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Hi everyone,

My name is Kara Sullivan and I am currently working as a School Counselor at a Middle School. I have been a school counselor for 10 years. I am currently pursuing my LPC with the Bridge Program here at Angelo.

I plan to use my LPC as a supplement/part time job while still working as a school counselor, and also preparing for my future and retirement.

Being a school counselor for so long I feel like I have a good grasp on the school aspect of things but I would like to help students more. I have seen a huge influx in suicidal ideation at the middle school level in the past year and I feel like, sometimes I am not equipped to help her guide in this area. I hope that I can take the things I learn from the coursework and apply them to my current and future job.

Also, moving forward I want to work with adolescents because I feel like that is what I have been called to do. I feel that kids are more likely to want to improve themselves while adults can struggle with that a little more.

I look forward to getting to know everyone as we work through this course together.

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Hello,

My name is Hannah Granados and this is my first semester as a graduate student in Professional Counseling. Currently, I work for the State of Texas as an investigator. I mostly work with the elderly and children with disabilities. I plan on continuing this type of work, but in a counseling capacity.

Professional identity is something that I have never really thought about. A goal of mine for this course is to be more aware of my professional identity in my current position as well as my future position. For me, professional identity is how you view the role you play in your job. My current professional identity includes commitment to my client’s safety, thorough investigative skills, and a sense of understanding for providers in my area. My desired professional role would look something like advocating for clients, building meaningful relationships, and working towards goals with clients.

As far as my professional counseling identity goes, it is still in development. I know where I am trying to go: Towards licensure so I can work with individuals with disabilities, but I have not had a chance to really work on those skills. I believe that I am good at empathizing with others and listening to issues my clients have and offering solutions, however, there are times when I can only sympathize with my clients. Making sure that I am able to relate to my clients in some way is very important to me and is something that I need to improve on, especially when it come to my adolescent clients.

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Hello,

My name is Melissa Limon. I am currently working towards my Masters in Mental Health and Wellness Counseling. My goal is to use my education to further my career at my current employer, the San Antonio Police Department. I would like to become a victim advocate working with survivors of serious crimes. In this course, I hope to learn in-depth information about case management and the expectations of professionals in the field of mental health.

Professional Identity to me means that you are using your skills, talents, and knowledge to find a profession that best aligns with those positive attributes. I am hoping by the end of this course, I am able to better understand where I stand in my strive to pinpoint my Professional identity and be more confident in the choice I have made to become a Victims Advocate.

In terms of my professional counseling identity, I feel that I have acknowledged what my end goal is and I feel that my empathetic and non-judgmental nature helps me feel confident in the fact that I would like to work directly with people, specifically victims of crime. The only aspect I feel unsure of in my idenitiy development is my skills in case management, which I do not currently have any hands on experience in. This is what I plan on working to improve going forward in my career and in my education. I think that continuing my education and by volunteering at local non-profit organization in my city, would help my confidence in working directly with the public and learn more about the intricacies of case management.

I look forward to working with everyone in this class and getting to know one another!

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Hello,

My name is Claire Hebner, and I am currently pursuing my Master's in Professional Counseling. I am new to the program and excited to begin this journey. Upon graduation, I aim to work as an LPC focusing on play therapy or art therapy. I enjoy shopping, art, and spending time with family and friends.

One of my primary goals for this course is to deepen my understanding of counseling theories and techniques. I grew up with my mother as a school counselor so I was able to learn many things from her. I hope to leave this course with enhanced confidence in my counseling abilities.

As a teacher transitioning into the field of counseling, my professional identity is rooted in my passion for supporting the growth and well-being of individuals. Teaching has given me a strong foundation in understanding diverse learning and developmental needs, building meaningful relationships, and fostering a supportive environment where students feel safe and encouraged. These experiences have shaped my commitment to becoming a counselor who empowers clients to navigate challenges and achieve personal growth.

In my desired role as a counselor, I envision integrating my educational background with counseling practices to holistically support individuals, whether they are students facing academic and emotional hurdles or clients seeking guidance in their personal lives. To me, professional identity means aligning my skills, values, and knowledge with a deep purpose to serve others ethically and compassionately. At this stage in my journey, I feel I am developing my professional counseling identity by building on my strengths as an educator and gaining deeper insights into counseling theories and techniques. While I am confident in my ability to connect with and advocate for clients, I am eager to further refine my skills to transition into counseling.

