma and prior to this, I would not have classified it as trauma. This is applicable to my role because in order to give effective care to clients who have experienced trauma, knowing how it is affecting them and having the resources to support and guide them is crucial for their healing process.

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Unit 2, Assignment 2, Developmental Discussion on Trauma - Artifact

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Unit 2, Assignment 2, Developmental Discussion on Trauma - Artifact

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Unit 2, Assignment 2, Developmental Discussion on Trauma - Artifact Alex Porras

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Additional Resource - Unit 2, Assignment 2

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Additional Resource - Unit 2, Assignment 2

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I included this resource because I have heard a lot about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment modality. It gives a quick and simple explanation of it and I found it interesting to read about the eight-phase approach that it uses. Hopefully in my future role, I can work on learning this modality and use it in practice. I like that EMDR helps reduce the intensity of the traumatic memories in a safe environment because it helps the individual in the healing process (American Psychological Association, 2023).

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What is EMDR therapy and why is it used to treat PTSD?

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Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing is a structured form of psychotherapy used to help patients with PTSD resolve upsetting memories.

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Unit 3, Assignment 1, Psychological First Aid - Reflection

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Unit 3, Assignment 1, Psychological First Aid - Reflection

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In this section, we completed the Psychological First Aid (PFA) training. Something that I learned from this training is that PFA is there to help immediately after a disaster to provide support and not develop any long-term solutions but rather guide them to the right resources if that is what they need. Something that I am taking away from this assignment is even though an individual experienced disaster, I should not assume that everyone needs help. I can observe from a distance and let individuals know I am there if they need help and not force them to do anything they are not ready for.

https://www.nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-pfa-online

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Unit 3, Assignment 1, Psychological First Aid - Artifact

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Unit 3, Assignment 1, Psychological First Aid - Artifact

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Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents - download - PFA

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Additional Resource - Unit 3, Assignment 1

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Additional Resource - Unit 3, Assignment 1

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This is a resource that I downloaded from the PFA course. The reason I wanted to include this is because I feel like I need to work on interacting with children and adolescents. I liked how much of a variety there was of activities to do with them because it can help me be more open to engaging with them.

Brymer, M., Griffin, D., & Gurwitch. (2020). Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 Outbreak. Los Angeles, CA, and Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.

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Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents - PFA

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Unit 3, Assignment 2, Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment - Reflection

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Unit 3, Assignment 2, Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment - Reflection

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For this section, we did a group project. I had never done a group project virtually before, so that was a learning opportunity for me. My group had the topic of substance abuse and what I learned through this project is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Sec. 12114 et seq., mentions that qualified individuals under ADA can include addicts who have successfully been rehabilitated and are no longer using, those who are currently in a rehab and are no longer using, and those who are wrongfully mistaken of using drugs/alcohol but do not. This was something that was new to me, I did not know that this was a covered entity by ADA.

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Unit 3, Assignment 2, Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment - Artifact

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Unit 3, Assignment 2, Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment - Artifact

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Link to Safety First (picture from Padlet)

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Additional Resource - Unit 3, Assignment 2, Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment

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Additional Resource - Unit 3, Assignment 2, Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment

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The additional resource that I wanted to add for this section is this Safety First training. It is a harm-reduction training for high school students and is aimed for students who are using, at risk, or exposed to drugs in their communities. It includes lessons on alcohol, opioids/fentanyl, and psychedelics, etc. (Stanford Medicine, n.d.). I like this resource because adolescents should be educated in the risks and know that they can make healthy choices for themselves and hear about other ways they can cope instead of having to turn to drugs.

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Why A Comprehensive, Harm-Reduction Based, Drug Intervention Curriculum?

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Unit 3, Assignment 3, ABC Crisis Model - Reflection

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Unit 3, Assignment 3, ABC Crisis Model - Reflection

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In this section, we had the ABC Model Template. We had to look at a case study and Achieve a relationship, Break down the problem, and make a Commitment to action. My key takeaway from this assignment is that I can do my best to look at an issue from the point of the client, that way I can better understand situation rather than react to it from just my point of view. This really helped me do part B because I was imagining what I would need if I was her and what issues are causing these needs. It opened my eyes on the helper and client relationship and I hope going forward, I can get stronger in utilizing counseling skills.

