Capstone to Mental Health and Wellness by Breaunna Abegunde

Crisis, Trauma, and Mental Health Counseling

bcarnegary — 2023-11-20 16:41:49 UTC

This assignment aims to help identify counseling skills that help with the effectiveness and serve as a roadmap in the counseling process. It also broadens the understanding of the ABC model and how it can help clients identify and challenge irrational thoughts and behaviors. This assignment helps future counselors understand that effective counseling requires a combination of skills, knowledge, and experience. To complete the assignment, I first read the case study and focused on highlighting the client's physical, emotional, social, and cognitive needs. Once I identified the client's needs, I created ways the counselor would address them by implementing various counseling skills and providing resources to help them reach their full potential. In conclusion, this assignment enlightened me on ways counselors can respond to crises and trauma and help clients work through their challenges by understanding the ABC model and applying counseling skills.

Social and Cultural Influences

bcarnegary — 2023-11-20 16:42:24 UTC

This assignment aimed to identify a social predicament and explain the rationale for change by examining the social and cultural implications. To complete this assignment, I identified a social issue relevant to the school counseling field, researched the issue, and discussed the social and cultural impacts. To explain the rationale for change, I conducted intensive research to educate others regarding the topic and created a conference proposal. The proposal included a background overview, a literature review, and potential organizations interested in the information. This assignment provided an opportunity to explore the social and cultural context of a problem that affects many individuals and create a plan to effect change. This assignment taught me the importance of understanding and identifying cultural and social implications in counseling and conducting thorough research to educate others on the problem.

Theories of Counseling

bcarnegary — 2023-11-20 16:43:34 UTC

The objective of this assignment was to analyze and reflect on various counseling theories and identify ways they can be utilized in counseling. To complete this assignment, I reviewed the reading on the different theories, chose a theory I could relate to, and applied it to my issue with anxiety. This assignment enlightened me on the various aspects of each theory and the techniques and interventions counselors can utilize to counsel their clients. As a counselor, understanding counseling theories is essential, and they provide a framework for understanding human behavior, emotions, and thoughts. Applying the theory to my experience was great practice and helped me understand how to utilize counseling theories in my future role.

Group Counseling

bcarnegary — 2023-11-20 16:45:38 UTC

This assignment aimed to identify an issue and create a counseling group with age-appropriate activities to help improve student outcomes. To complete the assignment, I identified an issue at the elementary level and created an anger management group to assist students in controlling their anger. Then, I developed learning objectives and corresponding lesson plans to fulfill those objectives and identified the risk that might occur in the group. Understanding group counseling dynamics is essential and requires intensive planning to work smoothly. This assignment taught me the importance of recognizing issues, implementing group counseling to help individuals with common problems, and monitoring and collaborating with others to help clients/students reach their goals. Group counseling is a powerful tool for establishing purpose and providing strategies to help individuals work through their problems and emotions.

Professional Orientation

bcarnegary — 2023-11-20 16:49:00 UTC

The objective of this assignment was to help identify professional and personal boundaries, increase self-awareness, and identify the ACA code of ethics relating to professional boundaries. This assignment taught me the importance of maintaining boundaries to maintain ethical and healthy relationships between the client and the counselor. It also increases my self-awareness regarding what is important to me, what consumes my time, and ways to practice self-care to decrease burnout. My approach to completing the assignment was identifying stressors, personal needs, and feelings related to meeting others' expectations and aligning these factors to professional and personal boundaries. Then, I developed a case study that contained an ethical dilemma regarding boundaries and created an action plan on appropriate ways to handle the situation as a counselor. This assignment informed me of the importance of understanding professional and personal boundaries to ensure I practice within the American Counseling Association's (ACA) ethical guidelines, be self-aware, and prioritize my needs, which will benefit myself and my future clients.

School and Community Counseling

bcarnegary — 2023-11-20 16:51:20 UTC

This assignment aimed to recognize community needs, substantiate the need for change, and present it to diverse stakeholders to establish a community project. To complete the assignment, I conducted extensive research on the needs within the community and the resources available to meet them. Then, I created an action plan to address these needs by establishing a mental health day. In doing so, I also weighed the financial obligations and challenges against the benefits of implementing the community service project. This assignment educated me on the needs within the community, the importance of knowing those needs as a counselor, and the importance of community engagement to promote the community's well-being. As a counselor, it is essential to recognize and see the community's needs and collaborate with others to initiate change.

Human Growth and Development

bcarnegary — 2023-11-20 16:54:56 UTC

This assignment aimed to create an event tailored to a cohort of students struggling in a particular domain based on Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. To complete the assignment, I reviewed Erikson's theory of social development and created a group for students struggling with the initiative vs guilt stage. This event was designed to help educate students, parents, and staff on the importance of taking initiative in various settings and situations. The assignment emphasized the importance of understanding human development when counseling clients/students. As a counselor, it is imperative to utilize the theories of human development as a tool when working with clients and to assist in providing tailored interventions to meet clients' needs. This assignment taught me how to create individualized treatment options to meet the unique needs of individuals struggling with a particular developmental area.

Individual Counseling

bcarnegary — 2023-12-01 13:58:57 UTC

This assignment aimed to analyze and reflect on a video of an individual counseling session. This analysis taught me the importance of counseling skills to build rapport and increase effectiveness. To complete the assignment, I watched a video of a counseling session and identified different skills and techniques the counselor utilized. Then, I reflected on my experience with the assignment and what I gained from completion. I learned that as a counselor, I must be aware of the client's and my body language and emotions during the session. The video analysis assignment emphasized the importance of using counseling skills as an effective way to foster a healthy and open environment. In my future role, learning from other professionals and practicing using those skills to improve is vital and will help me be effective as a counselor.

Research

bcarnegary — 2023-12-01 13:59:27 UTC

This assignment's objective was to research a topic relevant to the field of study. To complete the assignment, I examined common educational concerns and refined my focus to explore the effects of socioeconomic status on academic performance. Then, I researched the topic, synthesized my new learnings, and composed a comprehensive paper based on my findings. This assignment enlightened me on the ways Research is an essential aspect of the field of counseling. In my future role, staying current with the latest developments in the field is imperative to develop effective strategies and meet my client's needs. Research can be utilized for many reasons, and gaining knowledge related to the field will promote professional and personal growth. Ultimately, this assignment prepared me for commitment to research topics to help provide the best care to my future clients and keep up with the ever-evolving counseling profession.

Reflective Conclusion

bcarnegary — 2023-12-03 22:54:09 UTC

Capstone Mental Health and Wellness

bcarnegary — 2023-12-06 15:19:06 UTC

The objective of this assignment was to equip students by creating a cover letter and resume for potential job opportunities in the counseling field. The purpose of the assignment was to showcase skills and qualifications for jobs. This assignment prepared me to explore possible job opportunities and reflect on the skills I have acquired in my previous roles and graduate school and my accomplishments. With the growing demand for counseling professionals, standing out from other candidates is essential. Completing this assignment helped equip me to enter counseling and provided valuable writing experience for writing future cover letters.

bcarnegary — 2023-12-08 14:02:17 UTC

My name is Breaunna Abegunde, and I am from Odessa, Texas. Upon graduation, I will complete the LPC bridge at Angelo State University. I am working toward becoming a licensed counselor specializing in substance abuse counseling. I will be graduating in December and look forward to my upcoming journey.