My strengths include a strong ability to build rapport, active listening skills, and a natural inclination for empathy—all honed through years of working closely with students and families. I am also highly adaptable and skilled in creating individualized plans to address unique needs, a skill I believe will translate well into my counseling practice. However, I recognize the need to deepen my knowledge of counseling theories, develop confidence in therapeutic interventions, and expand my experience in one-on-one client settings. I am committed to working on these areas to ensure I am well-prepared to support clients effectively in my future role as a counselor.

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Hi,

I am Mia Lubin, a Student at Angelo State University, enrolled in the M.A. in Mental Health and Wellness Counseling program with plans to go into the LPC bridge program. I plan to work as a LPC-A in an inpatient setting.

One goal I have from this course is to understand the ethics and policy when in a counseling setting more concretely.

Professional identity to me is what you choose to define yourself to communicate your role to others: whether it is in a social, professional or other settings. My desired professional role is to be an LPC-A and work with adolescence in an inpatient setting who would benefit from evidence-based treatments involving counseling.

I feel as if I am in the beginning of my professional identity development as I have not been in the field for very long and as I gain more experience I will be able to develop my professional identity.

I feel as if I have strengths in DBT work  as I have run groups involving the principles of DBT but would like future information about CBT, ACT, and other forms for interventions. In the same respect I have worked with kids and teens building rapport and running groups gaining experience in the mental health field. Now, my overall knowledge is what I would like to improve, as I have a good idea of a lot of different forms of interventions and the ethics involved, but I would like to deepen my knowledge.

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Hello,

My name is Melanie Prince.  I am excited to join the LPC Bridge Program and finish the requirements needed to continue my journey in this great field. I am in my 8th year as a school counselor, and currently serve as a High School lead counselor. My plan after graduation is to continue my school counseling career as well as begin my own private practice to further reach my local community. One goal I have from taking this course is to better my knowledge in ethical procedures and confidently know my role in this profession.

My professional identity as a counselor is based on my love and desire to serve others. I am confident in my calling, not only to help school aged students pursue their hopes and dreams, but I would also love to provide a faith based private practice to help further my reach of helping others experience the freedom to achieve their goals. This course will help me grow in my knowledge of professional ethics, as well as distinguishing my role as a school counselor and a private practice counselor.

By furthering my counseling education, I believe that I am on the right path to utilize my current school counseling experience to grow a private practice that would focus on serving school aged, adolescents, and young adults. One's professional identity is the foundation upon which one would operate using their skills, connections with others, and further adapting to the needs of each client.

My greatest strength is knowing my personal values, and how I feel I advocate for my students in my current role as a school counselor. I would like to be able to continue that advocacy work with my own practice. I would like to improve on my knowledge of how to appropriately transition that professional identity from the school counseling setting to a licensed professional counselor. As there are many similarities, I want to grow in my skills of understanding all ethical standards and role descriptions. I am excited to see how I grow in my professional identity throughout this course.

I look forward to getting to know you all throughout this course.

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Hello everybody. My name is Katherine but I go by Kat. I am starting my Masters in mental Health and Wellness Counseling. I have my Bachelors in Social Work. I currently work in the behavioral health field and I want to shift that work to the counseling side of things in behavioral health vs writing behavioral programs like i currently do.

In this course I want to get a good feel for how this program runs and the different things we will be learning to get us closer to the final goal. I work at the State Supported Living Center in Carlsbad as a home Behavioral health Specialist. We also have Behavioral Health Specialists that work in our sessions part of the department and they offer counseling services. This is where I want to be once I complete my degree. I'm unsure where I am at in regards to development only because I just began the journey of switching my major to counseling. I feel that it's helpful that I have worked around the field for over 7 years and have seen the different functions of behavioral health which may help me overall in my future of being a mental health counselor. I look forward to getting to know you all and working together in these classes.

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Hello! My name is Gabriella Tapia, I prefer to go by Gabby. I am a native Texan and I reside in San Antonio. I currently work with adult learners as a Certified Academic Advisor for the Alamo College District in San Antonio.

I am in the Mental health and Wellness counseling M.A. I have hopes to pursue the LPC Bridge here at Angelo State, I hope to eventually work with our students as a professional counselor. I would love to be able to work with students at the Alamo Colleges by partnering with our student advocacy program to provide support outside of the classroom.

One goal is to further develop my confidence in my career and enhance my professional skills to be a more proficient individual within my current and future roles.

