Portfolio by Christina Hallock https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3 Mental Health and Wellness Capstone en-us 2021-12-01 17:07:08 UTC 2026-02-04 08:15:11 UTC hello@padlet.com Christina Hallock challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923333171 I am a board certified behavior analyst that will complete my masters in arts degree for mental health and wellness in December 2021. I have been a BCBA for the last 4 years and have a passion for working with and reaching kids and families. I I work primarily with children on the autism spectrum, but also with children with a variety of disorders and behavioral concerns. This degree program has taught me many things about how to apply counseling techniques to help children and families I currently work with. This portfolio is a summary of some of the assignments and projects that I have completed during this degree program and some of the skills that I was able to demonstrate mastery with. I look forward to a future of learning new ways to better serve my clients and their families. ]]> 2021-12-01 17:14:04 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923333171 Advocacy for Marginalized Populations challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923366170 This course was designed to have students reflect on our social and cultural experiences that have shaped us into the people we are. We were then asked to research with a group of other graduate students to further understand what are some common marginalized populations and how to best advocate for their success. I worked with a group on this assignment and learned so much about the challenges that people face within these marginalized populations. This assignment also helped me start looking at social and cultural issues as a problem that needs addressing and not just something that we know exists. ]]> 2021-12-01 17:26:55 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923366170 Gaps, Critical Issues, and Partnerships challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923381783 This course was set up with practical application in mind. We were tasked with a variety of assignments based on where we were currently working or wanted to be working. This allowed me to really develop a personal investment in the assignments and instruction as a whole. This assignment was a culmination of research that I conducted looking at what gap within the school district I worked was leading to a critical issue. I found that the Burleson, TX community is has the highest rate of obesity and diabetes in the state of Texas. Schools in Burleson were not making many efforts to combat this issue. The biggest takeaway that I had with this assignment was that when you are assessing an issue within a small population it is so important to look at how the community within that population can be involved with addressing the concern. Finding partnerships within this community of Burleson helped create a plan that could lead to actual change.]]> 2021-12-01 17:33:02 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923381783 School Violence and School Shootings challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923411740 One of the most impactful courses during this degree process was this course. Trauma and mental health concerns are something that I not only personally face and work to overcome, but are also something that I am often faced with regarding my clients and their families. This assignment was another group project that required us to collaborate and discuss the issue of violence in schools especially school shootings. This is a heavy topic especially in the current climate in the United States. Through this assignment we were able to identify how threat assessments are conducted and by following a strict procedure a lot of potentially dangerous acts within schools have and continue to be avoided. It really emphasized the importance of trusting your training and instincts and being aware of potential biases I may have. ]]> 2021-12-01 17:39:35 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923411740 Autobiography and Developmental Stages challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923431897 Human growth and development is a course that I have taken before during my undergraduate studies. I was able to draw from prior knowledge and experiences to better understand these theories during this course. This assignment was one that really stood out to me during this course. The assignment was to reflect on our own development with the perspective of different developmental theorists. By relating a theory to my actual life experiences I was able to have better clarification of what these theorists meant by each stage in less clinical terms. After I made the connection between the theory and my own life, I was asked to relate this assignment to counseling. I was able to recognize how important understanding these developmental stages is from a counseling perspective. Missing a developmental stage or having an incomplete developmental stage can lead to other problems later in life. This is especially true for the population I work with since they are often skipping or slowly progressing through different stages of development that do not necessarily correlate to their neurotypical peer groups stage of development. ]]> 2021-12-01 17:48:27 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923431897 Personal Theory: Behaviorism challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923447280 This assignment was similar to several previous assignments in that it asked students to relate a theory of counseling to their own life experiences. Behaviorism is as theory that I am very familiar with, especially with my career as a BCBA. I chose this theory because I was not sure how it related to counseling. As a BCBA it was easy to see how this theory related to my field of applied behavior analysis, but for this course and since I plan to utilize these skills in my career moving forward I wanted to better understand this theory as it related to counseling. ]]> 2021-12-01 17:55:24 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923447280 Confidentiality Rules for BCBA challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923461038 Professional orientation was a course that helped expand my prior knowledge and understanding of my current career. This confidentiality assignment asked students to determine what it means to uphold confidentiality within your field of interest. This led to the need to unpack confidentiality, my referral process, mandatory reporting rules and regulations, and professional consultations. It is so important to understand how to professionally maintain ethical guidelines and boundaries. By completing this assignment I was better fit to assess my own compliance with these regulations and establish clear professional boundaries that will respect my ethical duty to uphold confidentiality. ]]> 2021-12-01 18:01:46 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923461038 Research Prospectus challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923463020 During this research course I picked a topic that I was passionate about learning more information and one that personally affects me and clients I am currently serving. The topic I chose to research was how LGBTQ inclusive curriculum can positively impact the LGBTQ youth and reduce mental health concerns. The process of completing this assignment helped me understand the process of developing a research question from the very beginning through to the idea of how to actually conduct that research. This course also helped me develop the skills necessary to find current, accurate, and complete information regarding a specific topic. I know that with my career relying so much on updated research, these skills will be utilized regularly. ]]> 2021-12-01 18:02:41 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923463020 Group Sessions challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923464900 Group sessions was a course that I really looked forward to during this degree sequence. I currently work with clients in small social groups and learning ways that I could be more effective or how to approach certain topics differently is something that I am always trying to do. This assignment had students create a group. After conceptualizing a group, I had to create lesson plans for that group that specifically addressed certain skills that the clients would learn. I really enjoyed this assignment from start to finish and felt I was really able to apply these skills immediately to my current career. ]]> 2021-12-01 18:03:33 UTC https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1923464900 Why does all of this matter? challockaba https://padlet.com/challockaba/xpqxkpxvuh9mg2u3/wish/1924111867 As I have started the process of reflection and wrapping up my coursework for this degree program I have begun to see how all of these courses and assignments have come together in a way that is quickly applicable to my current career. This reflection assignment has also led to me realizing how many skills I have already started to apply within my career and how many techniques there are for me to utilize moving forward. After completing this degree program I am sure that I will continue to work within the school system to ensure that other professionals are aware of resources and techniques that can be helpful within our current school environment. I will also be able to work with professionals in more effective ways outside of the school and education setting. 
As a board certified behavior analyst I am always trying to find a technique that is the most beneficial for each client individually. The majority of my clients are on the autism spectrum which means that no two treatment plans are even similar, so it is important for me to customize a treatment plan for each of them. The knowledge I have gained from this degree program has helped expand my toolbelt with new techniques and theories to best serve my clients and families. 
The techniques that I have learned also opened doors for me to better collaborate with other mental health professionals. The improved collaboration has led to positive changes in the classroom settings, clients progress, and families' understanding of how we can all work together. As I continue to develop these techniques and utilize these tools that I have gained from this program, I know that this will continue to change how schools approach mental health and behavioral challenges. 


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