The purpose of this work was to interview the counselor Anna Moise, write down her answers, and then analyze the received information. The interview lasted about twenty minutes, and it discussed the specifics of employment and the subtleties in the field of counseling. As for the general characteristics of the interview, on the whole, it passed without any particular difficulties. Before starting the interview, I spent enough time preparing, composing questions, placing them in a specific order, and studying how to win a person. The interview began with my opening remarks.
I tried to make the person feel comfortable by asking a simple question: “How are you today?” It helped the interviewee relax, feel as comfortable as possible, and establish contact between us. I listened to Anna’s words attentively, carefully took notes, and drew on her non-verbal signals: speech rate, gestures, and facial expressions. Anna was asked ten open-ended questions, which suggested detailed answers to create a clear picture of work within the counseling field.
The first question was a brief description of the job and the setting in which the counseling sessions occur. Anna Moise works at Rooted Counseling Center, which is a group practice in the Green Hills area of Nashville. In their suites, several offices are assigned to each counselor. She primarily works with school-aged (elementary-high school) children and some college-aged students and young adults. Anna was then asked to share her personal history within the counseling field, to which she responded with particular enthusiasm. The decision to become a counselor was based on her experience of interacting with a school counselor when Anna was forced to turn to him while her family was working through some adjustments.
Then, in graduate school, her program required that students attend six sessions of counseling which she did through another group practice in Nashville. Despite a two-year hiatus in counseling, Anna is back in the field right around graduation. Interestingly, Anna herself meets with the counselor about once a month, which, according to her, helps her a lot and is an important aspect. In general, it can be concluded from Anna’s reaction and her non-verbal behavior that the woman enjoys her work.
To understand the specifics of education in the counseling field, I asked Anna about her education degree, licensure and certifications, and job opportunities in specific specialty areas. So, Anna received a Bachelor of Arts degree at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she majored in both Psychology and Communications, as well as Masters of Education in Human Development Counseling through Vanderbilt’s Peabody School. Moreover, Anna has an LPC-MHSP license. As for Anna’s specialization, she works a lot with individuals facing anxiety, depression, and general life transitions. Thus, the woman received a reasonably extensive theoretical base, which she successfully applies in practice.
Furthermore, when asked about their career path, Anna was happy to share her goals within a specialty area. So, one of Anna’s most ambitious aims was her transition into full-time private practice, which she achieved in January. As for further plans, Anna wants to become an LPC-MHSP licensed supervisor and receive a doctorate in counselor education. Therefore, Anna does not stop there and is successfully moving up the career ladder.
For a detailed consideration of the intricacies of the counseling field, Anna was asked to answer the question about the skills and personal qualities required within the specialty area. According to Moise (2021), the essential features are warmth and being relationally focused. Moreover, counselors must be able to build solid and trusting relationships with their clients. The advantage of counseling school-aged children is applying creativity in sessions, including activities, art, and games. As for the disadvantages of working with children, it is necessary to adjust specific techniques or skills to fit their abilities and age. Thus, the counselor must understand that working with children requires certain skills, and the counselor should be prepared for the difficulties of this specialty area.
A separate block of questions related to counseling clients with trauma. Thus, Anna’s clients have or will experience a trauma in their lifetime. The woman conducts her counseling sessions through a trauma lens and considers how the trauma shows up in a client’s presenting problem or history. According to Moise (2021), safety is a prerequisite before handling injuries, so the counselor must prepare clients to work with traumatic parts of their story. Moreover, Anna spoke about the use of crisis intervention in her practice. She uses it with individuals experiencing self-harming or suicidal thoughts. According to Moise (2021), depending on the severity of risk, she uses various safety planning and harm reduction tools, including informing parents and making a plan from there.
The role played by advocacy in working with children deserves special attention. According to Moise (2021), racial justice and advocacy are hugely important, and advocacy in her understanding shows up in how she advocates for the children she sees within their family system. Moise notes that working with minors can be especially difficult since there is so little they have control over in their environment. In this regard, Anna pays special attention to interacting with her parents to ensure the work she is doing with her child is reinforced at home.
In conclusion, Anna was asked to advise a new counselor. Moise notes that this issue caused some difficulties as she is still learning how to take care of herself and create boundaries in her work. Anna thinks working as a counselor is probably tricky because they are let into the lives of so many people throughout their careers. According to Moise (2021), one of the most critical aspects of this specialty area is to trust the process of the entrance into counseling, and the work, counselors do with clients in general. At the same time, learning and growing are a part of that process. The specialist noted that it is vital to be prepared for difficulties, and no one enters the field perfectly.
Thus, the interview with Anna Moise shed light on many of the nuances of working in counseling, especially in working with children. This information will be helpful for people who want to connect their lives with this specialty area.
Reference
Moise, A. (2021). Rooted Counseling Center.