I evaluate Professional identity as an individual professional thumbprint that we curate and develop when interacting with others and developing one's self. In many ways, I do think that by working with adult students pursuing college I have achieved much of what I consider my dream profession, however, I sought out more development opportunities and more engagement with individuals on a deeply personal level. This is much of the reason I am choosing to pursue my desire to connect and advocate for others through graduate school.

In terms of my counseling identity, I feel as though I have a lot to learn. Oftentimes times when I am discussing with my peers, about my current program, what I'm learning, and why it’s important work. The feedback I receive is always positive. However, sometimes I wonder if I'm just too welcoming to listen to others. I would say that my empathetic nature is an asset within this profession. However, I desire to feel more informed when it comes to counseling practices and their theories. I look forward to all of our continued pursuits of knowledge & compassion.

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Hello! My name is Cindy Clayburn and I am an elementary school counselor at Mabank ISD. I have been a counselor for two years, but have worked as a teacher for 20 years. I am currently pursuing my LPC with the Angelo State LPC Bridge program. This is my last course to complete prior to working on obtaining my licensing hours.

Career plans upon program completion include continuing to work as a school counselor in my present position. I will work to acquire my 3000 hours of supervised experience, and retire in three years. At that time I will work as an LPC in the public setting.

One goal for the course is to learn about working as an LPC in telehealth. This interests me because of the ease of working while also retired.

To me, professional identity describes how I view myself as a professional counselor. My desired professional role when I complete the LPC licensure process is to work with children and families work through challenging life situations.

I feel confident with my professional identity in terms of working with children. I have many years experience working in elementary education and have gained much knowledge in talking with children. In terms of working with adults, I am less confident. I would like to be able to work with families as well as individuals but have not worked with adults other than discussing parenting issues within the scope of their child's education.

Expressing empathy is a strength that I embody as a counselor. I would like to develop my questioning skills to lead clients to individual decision making.

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Hello!

It's nice to meet you all. My name is Baile Jones-Morris. I am in the middle of completing the LPC Bridge program. Before diving into counseling and mental health, I worked as an elementary teacher for 4 years and an elementary school counselor for 2 years. I am taking a break from work to be a stay-at-home mom while I complete the LPC Bridge. Once I have completed the program, I plan to earn those 3,000 hours in mental health, behavioral, or marriage and family counseling within a private practice.

My goal for this course is to figure out what kind of counselor I want to be.

Professional identity is how an individual describes their job and can concisely communicate this to others. I am unsure of my professional counselor identity at the moment, which has been weighing on me. I tend to feel overwhelmed by the amount of specialties and types of counseling. This course came at the perfect time for me!

Because of my background with children, I know my strengths are in this realm. Being a school counselor, I got to work with parents often as well. With that being said, I feel gravitated towards moving away from working with children and trying my hand at adult mental health.

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My Family on Jan. 1st this year - I'm on the right

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Hello,

My name is Sarah Lacefield. I am currently a Middle School Counselor in Rhome, Texas. I am pursuing my LPC through the Bridge Program at ASU. I hope to work in telehealth and as an in-person professional counselor in addition to school counseling, and then in my retirement era. I have two kids in college and a wonderful husband of 25 years.

A goal for me for this course would be to develop an understanding of counseling outside of education. I want to gain a clearer picture of what a day as a professional counselor looks like in comparison to a school counselor. I hope to learn strategies to assist my clients in taking back control of their mental health, as well as best practices of a professional counselor in a clinical or private practice setting.

Professional identity encompasses a holistic description of me as a person. It is important to me that I am consistently a person of integrity and compassion whether I am at home or at work. I view my professional identity as a part of me, but I do not believe my professional identity fully defines me. To me, my professional identity speaks of my experience in my job and it reflects all that I have learned in my career. My desired role is to be a professional counselor who empowers, advocates and encourages resilient practices for a full and satisfying life.

I believe I am still developing my professional counseling identity. I have identified as a school counselor for a long time and I am just now beginning to peel back the layers of difference between school and professional counseling. In developing my professional counseling identity, I do believe that my current strengths will cross over from education. My strengths include the ability to connect with people and build caring, trusting relationships, as well as identifying and building upon individual strengths. I will need additional knowledge in the business side of professional counseling. I will also need additional practice in assessment inventories, theories of counseling, and a broader knowledge of therapeutic interventions in order to serve my clients effectively.

I am blessed to be able to continue my counseling journey with all of you!

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Hello everyone!

