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What Presenting Career 101 Helped Inspire...

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What Presenting Career 101 Helped Inspire...

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During the Career 101 presentation, I explained an amazing activity called the "50 Million Dollar Questions". When I was given this exact activity, I learned a ton of things about my personal values, goals, desires, my personality, and more. I gave this activity for others to utilize in their professional areas, but have never started using it in my own practice. On the drive home (while critiqing my shoulda, woulda, couldas of the presentation) I started brainstorming how I could implement this activity into my current placement. In my previous placement, I was able to give psycho educational lessons multiple times a week to classes throughout the elementary building. In this placement, the teachers are a little more serious about getting their curriculum in and not being bothered with pyscho educational material. However, my Bachelor's is in English Language Arts Education. It got me thinking that I may use my undergrad training to weasel my way into these extremely closed off classrooms. I manipulated this activity into a writing lesson that both incorporates their national standards with my counseling curriculum goals for the school. I think if I can get one of the teachers who I am closest with to let me in and allow me to perform this activity with their students- and blow it out of the water- I may be invited or able to weasel into more classrooms. Having the opportunity to sneak in to the classrooms this way has multiple benefits. One, the students will learn so much about themselves and will receive the opportunity to experience this activity. Two, the teachers will see my face and directly experience what I have to offer their students. Three, the teachers may begin to trust me more and may be more willing for me to come into their classrooms in the future.  Four, if Judy ends up retiring, these teachers will not only have known me, but have seen first hand the impact I can have on their classroom and their students. Will I always teach a core while providing psycho education to their classrooms? No, but this is a sly way to get into the rooms that have seriously been sealed off to outside "distractions" because of the extreme demands of testing outcomes.

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In my very first session this week, I will immediately start utilizing the SFBT messages I learned how to use during the KCA conference. I plan to get as many of these sessions of me learning to use this technique on film so I can share with my cohorts. None of my current cohorts utilize SFBT in session, but I think they would find these messages as a profound tool that they could also utilize with their theories. I also want to be able to critique myself a hundred times using the messages, so it will close to perfection before my Oral Defense this spring.

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I have had an amazing expereince being part of two very active professional organizations in our local area. I have been offered training that well succeeds the prices I paid to be part of and attend their conferences. I have been able to meet and network with a host of professionals I may otherwise have never met. I was given the opportunity to present at my very first KCA experience and was humbled by the experience. Presenting also gave me the bug to keep achieving and pursuing the opportunity to present in the future.  I think no mater the length of our careers, we all have something to share that can help others in the profession.  I also think it is critical to the organization to volunteer to present and to do the extras that help keep the organizations running.  I look forward to being a very active member of both organizations in the future.  I also look forward to my first day back at site when I can start implementing some of the amazing things I learned.  I have taken away so much from both the presenters and the mentors who have come forward and started sewing into me.  I am bursting with ideas and can not wait to start working them into reality.  I recommend both these organizations without any hesitation!  I have been taught every semester the importance of being part of at least one professional organization and now can also attest to the importance.  This experience is unlike anything I have ever experienced and I am so excited to continue to attend and be part of both these organizations.

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Representing MSU during a keynote session

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Sitting with cohorts waiting for the opening session to start

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Having fun and celebrating an organization's success is also an important aspect of attending a conference. This picture was taken during the 60th Anniversary Dance that featured an 80's cover band. We had so much fun talking, dancing, and spending time with other students and professionals that make up the KCA organization.

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This is a picture of some of the people who received awards at our table during the closing awards for KCA 2017. These three members also represent the WKCA organization.

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This is a picture of KCA Past President's who were present at the closing brunch.  We sat with Judy Bradley, Dan Bondurant, and Barry Adams.

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A view of the Fall 2017 meeting held at Murray State University.

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This session was presented by our very own MSU professor's, Dr. Brogan and Dr. Patel. During this presentation we learned how to be more culturally aware of our clients and watched a live role play depicting multicultural sensitivity.

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WKCA School Counselor Session, Trauma Informed Counseling

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WKCA School Counselor Session, Trauma Informed Counseling

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This session was incredibly powerful in transporting the audience into the midst of a real life trauma through the use of a 9-1-1 recording. The gist of the message, after being exposed to such a horrific night in the life of young kids was, "what if these students walked into your school tomorrow? What would you do? How would you support them?" This was a profound session that made the audience really conceptualize what life is like for some of our students and how to prepare to receive them immediately following trauma. We also discussed as a group some of the local organizations and agencies we have to help support our students and their families.

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Lynnie Vessels, a national speaker and author of the book "To Soften the Blow" (an autobiographical story that transcends the reader into the mind of a traumatized child) presented. She not only described her traumatic story, but explained how one person was able to make a life changing impact on her. She used her story to depict what it is like to live through trauma and how we can do the simplest things to make an impact on similar children during our careers. Her story will stay with me forever and I will use her advice immediately with students displaying some of the same symptoms of trauma, that I am currently working with.