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Unit 3, Assignment 3, ABC Crisis Model - Artifact

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Unit 3, Assignment 3, ABC Crisis Model - Artifact

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Additional Resource - Unit 3, Assignment 3

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Additional Resource - Unit 3, Assignment 3

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For this section, I wanted to include this as an additional resource because in the commitment to action portion, I was feeling like mindfulness would be such a good coping strategy for someone to learn.  This resource goes over the advantages that it plays in therapy and how it can improve the client in different areas such being less reactive and developing emotion regulation. There is also a table in the resource that goes over different ways that mindfulness can be added into therapy (Davis & Hayes, 2011).

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Referral processes within my scope of practice

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Referral processes within my scope of practice

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For my referral process, I would create a safety plan just in case they do end up in a crisis that way they would be aware of the next steps. I would do an assessment and depending on the results of that assignment, I would refer them to a higher level of care such as an inpatient facility, but if they were in extreme crisis, I would call 911. It is also important to have someone who cares for them like a friend or family member who would be willing to take them inpatient if they need it. Finally, I will make sure to document any recommendations that I made for said client (Gillihan, 2018).

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Local emergency and non-emergency support services - El Paso, TX

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Local emergency and non-emergency support services - El Paso, TX

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My local emergency resources -

• The local mental health authority - Emergence Health Network Phone: (915) 887-3410 Crisis Hotline: 915-779-1800 website emergencehealthnetwork.org

• El Paso Behavioral Health System Phone: (915) 541-6680 Website: elpasobh.com

• El Paso Psychiatric Center Phone: (915) 532-2202 Website: hhs.texas.gov

• PEAK Behavioral Health Phone: (888) 258-1356 Website: peakbehavioral.com

• Center Against Sexual and Family Violence: 24/7 Crisis Hope-line 915-593-7300 or 800-727-0511 website https://casfv.org/

(El Paso Community College, n.d.)

Non-emergency support -

La Mente Behavioral Health 915-201-0199

Brighter Days Behavioral Health 915-233-6200

Bee Mindful Behavioral Health Clinic 915-259-8155

New Leaf Wellness Center 915-313-4114

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The importance of cultural competence when delivering responsive services

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The importance of cultural competence when delivering responsive services

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Regarding my future role, cultural competence is important because it helps me understand and support my client’s needs and how to communicate properly so there are no miscommunications. Having the knowledge and awareness of different cultures can help me not only provide quality services to my client but it also helps me become aware of my own biases that way I can be more respectful towards other cultures (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2016). It is important to me that my client feels supported and having cultural competence is one step towards that.

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American Psychological Association. (2023, December 21). What is EMDR therapy and why is it used to treat PTSD? https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/emdr-therapy-ptsd

Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12114 et seq. (1990). https://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm

Brymer, M., Griffin, D., & Gurwitch. (2020). Simple Activities for Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 Outbreak. Los Angeles, CA, and Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.

Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy, 48(2), 198–208. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022062

El Paso Community College. (n.d.). Mental Health Resources. https://www.epcc.edu/Services/EPCC-Cares/mental-health-resources

Gillihan, S. J., PhD. (2018, September 16). Mental health clinicians are trained to navigate discussions about self-harm. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/think-act-be/201809/what-happens-when-you-mention-suicide-in-therapy

Rural Minds. (n.d.). Rural Mental Health Resilience Program. https://www.ruralminds.org/resilience

Stanford Medicine. (n.d.). Safety First. Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab. https://med.stanford.edu/halpern-felsher-reach-lab/preventions-interventions/Safety-First.html#introduction

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2016). Based on TIP 59 Improving Cultural Competence (HHS Publication No. (SMA) 16-4931). https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma16-4931.pdf

The Difference Between OCD and Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling). (n.d.). KimberleyQuinlan-LMFT.com. https://kimberleyquinlan-lmft.com/ocd-and-hair-pulling/#The_similarities_between_OCD_and_hair-pulling

Winton, J. (2022, November 17). Confronting mental health challenges in rural America. https://www.nami.org/advocate/confronting-mental-health-challenges-in-rural-america/

(Images are from Padlet's search options unless it is link to outside source)