My name is Courtney Trejo, and I am currently a high school counselor, working to support students in their academic, personal, and social development. In addition to my current role, I am completing coursework to obtain my LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) license. My goal is to use this license not only to better support my students within the school setting but also to build a small private practice on the side. I am passionate about creating safe and supportive spaces where students can process their challenges and work toward personal growth. Outside of work and school, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, and reading in my free time.

One of my goals for this course is to gain a stronger understanding of how professional identity is shaped and refined throughout one’s career. I hope to learn strategies to align my work as a school counselor with the ethical and clinical frameworks of an LPC, ensuring I can provide the best possible care to students and clients alike.

To me, professional identity means understanding and embracing the responsibilities, values, and ethics that guide us as counselors. It also involves continuous growth, reflection, and learning to ensure that we are providing meaningful and effective support. My desired professional role is to remain a dedicated advocate for my students while also serving clients in a private practice setting.

I feel that I am steadily developing my professional identity, but I know there is still more to learn and experience as I work toward my LPC license. One of my strengths is building strong, trusting relationships with my students and helping them feel seen and heard. However, I want to work on improving my skills in applying evidence-based therapeutic techniques, especially as I prepare to transition into private practice

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My name is Meghan Blankinship and I already have a MS in Clinical Psychology-Psychometrics and I am pursuing my MA in Mental Health and Wellness Counseling as a way to bridge over to obtain my LPC. My ultimate goal is to have my own practice that specializes in mental health assessments for students and adults seeking disability aid in some way.

My primary goal for this course is to finish with a better understanding of what my professional identity looks like - what is my communication style? How do I want my clients to feel?

For me, professional identity is who you present yourself as in a professional setting. Are you laid back? What kind of language do you use? What kind of environment do you promote? What skills and talents are at the forefront of your day-to-day tasks. For me, I plan to be laid back, open and inviting, creating a very clean, calm and serene environment for my clients to feel relaxed and comfortable in so they can complete their assessments without nerves or other outside distractions getting in the way.

I have honestly been in a counseling-type setting for several years as a clinician in a male prison. So I do feel like I am a little above mid-level when it comes to my personal professional identity development. However, I am always seeking to learn more and continue growing.

I definitely feel like I have strength in being able to facilitate open and honest dialogue due to my easy-going and laid-back nature, which tends to make the people I am working with fairly comfortable. I am able to quickly nip any discomfort and uneasiness in the bud and build a rapport with my clients. I would; however, like to improve my ability to be more compassionate towards others' circumstances.

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Hello everyone,

My name is Maribel Yanez, I was a third-grade reading teacher. I was actually diagnosed with cancer and I decided to resign mid-year, I didn't feel that being gone all of the time would be fair to my students and the staff. I currently work at our local news station, First Alert 7 here in Odessa, TX. I am the Multi-Media Sales Manager. Although I enjoy my job, I know I belong in the elementary school setting.

This is my second semester as a graduate student at ASU. I have already completed all of my chemotherapy treatments, and have undergone 2 surgeries. I have one more surgery left in mid-February and that should complete everything I need to do during my cancer journey. I plan to go back to teaching in the fall. Once I graduate, my goal is to become an elementary school counselor.

Professional Identity to me means that I have experience working with students, and I have been able to identify when a student is crying out for help. Counseling will allow me to prioritize students' needs and perspectives while maintaining professional boundaries. There were many times during my time teaching that I wanted to be able to have a deeper conversation with students to get a better understanding on what was happening in their home life. I wanted to know what was causing the behavior they were displaying or the reason some students would cry during the day. Being a teacher and staying constantly busy throughout the day, I was never able to have these one on ones with all of the students that I felt were crying out for help. This is why I want to become a school counselor.

I will make sure that I do everything I can while being a counselor to help every student I can. Unfortunately I have been through a lot in my life and I want to make sure that no one ever feels like they are alone in this world.

I'm excited to work will all of you. Best of luck!

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My name is Lyndsi Moore and I am currently working as a special education counselor for a large school district in the DFW area. I have served students as a counselor within the school district for the past 11 years. Prior to working as a school counselor, I was a first grade teacher. I am currently working toward LPC licensure through the bridge program at Angelo State and am excited to learn more along my educational journey. On a personal note, I am a wife and mother to two beautiful kids. They motivate me to work toward my goals and try new, hard things every day. The photo above is a family picture with my husband, Johnathon, and my children, Bryar and Crew.

