Self-Evaluation
Wk 15 – Self-Evaluation and Practicum Experience Reflection Paper [due Mon]
Write a 750-950-word paper examining and critiquing your performance as a trainee during this course, USE examples from practicum to support your positions throughout the entire paper. Evaluate your experiences and how you have grown as a counselor. Include the following in the paper: see below for the support paper
Self-evaluation: Examine the development of your personal style in counseling including the therapeutic approaches and theoretical orientations you have used. (You can add this from what I have answered)
What are you doing well and what do you need to improve? I think I have adapted to my job site well now. I am able to focus on the clients and also know when they are under the influence during group sessions or individual sessions. From the time I have started my Practicum until now I have been able to point out 8 clients that were under the influence and reported those incidents to my supervisor leaving them to discharge from Foundation in Recovery.
The thing I need to improve is how to let go from being a Case Manager. I find myself coming back into this role and helping the clients when they need help or referrals. If I catch myself doing this I usually tell myself that I am not a Case Manager I have worked hard to be where I am now. (you can elaborate if you want)
What are the most important things that you have learned about the counseling process from the beginning of your practicum until now? The most important thing I have learned has been that I had to let go my style of being a Case Manager and now I had to learn the role of a Counselor. Two different job descriptions. Once I learned that I was not a Case Manager anymore from my past jobs I was able to adapt to my Counseling role pretty easy. (then elaborate more)
What are some issues you experienced with your most challenging client? 1- Some issues I experience was that some clients would only last less than 48 hours at Foundation in Recovery. Since they were going through a withdraw they would rather break their probation and go back to using their choice of drugs. The client will be either going back to county jail or prison depending on what their probation officer or the judge tells them.
2- When doing an intake I sometimes got clients that were still under the influence so I had to stop the intake because they were not competent to answer the questions on the intake paperwork.
What are your greatest successes? My greatest successes in Foundation in Recovery have been that I was able to connect with some clients and worked on their problems that they did not even know they had like dealing with only having a single parent at home. Or their Father not being a role model. Were there addiction came from and why they started using, what trigger their first time they used drugs or alcohol.
How has supervision with experienced clinicians in your practicum agency and/or your Supervisors impacted your clinical skills as a counselor? My supervisor has been amazing. Mrs. Essex has taken the time to correct me when she needs to and show me different ways to address the clients if need to. Every week Mrs. Essex teaches me something new and I am able to use her lessons with my clients.
Elaborate on your experiences in supervision. (you can elaborate here)
Format your paper according to APA guidelines.
Include at least 3 resources
Please use this to guide yourself this is what I wrote in my Pre Practicum class
Describe the progress you made toward your stated supervision goals during practicum.
With the help of my supervisor I was able to achieve the goals I had during my practicum time at Foundation in Recovery. My supervisor along with the staff and other practicum students made me feel comfortable during this process. I took a lot of notes that will help me in the future and with my upcoming Pre-Practicum. As a student I will continue to learn during my time in Foundation in Recovery. I was able to learn the opportunities which are designed to any other interested person in the field of human social services of developing the professional way of work performance. My supervisor also helped me to incorporate a sense a professional identity that has probably enabled me to act, feel and think in accordance with the responsibilities and values of the profession as an MFT. In addition, I also developed an ability of assessing and analyzing my own professional activities, and accepting the ongoing responsibility of my own professional development. The staff and the other practicum students taught me how to approach the gentlemen in the recovery program with a problem solving skills, or assisting skills in a manner that reflects professionalism. To me, I can see that I gained maximum skills carry out supervision goals during my hours of this course.
Explain how you will utilize what you have learned as you progress to practicum.
I have learned how to properly do group sessions with men in recovery and have a better understanding about their addiction and why they are where they are. Addiction can be hard to overcome unless you are in a good support group, getting the help you need and also going to sessions help the addict when they are in a recovery program. I will utilize what I have learnt in an effective way. I plan on using my new found skills and knowledge I gained during the AA meeting, group session and the training I received at the center. First, I will use the knowledge to possibly improve my writing skills. I will also have to develop new effective ways of researching. I hope that the situation will help me to better and further myself for any other practicum exam which may come across during my life time. I have a strong feeling that I am leaving the class with a superior perspective and good skills.