Types of Clients
The type of clients that I would want to work with is mainly the youth. Young people face a lot of pressure in the society, which drives them to engage in wrong actions without the intention to do so. The youth face bullying, sexual and physical abuse, violence, mental stress and drug abuse. All these issues create problems for them to fit in the society where they live. It is vital for these issues to be solved at an early stage to ensure that they do not trigger other undesirable behavioral patterns among the youth in the future. Teenagers and young adults who are withdrawn and have low self-esteem need counseling; such personality makes it difficult for them to socialize with their peers and their seniors (Corey, 2000, p. 48). A young person who has character flaws finds it difficult to relate well with others because of self-loathing. Self-hate is a habit that affects many youths; it lowers their self-esteem and confidence, and interferes with their ability interact with other people.
The youth are greatly influenced by their experiences at home, school or within their neighborhoods. The occurrence of violent actions closes to where a young person lives has a negative effect on his or her state of mind. This affects the emotional state of the young person negatively, which may drive him to engage in such bad behavior. A young person who is a victim of physical or sexual abuse and violence is likely to have negative thoughts and perceptions of the world around him. These forms of abuse may cause the young person to have anger management problems. Youths that have anger management problems are not only a danger to themselves but also to other people (Corey, 2000, p. 57). The pent-up anger among youths is a trigger for violence and other undesirable manners, which are destructive to them and their peers.
The youth need behavioral therapies that solve the psychological and emotional problems that affect them. They should be trained on how to relax their muscles to release the tensions that they experience in their lives. The counselor needs to help the youth to assess themselves and track all the actions that they engage in. This assessment is done to help the youth change from the destructive patterns of behavior they have to more progressive ones. The affected patient is made aware of the positive ways he can use to cope with anger problems that he faces in the society. It is vital to train the youth to be more assertive in the different environments where they survive (Corey, 2000, p. 65). These skills are vital in moderating the emotional triggers and influences that are likely to drive the youth toward negative behavior.
Young people with addiction problems need both medication and behavioral treatments to assist them to trim down their dependence on harmful substances. Youths who are addicted to drugs and alcohol also need an appropriate medication for the withdrawal symptoms they experience; the nature of the treatment that drug addicts receive depends on the drugs and substances they are addicted to. There are different medications for treating addiction to alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, tobacco, heroine and ecstasy. Some members of the youth are addicted to more than one drug and so they may need more than one medication to help them deal with withdrawal symptoms (Corey, 2000, p. 79). Substance addicts should be made to recognize situations that are likely to encourage them to take addictive substances and should be told how they can avoid such situations. Addicted patients should be motivated by being given incentives, which encourage them to stop abusing harmful drugs and substances.
Issues to Consider
The method of treatment that is used must take note of the client’s cultural background. Some cultures treasure personal secrecy and this proves difficult for such patients to disclose their problems to counselors. Young people from conservative cultural backgrounds need to be handled with caution to gain their confidence and trust. I will try my best to stimulate such patients to have confidence in the counseling process; this will make them feel at ease when interacting with the counselors. Consistent with the ethical obligations of the counseling profession, therapists should not disclose any details of the proceedings that they have with their patients. Clients go through a lot of difficulties before they can even accept to undergo counseling sessions (Olafson & Kenniston, 2008, p. 73). As a result, the counselor has an obligation to adhere to the professional standards that govern his or her relationship with the client. As a counselor, I have to be objective and should not reveal any sense of bias when counseling a client as this is likely to interfere with the patient’s healing process.
The relationship that should exist between my clients and I should also be strictly professional. Many of the clients that come for counseling are not in the right state of mind and this makes them emotionally and psychologically vulnerable. Consequently, the counselor should focus on outcomes that bring about positive recovery for the client according to the established practices. It is necessary for the counselor to assess the most suitable therapy that is effective enough to bring about the desired positive change for the client. The client needs to be made aware of the situation that he is in and the necessary remedies that can bring about the desired positive change (Olafson & Kenniston, 2008, p. 77). An effective counseling program must be able to influence a patient to discontinue all the negative attitudes, perceptions and behaviors that are responsible for his or her current situation.
A patient’s cultural background is vital in making the counselor understand the type of environment that he or she lives in. This gives the counselor an idea on the best therapies and treatments that are suitable for the patient to recover from the problem that he faces. The counselor becomes aware of the behavioral approaches that need to be taken to influence the patient to change his behavior. As a counselor, I expect to propose therapies and programs that are of value to the patient to overcome all the problems that could arise. I will be guided by my competency as a counselor to decide if a patient can be confident to share his problem with other people who face similar problems (Scott, 1996, p. 23). This will help me as a professional to create effective programs that meet the needs of clients who consult me for counseling.