After obtaining my LPC licensure, my goal is to serve others within a private practice setting through child centered play therapy and child parent relationship therapy. I have loved working as a teacher and a school counselor, but have continuously been drawn to a more therapeutic approach in serving kids. I have many students who have experienced significant loss and trauma; however, their needs are far beyond my scope of work at the moment. As I work toward transitioning to a new role within the mental health field, I know that I have a lot to learn when it comes to shaping my professional identity and representing myself as a professional. My goal for this course is to visualize and dream a bit about my future role as an LPC. I am confident in my direct work with children and can imagine what that looks like, but there are many pieces of working within a private practice that go beyond direct counseling. One of those pieces is shaping my professional identity. When working within the school district, I feel like a great deal of my professional identity has been decided for me by the school district. I have a set role that I am required to fulfill within our special education department. My role involves providing direct social skills training to students, creating behavior intervention plans, and collaborating with both parents and teachers for positive student outcomes. While the code of ethics and legal principles will be set as an LPC, I am able to shape the way that I present myself and my work a bit more than I am right now. To me, professional identity involves a marriage between what is set forth through law and how I personally want to present myself as a professional. I am in the beginning stages of what this looks like for me in a private practice setting, as I am in the second semester of my bridge program and am still very rooted within the school district. I do know that I want to present myself as someone who brings families together. I wholeheartedly believe that most parents want the very best for their children, but barriers are often in place that inhibit parents from executing the goal they want for their families. I want to be someone who is able to meet people right where they are, brings resources together, and promotes healing. I believe that I have a strength in connecting with young children, supporting their parents with specific skills, and empathizing with others. I’d like to improve on my role as an advocate for children who have experienced trauma. I am currently advocating by coaching and educating teachers, but do not yet know what that will look like in a private practice setting and how to advocate a bit more to support healing within a family unit. I am excited about beginning this course and connecting with all of you as we learn more about our professional identity and professional orientation as a whole.

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Hello everyone! My name is Logan Alves, and this is my first course/semester here at Angelo State. I just completed an MS in Psychology and initially inquired about the LPC Bridge Program here, but only needed one more course (capstone) to obtain the entire MA in Mental Health and Wellness degree, so that is what I am doing!

I currently work overnights for the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and assist staff with their interactions on the hotline as well as working the hotline myself at times. Upon graduation from this program, I plan to obtain my LPC-A hours in a remote environment which will allow me to take care of my home, and my two dogs (Aussies named Debbie and Dolly), and work for myself as a future non-profit founder of an organization that works to end violence against animals.

A goal of mine for this course is to really understand the role of professional identity and how that will affect the several roles I plan to play in the field.

My desired professional role in completing this degree will be a counselor in training. I find it somewhat difficult to describe my professional role now due to the many roles I have worked in. Currently, I work as a crisis intervention worker, but my previous roles as a Mental Health Peer Support Specialist had different roles and ethics than this role (and my future roles) require.

I feel that I have strengths in de-escalation, building rapport, and creating a safe environment to share while ensuring a client's safety. I'd like to work on improving my knowledge within the field to be able to support many types of clients, not just those who are currently experiencing a crisis.

I hope to learn more about each of you and that we have a great semester!

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Hello everyone! My name is Aspen Samuel, and I am a part of the Mental Health and Wellness master’s program at Angelo State University. I am currently in my second semester, and upon completion of the program I plan to apply to the LPC bridge program. Once I have completed this, my goal is to work as an LPC with the adult population coping with depression, anxiety, PTSD and other similarly related disorders as a therapist. I currently work as a probation officer in my community and I enjoy working with my diverse caseload.

One thing I hope to learn from this course is how to work effectively as a professional. At this time, my primary interest is to learn more about ethics and professional boundaries. Developing this knowledge will help me achieve my professional goals.

Professional identity is the conceptualization of how you work in your desired role. This encompasses not only how you work directly with clients but how you work with other professionals. This also includes the direction of your goals, such as what population you hope to have an effect on and how you work with them.
I feel as though I am currently unsure at my progress towards my professional identity within counseling. I have recognized based on my prior studies and experiences that I would be leaning towards working with clients through a person-centered model of counseling. Other than this, I feel as though I need more information on what the ethics and guidelines of counseling are in terms of professional boundaries and legal requirements. I also would like to obtain more information on how to achieve the LPC licensure and how to develop a professional practice.

I feel that my strengths lie in understanding what the typical expression of mental illness looks like, and in the ability to feel and demonstrate empathy. I would like to improve on my knowledge of how to appropriately set boundaries with clients and improve my understanding of ethics and legality within the profession.

