Education
True or False - You only need a high school diploma to become a mental health therapist or counselor?
False.
You need:
a high school diploma
a Bachelor's degree
a Master's degree
Skill # 1
_______________ for what is said.
But more importantly, taking mental notes of what is not being said.
Listening
Best part #1
Having to do with time and a calendar
Getting to choose your own schedule and hours.
When you are feeling blue, slow-moving, heavy, exhausted, sad, and numb.
Depression
I help everyone.
False.
Only people who are ready to change with therapy will. Some think they are ready, and realize they are not.
Sometimes I am not the right therapist for someone, and that's ok. They will find someone who is a better fit, and I will not take it personally.
This course is where you learn about how well research participants are doing with treatment, and it involves numbers and math formulas.
Statistics
Skill # 2
Using a keen eye and strong visual focus
On body language, facial expression, and mannerisms. Maybe it does not match their content, what they are saying, or what they say they feel.
Observing
Best part #2
Reward for the client and therapist
You can help people make positive choices that lead to positive changes in their lives.
When you have racing thoughts and are worried about a future event or an unpredictable one.
Anxiety
This is a demanding job.
True.
But also very rewarding.
It takes a lot of mental energy to be a good listener all day, but I learn just as much from my clients as I do helping them heal
This course is all about different ways you could think about and conduct therapy according to mental health philosophy.
Hint = Science
Theories of Mental Health Counseling
Skill # 3
Asking open-ended ______________________
Asking the right questions.
Mostly open-ended. Very few questions where they can only answer yes or no.
Best part # 3
An opportunity for the therapist because of what the client is going through.
Learning and growing through helping others.
Feelings of overwhelm.
Where you cannot possibly fit one more thing into your life because it's too much.
Stress
I tell people what to do and how to live their lives.
False.
We collaborate on therapy goals, and work together on meeting them. The client decides how they will change, grow, and live, and as their therapist, I give them space and time to do that.
This course is designed to teach budding mental health counselors how to do effective things, or "interventions," during therapy sessions.
Techniques in Counseling
Skill # 4
Demonstrating this skill, where you can put your feet in someone else's shoes and truly feel what it might feel like for them.
Compassion & Empathy
...for people to express themselves and thier difficult emotions, without judgment or problem-solving.
Best part #4
A professional match between you & becoming a therapist
You can take your natural abilities and talents and apply them to a profession that you do well and enjoy.
When you have gone through a significant, stressful event that you find hard not to think about. These events have long-term consequences on your brain.
Trauma
This is mostly a fun profession.
False.
Sometimes it can be.
But it can also be quite serious. You need to have thick skin to withstand the responsibility of holding other people's mental health.
This course is designed to teach budding mental health counselors how to effectively counsel people who are different from their own culture.
Multicultural Counseling Strategies
Skill # 5
So we know what to do during and after the session, we ____________________.
Plan & prepare
Based on what you hear and see, you will plan the direction you want to go during the current session and the next session to move the client further along in meeting thier goals.
Best part #5
Working together with the client.
Teamwork and collaborating with clients to help them reach thier personal goals for healing and growth.
When one has a long-term disorder, or "adaptation" due to things they suffered in childhood, it becomes a part of who they are, and how they structure thier life.
Personality "Disorder"
Each day is different.
True!
No two days are alike.
You never know which direction clients will take you, and every client has different needs and emotions each session.