Interview with a Licensed Mental Health Counselor

The female licensed mental health counselor had over 10 years experience assessing the psychological, social, cultural and financial needs that impact recovering drug and alcohol addicts in an addiction program run by an international agency. Previously, the interviewee worked in a health facility that provided mental and psychosocial services to the elderly population.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Interview with a Licensed Mental Health Counselor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From the interview with the licensed mental health counselor, it was clear that that the participant subscribes to a theoretical orientation known as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which essentially attends to dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors and other impaired cognitive processes exhibited by the population of recovering clients in the program using a multiplicity of goal-oriented, precise and methodical approaches. The favorite part of the job, as proposed by the interviewee, entailed experiencing former drug addicts and alcoholics being reintegrated back into the society after undergoing a three-month program, which assisted them to select and internalize specific strategies that they could always use to deal with their problems. The least favorite part of the job came in dealing with uncontrollable and potentially dangerous clients, who most often are in the last phase of addiction. According to her, this part is discouraging as it is increasingly difficult to make these clients follow the recommended treatment procedures, resulting in use of force in some cases. The interviewee acknowledged that burnout is a normal part of practice and anybody planning to become a licensed mental health counselor should be prepared to face burnout and deal with it in a manner that is less likely to affect his or her health and wellbeing. The interviewee said that she had experienced burnout when listening to intensely heart-wrenching life experiences of drug and alcohol addicts, and when sharing in the grief, loss, and sadness of family members of addicted clients. Additionally, the interviewee suggested that it is important to develop internalized indicators that one could use to recognize burnout and fatigue early on before they became health and professional challenges.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The interviewee coped with the burnout by engaging in things that bring joy and relieve stress (e.g., leisure activities), exploring new hobbies, avoiding taking on extra clients, taking time each day to relax, reading non-professional literature for fun, and receiving counseling in difficult situations. The interviewee took time to describe her transition from a student at the university to professional counseling in a program specifically providing mental, psychological and healthca re services for the elderly. She was surprised by the variances between her expectations as a student and the realities on the ground. According to her, it is difficult to apply most of the theories learned from school in real-life contexts, hence the need for transitioning students to develop a flexible and innovative predisposition to deal with issues beyond the boundaries of the educational institution. Consequently, the advice she provided to new counselors is to maintain an open mind and flexibility and also come up with new approaches to ensure they stay informed on current evidence-based practices in the field of counseling psychology. Overall, this particular interview provided useful insights not only on how to deal with burnout and fatigue in practice settings but also on what attributes to consider and internalize in transitioning from student life to professional counseling. The coping strategies advocated by the interviewee are critical in ensuring that my practice as a licensed mental health counselor will be largely successful in terms of dealing with mental and health challenges related to burnout and fatigue. This essay on Interview with a Licensed Mental Health Counselor was written and submitted by user Aria Richardson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.