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Hi everybody,

My name is Christiane LaBarre. I am 47 years old and have been married 27 years. Ben and I share a magnificent eight year old daughter. This is my third semester in the LPC Master's program. My career goals are to volunteer helping those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

One of my goals in this course is to learn how to be more professional.

Perhaps it is naivete, but I truly do not know! I suppose professional identity is who you are/portray at work? My desired professional role is volunteering where I can gain licensure hours and help those with P.T.S.D.

I feel I am at the very beginning of developing a professional identity. This is because my previous career was behind the scenes/not forward facing.

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My name is Sametria Wright and I am currently pursuing a Master Degree in Mental Health and Wellness Counseling. This is my first year. Upon graduation, I would like to work with disadvantaged teenage girls.

I am currently a wellness coach in the behavioral health field. I work with adults and have the understanding now that if they had tools and resources when they were younger they may have went on a different path. I'm naturally very empathetic and love what I do.

My goal for this course is to come away with a deeper understanding of how I can better support clients. I would also like to learn different techniques, different approaches, and different practices.

From my understanding, professional identity means how I see myself in my professional role and how I explain that to others. My desired role upon completion of my degree is a professional wellness counselor. My role would be to help my clients establish healthy behaviors and thought processes.

I am on Step 5 in my professional counseling identity. I have experience in this role but I need to be educated more and complete my degree before I can try to venture on my own.

I feel I have strengths in practicing empathy. It's very natural to me. I have a passion to help others and I'm always willing to learn more. I would like to improve on not taking my work home with me and learning new techniques that support my clients.

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Hello! My name is Dameon Echavarria. I was born and raised in San Angelo, Texas and currently work in insurance (exciting, I know)! My program of study is Mental Health and Wellness Counseling. I will graduate at the end of the year and am excited for a future in mental health. Lately, I've been thinking about pursuing another graduate degree (once I finish this one, of course), this time in religious studies or theology. But for now, I want to focus on this program and this course alone. I also recently got married (I'm the groom in the picture)!

I hope to get a chance to collaborate with my fellow graduate students. I have been trying very hard to improve this area of my studies (collaboration) to help me prepare for a career in mental health. I sometimes struggle with being part of a group and prefer to do things on my own, but understand why collaboration is important, especially in a professional setting.

To me, professional identity is how we portray ourselves to others base on who and what we are in a professional environment. Upon graduation, I wish for my peers to see me as someone who values what they do and is serious about making positive changes in our community. I want others to see me as a well-educated, sincere, and dedicated individual who wants to promote real change in this field. I can do this by staying involved.

I have always been driven and motivated because of my life experiences. Life has been anything but easy for me, and because of this, I always push myself to succeed. I truly believe that I can do anything that I put my mind to if I put in the work. However, this is often leads to the source of my greatest weakness, which is being too hard on myself. I want to do well, but I also need to be kind to myself when things get tough. That is my goal, both for this class and as a future mental health professional.

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My name is Brittany Polonio, and I am pursuing my master’s degree in Mental Health and Wellness Counseling. I am originally from Fort Worth, Texas.

Currently, I work as a special education teacher at a local high school in Dallas. I serve as an inclusion teacher, providing support for English 2 students. I am set to graduate from this program in the summer, and I am excited to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. In my spare time I like to read, workout and be outdoors.

After graduation, I plan to continue into the LPC bridge program. I also plan to stay teaching high school while I obtain my dietitian licensure. My goal is to combine mental health counseling with diet and nutrition to support individuals in improving their overall well-being.

From this course, I hope to learn the proper skills and build the confidence to embrace the professional role that I already have as a SPED teacher and as a future counselor.

For me, professional identity means having a clear understanding of who I am as a professional, including my values, beliefs, skills, and goals within the workplace.

Upon completing my degree, my desired professional role is to obtain licensure as both an LPC and dietitian. I want to counsel teenagers and adults on the connection between physical well-being and mental health. I would like to work under a doctor, but I am also open to remaining in the school system.

In terms of professional counselor identity development, I am currently self-reflecting and ensuring that my work aligns with my values, beliefs, and skills. I am working toward gaining the necessary skills and education to succeed as a mental health counselor.

Additionally, I believe it’s important that, as a counselor, I continue my own healing process so that I can effectively support others in my future role.

A strength I have is building empathy and connection with clients, creating a safe space where they feel comfortable sharing openly. I am also a good listener, which helps me be intentional in helping clients overcome challenges and allows me to relate to clients who feel misunderstood.

I want to build more confidence in facilitating group counseling sessions and expand my knowledge of therapeutic techniques for diverse backgrounds.