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During the KCA closing brunch, I had the opportunity to sit with my internship supervisor, Judy Bradley and some of the amazing members she had introduced to me over the course of the conference. We also had a handful of MSU students and faculty sit with us. It was an honor to sit at this table during the awards ceremony because half of our table stood to be honored as past KCA Presidents and over half of our table was called up to the stage to receive additional awards and recognition. I was very proud of these professionals and honored that I was able to meet and sit with them. Not only was I able to meet them, but each of them had taken special interest in me and and instantly started mentoring me.  In fact a few of them had taken my contact information and promised me they would not rest until they found me a school counseling position.  They wanted to be my references, wanted to keep in touch, and included me as one of their own.  I was incredibly humbled by their confidence in me and love having this network of counselors at such a foundational level of my career.

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During the KCA conference a special lunch was offered for school counselors to attend. I chose to attend and sat with a group of McCracken County school counselors. The keynote speaker during the lunch was the Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner, Stephen Pruitt. Pruitt spoke about the role of school counselors and how vital this role is to the overall health and wellbeing of the school. He expressed his dedication to the profession and how he has been advocating for school counselors and their programs since taking over as the commissioner of Kentucky's Department of Education. He also briefly
touched on upcoming legislation and mandates that will be effecting school counselors and our schools in the near future.  He was an impressive speaker and seemed to have school counselors best interests in mind. The McCracken counselors were so impressed that they expressed interest in shaking his hand and trying to get a picture with him for their office. I walked up and asked if he would be willing to take a picture with them and he agreed. They asked me to jump in too, but I declined not wanting to impose. I now wish I would have had the guts because I have no proof of shaking his hand and talking with this man who will have such an influence on our futures. I do have the picture I took as a moment of this awesome occasion.

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Giselle Danger-Mercaderes, CSW, JCPS Homeless Coordinator explains the Federal Laws in place to protect and support students in homeless situations. She explained the definition of homeless according to Federal Law and shared up to date statistics of this population and their performance in school. She shared the struggles of these students and what counselors can do to make sure these students are caught (

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Writing Messages in Solution- Focused Brief Counseling (SFBT)

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Writing Messages in Solution- Focused Brief Counseling (SFBT)

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Dr. Gerald Sklare, LPCC, Retired U of L Professor, Author, Consultant/ trainer, and former KCA President presented on how to incorporate written messages in SFBT counseling sessions. He outlined how SFBT works, how the messages are formulated, and the impact these messages can have on the client. He also shared examples of messages clients wrote him in return and how powerful the written outline/ summary of session can be on keeping clients moving towards their future goals and keeping their momentum rolling.

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Keynote speaker Dr. Sam Gladding, professor at Wake Forest University, author, former ACA President, former President of American Association of State Counseling Boards, and President of Chi Sigma Iota, spoke (using song and book references) on the importance of our profession, on working as a team, mentoring others, and being able to make an impact (whether through direct counseling, writing books, research, leading organizations, or speaking to teach others).

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Dr. Melinda Mays, LPCC and Associate Professor at Lindsey Wilson College explained an in-depth lesson on the brain development of teens and how their development impacts their behavior.

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10 Strategies to Inspire & Engage EVERY Student (Pt. 2)

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10 Strategies to Inspire & Engage EVERY Student (Pt. 2)

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Christian Moore, expands on previous sessions to specifically address how to engage every student in a step by step formula based on visual metaphors, music, videos, and activities. By incorporating all the learning styles that differentiates our clients, everyone is sure to understand the tools he uses for students of adversity learning to overcome.

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Flipping the Switch- The 4 Sources of Resilience 

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Flipping the Switch- The 4 Sources of Resilience 

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Christian Moore, MSW, LCSW, author of The Resilience Breakthrough, and founder of the WhyTry Program presented on his personal experience with adversity and becoming resilient. He gave us the sources of becoming resilient and practical applications we can utilize to make an impact on our clients who are struggling with trauma or adversity.

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Dr. Rebecca Pender Baum, myself (Katie Patterson), and my graduate cohort Courtney Bell after presenting at KCA 2017.

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I was able to present with Dr. Rebecca Pender Baum, Murray State University counseling faculty member and a graduate student from Murray State University, Courtney Bell. We presented on career counseling and gave our audience specific tools they could take back and utilize in their own counseling setting.

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This fall I signed up to help host the WKCA hospitality room during KCA. I enjoyed the responsibility of organizing and serving in this aspect because it gave me a reason and the means to network with other professionals, in the field of counseling, in a more relaxed atmosphere. During this event, I was able to meet Dr. Bill Braden (a past KCA President, has very well respected name in the organization, and the field of counseling), Dr. Gerald Sklare (who is trained by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, the creators of Solution Focused Brief Therapy), Karen Cook (past KCA President and long time member), Barry Adams (past KCA President and long time member), Dan Bondurant (past KCA President and long time member), Tammy Hurst (past KCA President), counseling faculty from other Kentucky Universities, and also other students from counseling programs from around the state. I also was able to socialize
with our Murray State University faculty, past students, and current student in a social- stress free environment. I found this opportunity a huge opportunity for networking and would suggest others to attend in the future.

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A professional organization of counselors representing Kentucky area

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A professional organization of counselors from Western Kentucky