After multiple years as a school counselor, I am working toward becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor.

A personal goal right now for me is just to survive and keep on keeping on. I am currently the parent of a seven year old cancer patient, so each day is a struggle. A professional goal is to pass the NCE and finish everything I need to become an LPC-Associate. I have already worked with many students who have been through traumatic experiences and are dealing with trauma, but I am eager to learn more and additional ways to help them and clients in the future.

I am currently working on my second master’s degree. I have served as a high school counselor since 2018, but I am working to become an LPC. I am married and have two kids, a daughter who is eleven and a son who is seven. Upon graduation, the plan was to just be an LPC outside of my job as a school counselor, but now as our life has completely changed, I may be headed in a different direction.

The below link for the Code of Ethics can help to answer ethical questions that may arise when working with clients.

ACA Code of Ethics

https://www.counseling.org/resources/ethics

In my opinion, the ACE studies are only geared toward abuse as a child which is not the only kind of trauma children can experience. I think of my own children and I have one child who has had her dad deployed to Afghanistan twice, her father was diagnosed with cancer, then her father, and then her brother. Another child who was diagnosed with cancer less than a month after turning six and the trauma he has experienced is tremendous. I think about students who lost their parents in car accidents, one whose state trooper father was murdered, some who lost their sibling to cancer, some who were in very traumatic car accidents themselves, two who pulled a drowning kid from a lake, and I could go on and on. While I think ACE studies have a certain place, I do not think that they represent all of the trauma in the majority of the population.

Identify and explain, in your own words, three types (categories) of trauma you found most interesting in the course readings. Provide an example for each type of trauma. 

1. Secondary Trauma - trauma someone experiences, but that it does not directly happen to. I see many family members of cancer patients experiencing secondary trauma after someone in the family is diagnosed. 

2. Chronic Trauma - multiple traumatic events happening to someone. In the last five years; I have experienced 4 people close to me being diagnosed with cancer, the deaths of two close family members, the deaths of three coworkers, and the deaths of two students. 

3. Burnout - exhaustion from continuously being in a stressful situation. I have seen many teachers leave the profession because of burnout. Low pay and constantly feeling pressure from administrators have caused many to quit.
   

Why do you think children are especially susceptible to trauma?

I believe children are more impressionable. Also, since they are young, some don’t know how to process things and struggle more to work through the trauma. 

Identify at least two grief informed or trauma informed strategies that can be used to help a student/client.

If possible, creating a supportive environment is important to help a student or client. By putting supports in place and having a continuation of support outside of counseling can be extremely helpful. When it comes to loss, finding ways to honor the memory of the person who passed away can really help students work through their grief and know that it is ok to talk about or do things to honor the person.

Do you think it should be mandated that all health professionals receive education about the effects of trauma and how to assess trauma?

Absolutely! All health professionals should have some basic understanding and be able to assess to a degree so they know if they need to send additional referrals or know how to help their patient. 

From your professional perspective, why is it important to have a basic knowledge and understanding of the effects of grief and trauma? (How is this important in your future role?) 

I have had to work in depth with students experiencing trauma and grief in my role as a school counselor. I don’t think you can be any kind of counselor without a great understanding of trauma and grief. With as much as I have seen and counseled on being a school counselor, I can only imagine it will be that much more as an LPC.

Discussion Post 2

What documentary are you going to watch, and why did you select this specific documentary? Make sure to clearly explain/justify your documentary selection and it's relevance to trauma and/or grief.  

I am going to watch The Day Kennedy Died. For one, I have seen most of the shows on the list, but I have not seen this. I have always been fascinated with the Kennedys and the death and grief that seems to plague the family. 

What are your initial thoughts before watching your selected documentary? Discuss any prior knowledge of the individual/situation involved in the documentary. (Please do not select a documentary you have already seen. Use this assignment to broaden your perspective.)

I am interested to watch the movie for my own personal interest, but I also believe this will be a good representation of a traumatic event. Of course, everyone knows about the day Kennedy was killed in Texas, but I am looking forward to learning more from this documentary. 

Woodhead, Leslie. (Director). (2013). The Day Kennedy Died. [Film]. Finestripe Productions. 

Discussion Post 3

Name of and a brief synopsis of the documentary.  Give enough info here that, even if we haven't seen it, we can understand the background. Remember to include appropriate APA-formatted citations.  

The Day Kennedy Died is a documentary about John F. Kennedy’s time in Dallas and the day of his death. They interview multiple people who were a part of the traumatic events that unfolded that day. 

What did you learn from viewing the documentary in relation to trauma?

Even after fifty years, traumatic events still very much affect people today. The people who were there can still describe the sights, sounds, and smells they experienced that day. 

What did you find most interesting/eye-opening?

The people who had anything to do with that day must have replayed every detail of the day over and over in their head after the event. The man who drove Oswald to work that day could recall their conversations that morning and all of the details. A boy who was just six at the time could recall “pops” happening and how he initially thought they were firecrackers. (Woodhead, 2013) 

Does the documentary support/explain what you have read or does it contradict? Did the documentary meet your initial expectations?