I am excited for our new semester! Talk to you all later!

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Hello my friends,

My name is Elisa Bird and I am an elementary school counselor in San Angelo ISD. I have been a counselor for two years and have been in education for 18 years. I previously taught 7th and 8th grade science for 12 years, served as an 8th grade assistant principal for 5 years and am now pursuing my LPC through the Angelo State LPC Bridge program. I will have my LPC associates in December and plan to work toward completing the hours necessary for licensure within the next few years.

My professional counselor identity begins with my strong faith and desire to become a biblical counselor. As a licensed professional counselor, my goal is to work with 12 - 15 year students who are struggling with addictions and/or trauma. My heart for counseling has always stemmed from my experiences as a middle school student. I was socially awkward and felt very isolated throughout middle school. This difficult time in my life made me stronger and inspired me to work with students who turn to destructive behaviors as coping mechanisms.

I would like to improve my ability to critique counseling research to be better informed when it comes to best counseling practices. I love to learn and am interested in understanding more about evidence-based counseling practices. I have always been able to grow meaningful relationships with my students, but I tend to struggle with the research side of counseling.

I am so thankful I will be able to learn and grow with you this semester. I look forward to getting to know you!

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Hi everyone! My name is Jane Wong and I am working towards obtaining my LPC via the Bridge Program. I am currently based in Austin, where I am working as an elementary school counselor at a private school. I would like to have more options to work outside of schools once I finish the program and licensure.

One goal that I have for this course is to learn more about personal and professional boundaries as a professional counselor. After working in schools for over 13 years, I have become accustomed to navigating the occasional challenges of working with the children of colleagues. I would like to learn what the best practices are in a professional setting outside of schools.

Professional identity is an interesting concept to consider. I would like to work in a setting in which I will be respected and supported and treated as a professional. I believe that I would work better with mentors and colleagues to help with my professional growth and development as opposed to private practice, at least initially.

In terms of my professional counseling development, my current studies at Angelo State, in addition to my practical experience as a school counselor have helped with my initial development of a professional identity.

My strengths are in my person centered and mindful approach which allow clients and others to be more at ease in my presence. I would like to continue to develop my professional identity in working with adults and when I have more time for counseling sessions. Currently, as a school counselor, I may have maximum 30 minutes with a student, but more often than not, it is 20 minutes or less.

I am excited to see the wide variety of backgrounds and experiences of the class, and I look forward to learning from you all.

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My name is Kristin Figueroa and I am finishing the LPC Bridge program.  This is my last class before I will be able to apply for my LPC license.  I am thrilled (and a little terrified) to be so close to the finish line.  I am currently a high school counselor and love my job. The more time I spend with students, the more I have realized that my favorite part of my job is helping students to navigate all the tough things that they are facing.  My heart is more invested in the social and emotional domain of the position more than the academic advising. When I am a licensed LPC-A, I plan to keep my role as a school counselor but also take on a small amount of clients outside of the school setting as well.  I am a recent empty nester so I am looking forward to additional ways to stay busy and continuing to learn.

One of the courses that I have taken as part of this program that I found the most value in was my Counseling Ethics course.  I found it valuable to learn about all of the legal aspects of the role of the LPC and to consider the areas of the job that sometimes appear gray, from an ethical and legal standpoint.  I was excited to see that we will be covering similar material as part of this class because I feel like this is one of those subjects that I can’t learn too much about.

In terms of professional identity, I would say that I understand the various roles that fall under the umbrella of my position as a high school counselor but I feel like many people pigeon hole me into just the academic guidance aspect of the job.  Now that I will be adding LPC-A to my professional identity, I think that people may see me as more qualified in dealing with the mental health issues that I see in my office daily.  When I do see clients outside of the school setting, I am hoping that my identity as a school counselor may help adolescent clients feel like I understand their world a bit more.

In my current professional counseling identity development, I feel like I am off to a solid start in that I plan to rely on my strengths in working with teenagers and will initially be focusing on working with adolescent clients in private practice. I feel that I do have strengths in relating to students  as people.  I am very empathetic and good at looking at situations from multiple perspectives. I can often help others see things from a point of view that they may have not considered. One of the things I am constantly trying to improve on is realizing that sometimes my role is just to listen.  I am innately a fixer and need to notice when people are looking for support and not solutions.  I say that I’m off to a “strong start”  because this is just my jumping off point. I look forward to continuing to grow, learn, and evolve in my new role. I am interested in the idea of working with adults and potentially in a hospital setting in the future.

