Personally, I want to continue growing, evolving and enjoying a full life of love, grace, freedom and passion Christ has blessed me with. I hope to leave a legacy of faith, family, hope and love. Professionally, I want to meet people where they are and merge my years of teaching through relationship building with professional counseling training. In doing so, I will be able to walk alongside individuals in their healing journeys and equip them with some of the same growth strategies that healed and empowered me. My career goals include serving as a Career and Mental Health Counselor at a university, a Grief and Bereavement Counselor in a hospital or a Marriage and Family Counselor in a church or justice system.

Since this is my first semester in the Master of Arts in Professional Counseling program, I had many courses to choose from. When I saw that Intro to Trauma Concerns was offered, I was especially excited. Having overcome some childhood trauma myself, I feel that once those experiences were healed, I was released from many of the things that once held me back. This class is going to help me be better equipped to identify mental health concerns, understand the impacts of trauma and respond effectively in ways that support growth and recovery.

I am excited to grow throughout this class and program with the support of my husband, motivation from our kiddos, prayers from my friends and family and grace from God. Although my days are full, I am grateful for each season of life we share together. This is a new season for sure with our son away at college, our daughter in her junior year of high school and me beginning the graduate program. Even with all these changes, one thing that remains constant is our family’s love for sports. We are cheering on our son in football in the fall and our daughter in soccer during the winter and track in the spring and summer. My love for sports have also taught me valuable life lessons: challenges, growth, teamwork, setbacks, healing and the excitement of pushing forward. I am deeply grateful for this path and the passion God has given me to serve others and I look forward to continuing to grow.

This assignment gave me a real sense of belonging. It showed me that each of my classmates has a personal passion for helping, and I could see how we are all connected through our experiences and motivations. I realized that much of our desire to support others comes from personal exposure to mental health challenges or their impacts.

The resources also broadened my perspective on the scope of mental health. For example, I hadn’t always considered conditions such as dementia or developmental disorders as part of the mental health spectrum, even though I’ve encountered them in both personal and professional contexts. The Deconstructing Stigma quiz was particularly eye opening. It highlighted how widespread these struggles are. Learning that 21.4% of Black American adults live with a mental health condition was powerful, deepening my awareness and sense of responsibility. It reminded me of the silent weight so many people carry, often unseen and unspoken, and reinforced the vital role practitioners play in reducing stigma and providing culturally responsive care.

A.4.b. Personal Values

Counselors are aware of—and avoid imposing—their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees, and research participants and seek training in areas in which they are at risk of imposing their values onto clients, especially when the counselor’s values are inconsistent with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature. (American Counseling Association, 2014)

Personal Connection:
This code reminds me to support clients without judgment and meet them where they are even when their values differ from mine.

C.2.a. Boundaries of Competence

Counselors practice only within the  boundaries of their competence, based on their education, training, supervised experience, state and national professional credentials, and appropriate professional experience. Whereas multicultural counseling competency is required across all counseling specialties, counselors gain knowledge, personal awareness, sensitivity, dispositions, and skills pertinent to being a culturally competent counselor in working with a diverse client population. (American Counseling Association, 2014)

Personal Connection:
As a teacher, I’ve learned that it’s okay to not have all the answers. This code reminds me to stay humble, keep learning and refer clients when needed because their care should always come first.

Reference: American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics.

This assignment really showed me how valuable it is to have resources I can depend on as I step into my role as a counselor. As I put the document together, I wasn’t just collecting information about mental health disorders, I was really building something I know will be useful to me for years to come. I especially enjoyed finding graphics that made the information even easier to reference. My years of teaching taught me that sometimes you only have a few seconds to capture someone’s attention and those visuals reminded me how powerful quick, clear tools can be.

Working on this also gave me the chance to slow down and really try to make sure I understood each disorder, while thinking about how this knowledge will connect to the people I will eventually serve. It made me more aware of the language I use too, since words can either help break down stigma or accidentally add to it. I realized there was so much I didn’t know and this project reminded me when I am in this field I need to meet people with compassion, respect and accurate information that supports their healing.

This feels like the start of a reference guide I’ll continue building as I grow and honestly, I really enjoyed doing this assignment.

Taking the Psychological First Aid (PFA) Online course helped me understand how important it is to support people after a disaster in a caring and practical way. I learned the main steps of PFA and how they can be used with different survivors depending on their needs. I also realized when the time comes just like I implemented as an educator, how important it is for providers to take care of themselves before, during and after a crisis. This reminded me that I can only help others well if I am also paying attention to my own well being and health.

Overall, the course gave me more confidence about how to respond in a calm and supportive way.

Watching Katrina Babies was a powerful and eye-opening experience that made the long-term effects of trauma very real for me.. I was struck by how even adults in their lives, like teachers and caregivers, experienced vicarious trauma, showing that trauma ripples through entire communities. Reflecting on the assignment, I realized how critical early intervention, consistent support and trauma-informed care are in helping children heal. It also made me think deeply about the role of systems such as schools, social services and mental health supports, in either helping or failing these children and how important it is as a future counselor to advocate for both individual and systemic solutions.