I have read and watched many things on the Kennedy family. This has both supported some things and contradicted others. There are so many conspiracy theories out there about what happened that I think this topic will always be controversial. I did enjoy this documentary! 

Woodhead, Leslie. (Director). (2013). The Day Kennedy Died. [Film]. Finestripe Productions.

Discussion Post 4

How did you identify the trauma(s)? 

The traumatic event that unfolded was President Kennedy being assassinated. The trauma they experienced that day was Primary trauma. 

Were there any signs/symptoms of trauma(s) displayed? What were the specific signs/symptoms of trauma(s) displayed? 

I think one of the most traumatic instances that I saw was Jackie Kennedy turning around and trying to collect pieces of JFK’s head and brain. She was not alive at the time this documentary was made to speak on the trauma and PTSD was not a clinical diagnosis at the time of the event, but later on it is believed she suffered from PTSD.

Make a connection to how this trauma(s) could impact or did impact the lives of the individuals involved academically, socially, emotionally, etc. Did the trauma(s) experienced impact others? If so, how?

From prior knowledge that I have, I know Jackie suffered for years if not the rest of her life with PTSD. Listening to others talk in this documentary, they are able to recall so vividly the details of that day. You can tell they have relived the events of the day over and over in their minds. I also believe the country as a whole all felt the trauma of the assassination of the president.

Was an intervention for the trauma(s) discussed in the documentary? If not, what intervention do you believe could be or could have been beneficial for the individuals involved? Thoroughly explain and support your response with research-based resources. 

There were not any kinds of interventions for trauma discussed in the documentary. I believe that Cognitive Processing Therapy and Cognitive Restructuring would help those who were there that day, especially Jackie. With Cognitive Processing, it helps separate thoughts from emotions so they can work through the emotions and trauma of the day. (APA, 2017) With Cognitive Restructuring you are reliving the trauma in order to work through the thoughts from that day (NIH, 2023).

What type of plan would you develop for this individual(s) in your counseling role? 

Depending on what the client (Jackie) told me she was specifically experiencing, I would then determine the best way to proceed. Without knowing that information and with what I do know, I would think Cognitive Processing would be the treatment to proceed with. She has been known to make comments about how if she was just a few inches over the bullet could have hit her and how she could have saved him. This tells me she experienced survivor’s guilt and needed help separating the trauma from her emotions. I would refer her out to a psychiatrist as well so she could also be medicated along with going to therapy. 

Erford, B., Eaves, S., Bryant, E.., & Young, S. (2010). 35 Techniques Every Counselor Should Know. 

https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheets/anger/none

Anger Management Techniques

https://www.simplepractice.com/resource/anger-management-skills/?g_campaignid=21061586339&g_campaign=PMAX+%7C+Resources+%7C+Lead+Gen&g_keywordid=&g_acctid=419-488-5451&g_adid=&g_network=x&g_adtype=none&g_adgroupid=&g_keyword=&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&network=x&utm_campaign=PMAX_Resources_LeadGen&utm_term=&device=c&matchtype=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADqOPoOc-0aDLsBeym3s5wY2tLJt5&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImsiql7P-iwMVHkR_AB27xTVvEAAYASAAEgL1pfD_BwE

ASCA Code of Ethics
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/Ethical-Responsibilities/ASCA-Ethical-Standards-for-School-Counselors-(1)

ACA Code of Ethics
https://www.counseling.org/resources/ethics

Differences in Mental Health Professionals
https://www.texaspsyc.org/page/mentalhealthprofessionals

LPC Scope of Practice
https://www.lpcboard.org/page/lpc

Competencies for Counseling LGBQIQA
https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/algbtic-competencies-for-counseling-lgbqiqa.pdf?sfvrsn=1c9c89e_18

The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs
https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Pub_2018_Texas-Model_5th-Edition.pdf

Differences in Mental Health Professionals
https://www.texaspsyc.org/page/mentalhealthprofessionals

LPC Scope of Practice
https://www.lpcboard.org/page/lpc

Competencies for Counseling LGBQIQA
https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/algbtic-competencies-for-counseling-lgbqiqa.pdf?sfvrsn=1c9c89e_18

Although I am not sure down the road how I will contribute to the profession, I do know that now I will continue counseling students in the school setting. I have been a school counselor for seven years. However, next year I will be a special education counselor and work a reduced schedule. With this reduced schedule, I plan to start seeing some clients in a private practice. I would like to mainly see adolescents, but I will also take adult clients.

Eventually, maybe when I move out of school counseling, I would like to work with Veterans or their families. My husband did two combat tours in Afghanistan and we have lived the military life so I do have an understanding of some aspects and believe I could help.

Regardless of where this counseling road takes me further down the road, I hope that I always am able to make a difference in someone's life. I know as a school counselor I have many students who have told me how much I have helped them and I hope I always am able to continue helping!