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Hello,

My name is Adreena Fuller, and I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Mental Health and wellness Counseling, with plans to graduate in January 2026. I come from a religious family, for which I am truly grateful. Prayer is important to me in my daily life, helping me navigate challenges and maintain a sense of peace.

I hold an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. In my free time, I enjoy journaling. At first, I didn’t journal as consistently as I would have liked, but over time, it has become a part of my routine. Journaling has provided me with self-reflection, and I continue to grow through it. I’m also in therapy, which has been beneficial in managing stress,  worries, and personal growth.

In this course, I hope to deepen my understanding of mental health and self-care, two crucial topics that I am passionate about. I am eager to gain knowledge that will help me to better support others in their mental health journeys.

To me, professional identity is understanding who you are, the roles you play, and how those roles come together with your personal and professional life. As a future mental health counselor, I’ve always had a strong desire to help others, especially given that I too face challenges with mental health and anxiety. Being able to support others through their struggles is very meaningful to me. I believe that while no one is perfect, it’s important to have someone to talk to and someone who can help you navigate difficult moments, also providing guidance and support, even when things seem calm.

At this stage in my professional counseling, I feel that I am still in the stages of understanding my identity as a counselor.  I have a strong foundation in helping others, thanks to my background in social work and my personal experiences, I am still in the process of everything I’m learning into a sense of self as a counselor.

One reason I feel unsure about where I stand in terms of my professional identity is that I am still developing my confidence in this role. As a counselor, I know that I need to be prepared with both self-awareness and the ability to navigate situations with clients. While I feel confident in my ability to listen and offer empathy, I sometimes struggle with fully trusting my feelings and my skills, which can create uncertainty around my identity as a counselor.

Some of my strengths include being a good listener and being caring. As a counselor, these qualities are crucial because clients need to feel heard and understood. It’s important to create an environment where they feel safe to share their experiences.  I also recognize that I need to work on building my confidence. It’s important to know how to believe in your self-worth, and I’ve been actively working on this aspect of myself. Therapy has been incredibly helpful in this concern, allowing me to grow both personally and professionally.

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Hello, my name is Steven Ingram. I received my EMT certification at NWCC, a Bachelor’s in Philosophy and History at Duke University, and a Master’s in Applied Psychology at Angelo State University. I am currently enrolled in the Professional Counseling program here at Angelo State. I hope to work as a counselor while pursuing a doctorate in psychology. Initially, I would like to practice counseling in a hybrid in-person/online format and modify it as needed moving forward.

To me, professional identity’s meaning changes depending on the depth of the question. In the general sense, One’s professional identity is the marriage of the newly qualified individual’s values/practices with the terrain in which that individual seeks to practice. Perhaps one’s professional identity is unearthed through time via introspective excavation and consistent practice. In this case, the depth of identity would directly correlate with how deeply one searches for oneself.

For counseling specifically, defining professional identity gives me a feeling akin to cupping fine, dry sand in one’s hands. When I begin, I feel as though I have it, but by the time I try to grasp the idea firmly, I cannot help but feel that I do not have it altogether. This is partially due to how much I have to learn. This may also be due to how formless my counseling self seems in my mind’s eye. I see more words than images when I think about myself being a counselor. I know that I would like to work with adults and potentially adolescents. My goal for this course is to learn what I need to know to add form to my professional silhouette.

I am still working on my strengths. I believe that I am capable of listening well. I do, however, believe that I need to improve on listening presently. What I mean is I tend to jump ahead, trying to anticipate what a speaker may be saying or thinking.

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Hello, everyone. This is Alex Jones. School Counseling Bridge program. I hope to attain licensure as an LPC and eventually pursue a doctoral program.

A goal I have in this course is to learn more about counselor ethics. I know this is not an ethics course, but I believe it is important to be ethical in the professional world.

What professional identity means to me is doing things the right way every time. My desired professional role is to be a licensed professional counselor.

I feel like I am on the right track in my professional counseling identity. I have been working with adolescents in my current school counseling role and intend to stay with the same demographic. I also feel like part of being a professional is constantly seeing what you can do better at.

I feel like I am strong when dealing with suicide ideation. In my short time being a school counselor, I have been exposed to a few students who have expressed suicide ideation. It can be a daunting topic, but the only way to get comfortable dealing with a situation like that is to be exposed to it. I would like to work on talk therapy. I can be a naturally  reserved person and can run out of topics to talk about. I want to be able to help clients get to the root of their problems.