Responding to other trauma documentaries of my classmates has been eye-opening because it exposed me to a variety of experiences and the many ways trauma can impact individuals and communities. As I explored their proposed intervention ideas and counseling plans, I felt like I was collaborating with a team of professionals! Seeing how others approached assessment, therapy options and support services helped me think more creatively and holistically about what might work best in real-life situations. It also reinforced the importance of considering the broader system like family, school and community, when designing interventions, rather than focusing solely on the individual. This process has strengthened my understanding of trauma-informed care and the value of teamwork in supporting clients’ healing journeys.

Honestly, I thought I wanted to be a trauma counselor, but this was heavy and then all the turmoil and pain in the world… Whichever counseling field I choose, I will certainly keep in mind the Psychological First Aid (PFA) Online course and remember how important it is for providers to take care of themselves before, during and after a crisis!

For me, this assignment highlighted just how complex and layered a crisis prevention plan must be when addressing teen dating violence.

I realized that both mental health assessments and threat assessments are equally critical because they work hand-in-hand: one ensures that underlying emotional and psychological needs are met, while the other ensures physical safety and proactive prevention of harm. Learning about tools such as CADRI and SHARP gave me insight into how structured and intentional assessments must be, rather than relying only on observations or assumptions. It made me reflect on the importance of addressing at-risk behaviors early on—like emotional abuse, isolation, or substance use—before they escalate into more severe violence. This process reminded me that prevention is not just about stopping harm but also about equipping individuals and communities with resources, support and education for long-term safety and well-being.

Working in a group on this assignment was a journey filled with valuable learning experiences and opportunities for growth. The collaboration gave me a glimpse of what it might be like to work alongside community members, local agencies, school officials and families… People who share a common goal while bringing different strengths, perspectives and motivations to the table. While coordinating schedules and merging different writing styles posed challenges, those moments became valuable learning experiences. Ultimately, this journey highlighted how teamwork can transform obstacles into opportunities.

I really enjoyed this assignment because it got me excited about learning different ways to connect with a client who is struggling. It helped me see how important it is to slow down, listen and create space for someone to feel heard. Working through the ABC Model gave me a sense of direction while still keeping the focus on empathy and that made me feel more confident about being able to show up for someone in need.

To be completely honest, there were times throughout this course when I felt really anxious about trauma-informed counseling. The weight of it all can feel like a lot to carry. But this case ended up being both a reminder and a blessing for me. It reminded me that even though the work is heavy, there are simple, practical steps I can take to walk with someone through their pain. That perspective encouraged me as I keep growing and learning in this field without being overwhelmed by fear.

Epley, N. (2015). Mindwise: How we understand what others think, believe, feel, and want. Vintage.

Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind
Brewer presents a step-by-step, brain-based approach to uprooting anxiety by treating it as a habit loop—employing curiosity, mindfulness and simple behavioral tweaks to weaken the cycle of worry and fear.
Brewer, J. (2021). Unwinding anxiety: New science shows how to break the cycles of worry and fear to heal your mind. Avery.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Van der Kolk shows how trauma reshapes the brain and body: impacting memory, perception, emotion regulation, and relationships and argues for therapeutic methods such as neurofeedback, movement and relational work to reclaim safety and wholeness.

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books.

Why Am I Like This? How to Break Cycles, Heal from Trauma, and Restore Your Faith
Campbell offers a faith informed, therapeutic journey into recognizing how past wounds shape present behavior, helping readers break destructive patterns and move toward healing and identity rooted in one’s inherent worth. 

Campbell, K. (2023). Why am I like this?: How to break cycles, heal from trauma, and restore your faith. Zondervan.

In Messy Hope: Help Your Child Overcome Anxiety, Depression, or Suicidal Ideation

Wildenberg offers practical tools, heartfelt stories and spiritual encouragement to parents whose children are struggling with mental health challenges. She emphasizes that hope can be fostered in even the darkest moments by combining honest communication, faith and actions that reconnect a child to their identity, value and future. 
Wildenberg, L. (2021). Messy Hope: Help your child overcome anxiety, depression, or suicidal ideation. New Hope Publishers.

Genograms: Assessment and Intervention (Third Edition)
McGoldrick, Gerson, and Petry provide a detailed methodology for constructing, interpreting and applying genograms in clinical work, showing how family patterns, relational dynamics and multigenerational influences illuminate individual and systemic issues.
McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. (2008). Genograms: Assessment and intervention (3rd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.

At the same time, I understand that these laws guide me in difficult situations where safety may outweigh confidentiality. Reflecting on this, I see how important it is to balance privacy with my duty to protect clients and others from harm. Following HIPAA and FERPA also strengthens my professional integrity and reminds me that I am accountable not only to my clients, but also to their families, the community and my profession. This reflection makes me even more committed to practicing with care, respect and responsibility.