The environment in which a person lives has an impact on his behavior and attitudes. My professional competency will guide me on the means through which patients should use to overcome the negative influences within the environment where they live. Teenagers who face sexual violence or mistreatment will have to be given protection as stipulated by the law. As a professional, it would be appropriate to work with other counselors who are of a different gender. Female patients who fall victim to sexual abuse are not comfortable describing their ordeal to male counselors. Adherence to professional responsibility is vital in assessing the vulnerability levels of a patient (Murphy & Dillon, 2011, p. 76). This helps the counselor to make decisions that provide appropriate clinical remedies for patients under his or her care. It is necessary to formulate therapies that adequately address the problem the client faces when he or she is under the care of a counselor.
Personal and Professional Development
Personal and professional development helps me to acquire knowledge of the different personalities and techniques that are suitable for carrying out counseling. This development has made me understand the necessary interventions that are suitable for various psychological conditions. I am also knowledgeable on the issues that relate to changes in human behavior and the ways in which they can be influenced. My personal development has helped me to be more patient and reflective. The positive influences that I have experienced give me the drive to care about the welfare of my patients. I have also been able to understand my values and personality better, which has helped me to evaluate how I perform my duties to my clients (Murphy & Dillon, 2011, p. 79). Evaluating my performance as a professional gives me a strong foundation on which I can develop my abilities further. I am able to understand the career path I want to follow and the rewards I am likely to get if I do so.
My professional development has made me develop my social skills; I am now able to interact with clients more openly because they find me affectionate and friendly. Counselors should not only rely on technical procedures for them to meet the needs of their clients. Besides relying on his intuitions and values, a counselor needs to be genuine to perform his duties effectively. A counselor deals with real people who face real problems and must be involved with his clients to find a workable solution for the problems they face. My professional training enables me to have a transformative impact on my clients (Murphy & Dillon, 2011, p. 89). I am able to guide my clients through all the procedures that are necessary to make them realize the benefits of the changes that I propose. This gives my clients the motivation to live positively. The positive values that I instill in my clients determine the level of success I get in turning around their lives.
I will focus on developing my relationship skills; these attributes are necessary in that they make me understand the personality and background of every client who seeks my professional assistance. I will strive to make my clients more comfortable and aware of the benefits they can get by changing their attitudes and behaviors. I will work hard to understand the influence of culture on human behavior and backgrounds. This will guide me to know the differences that arise in the society, which are as a result of social status, ethnicity, gender roles and religion (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2009, p. 83). This will be vital in helping me to understand how various cultural aspects affect clients and how they react to these aspects. A good understanding of specific cultural issues will give me adequate knowledge on the issues that significantly affect the emotional stability of my clients.
I will focus on understanding behavioral patterns that are common in some psychological disorders. This will give me the chance to explore how patients are influenced to adopt certain forms of behavior and how these issues can be solved. This is important because proper understanding of a patient’s behavior gives a counselor a good understanding of the effective procedures that can be used to come up with an effective remedy. I will strive to explore my abilities, values and interests, and establish how they can beneficial to my profession. As a counselor, I need to reflect on my reasons for choosing this profession and the rewards I get from it. I need to examine my background, needs and emotions to understand how I do benefit by helping others. I need personal satisfaction in what I do to give me the strength to achieve positive outcomes (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2009, p. 87). I need to understand if I can be able to help someone to have a positive change so that I can have confidence in myself.
As a counselor, I will look at all the issues that stand in my way and focus on how to resolve them. I need to be willing to deal with my own personal and emotional struggles to have an understanding of how difficult it is for a client to resolve his or her problems. This will give me the commitment I need to be patient with my clients; being patient with a client can help him or her to achieve the positive direction that the counselor plans for him or her. I should also be willing and able to understand the difficulties clients face in disclosing matters that are very sensitive to them (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2009, p. 92). This will help me to collaborate with the client to achieve solutions that are effective in dealing with the issues that affect him or her.
References
Corey, G. (2000). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (6th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Murphy, B. C., & Dillon, C. (2011). Interviewing in action in a multicultural world (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Olafson, E., & Kenniston, J. (2008). Obtaining information from children in the justice system. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 59(4), 71-89.
Scott, C. G. (1996). Understanding attitude change in developing effective substance abuse prevention programs for adolescents. School Counselor, 43(3), 19-29.
Seligman, L. W., & Reichenberg, L. W. (2009). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems, strategies, and skills (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.