Counseling Career Plan
First semester assignment: Counseling Career Plan
Central Methodist University: Introduction to Clinical Counseling (CL500)
Dr. Andrew Benesh, Fall 2023
Assignment Criteria: As we began our Masters in Clinical Counseling studies at Central Methodist University we were asked to reflect on our experiences, strengths, and limitations. Additionally, we looked forward to our future vocations, the populations we are most interested in serving, and created a career plan to help guide our educational experience.
Goals/plans for master’s program and beyond:
In many ways, pursuing a masters’ degree in clinical counseling from Central Methodist University represents a continuation of the kind of work I did during my time as a parish pastor and Air Force Reserve chaplain. During that time I regularly cared for individuals who were dealing with emotional struggles, mental health disorders, and substance use addictions. In the small towns I served, there was a dearth of resources available for me to refer those individuals to.
It is my hope that I will be able to provide the very resource I lacked in those contexts. There are far too many people in small towns who do not have access to trained mental health care providers. On a personal level I found it especially difficult to find those who are theologically trained enough to take seriously those dealing with religious trauma, or the lack of affirmation of sexual minorities in certain faith communities. After gaining PLPC experience in a variety of settings and agencies, once I am fully licensed I hope to be able to pursue certification as a spiritually integrated mental health practitioner (the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education’s current term for pastoral counselor).
Skills and talents helpful in becoming a counselor and what you will need:
As a pastor and chaplain I learned the skills of engaging with people of a variety of backgrounds. I became adept at listening and engaging with individuals’ emotions, whether positive or negative. My training also gave me tools to engage in crisis intervention, ranging from sexual assault response, suicidal ideations, and LGBTQ inclusion. The skills I need to work on include getting a deeper understanding of human psychology, as well as a deeper understanding of the legalities of operating in a civilian environment, as opposed to those that apply in uniform.
Personal strengths and limitations related to becoming a counselor:
Some of my strengths include patience, diversity of experience, an understanding of those experiencing homelessness, as well as those experiencing marital or family crises. I also have the ability to take people’s beliefs and motivations seriously without feeling a need to change who they are. My biggest limitations will include being aware of the triggers that brought my military career to an early end. Until I have more fully healed from my own PTSD, I will be careful to refer individuals dealing with such issues to other counselors who might be able to help clients without encountering their own triggers.
Description of the counseling populations you are interested in working with:
While I am not yet precisely sure how my career will develop, I have a deep desire to work with individuals dealing with religious trauma, sexual minorities, and families going through crisis. These are all areas I have worked with in the past, and I hope to be able to put my experience to work with those populations.
Relevant training sessions and/or workshops you might consider helpful for your particular counseling group interests:
While in the Air Force I benefited from training in how to use Prepare/Enrich materials
for premarital and couples counseling. In recent years, that organization has developed materials for blended families that I would like to learn how to use. To improve my family counseling skills further, I would like to be trained in Imago Therapy, a methodology I have seen used effectively by counseling colleagues.
Certifications or specialty areas the student is interested in pursuing:
As part of my counseling training, I plan to pursue Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy certification with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. This certification is a modern inter-faith development of pastoral counseling training that was created when the American Association of Pastoral Counselors merged with the ACPE to create the ACPE Psychotherapy commission in 2019. SIP is a 30 hour program designed to equip counselors, social workers, LMFT, and other mental health providers with the skills necessary to help clients “explore the ways spirituality, religion, and the search for meaning influence their own lives.”
Experience working in a mental health system:
Throughout my career I have supported people dealing with mental health issues, but have not been formally employed by a mental health agency. In the church I supported individuals and families struggling with emotional and spiritual crises, as well as provided marriage counseling. As a chaplain I provided crisis intervention, grief counseling, and spiritual coaching. While running a homeless shelter I supported people dealing with psychological disorders and chemical addictions. In all these contexts I was able to liaison with mental health professionals and learned to make referrals whenever the situation required.
Organizations you are interested in pursuing within ACA or another professional body:
As part of my work as a counselor, I plan to pursue membership in the ACA, the
MMHCA, the ACPE, and the professional counseling association of my denomination,
the United Church of Christ Professional Chaplains and Counselors.
