Jade Pearson

Core 1 Reflections
Core 1: PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING ORIENTATION AND

ETHICAL PRACTICE

a. history and philosophy of the counseling profession and its specialty areas and b. the multiple

professional roles and functions of counselors across specialty areas, and

their relationships with human service and integrated behavioral health care systems, including

interagency and inter-organizational collaboration and consultation

The counseling profession has a rich history built on the philosophy that guides the

profession. There are multiple specialty areas and professional roles, including relationships,

collaboration, and consultation with human service and integrated behavioral healthcare systems.

In reference to 1a, counseling as a profession has arisen out of the need for mental health

services and is a relatively new profession (Remley, 2019). Similar to other disciplines, such as

those accredited by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Psychological

Association (APA), the counseling profession’s associated body is the American Counseling

Association (ACA) and is subject to ethical and moral guidelines and laws.

The counseling professional should possess the knowledge and be competent in the ACA

Code of Ethics (2014). The first belief that counselors share is that the wellness model of mental

health is the best perspective for helping people resolve their personal and emotional issues and

problems (Remley, 2019). This differs from the medical model that other healthcare

professionals use, identifying the illness and essentially diminishing the patient’s perspective.

The specialties in counseling include but are not limited to marriage and family counseling

guidance and career counseling, rehabilitation counseling, mental health counseling, substance

abuse counseling, and educational counseling.

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In reference to 1b, there are different kinds of counseling specialty areas such as family

counseling, addictions counseling, mental health counseling, and career counseling. And all

areas, counselors are a catalyst in decision-making and holistic wellness. Often, a counselor will

refer their client to an integrated behavioral healthcare system such as inpatient or outpatient care

if they are having thoughts of suicide. A student affairs professional may refer a student to the

counseling center or the title known office if the student has encountered sexual assault in the

college setting. Counselors may need to collaborate and consult with their supervisor or

colleagues if they run into presenting concerns.

During my time in the counseling program, I worked as a mentor for first-year students in

a class called University 100 (U-100). One student, in particular, had a challenging time

transitioning into college and was very stressed. When they met with me, they were full of tears.

Schlossberg (1989) said that students in college might be undergoing a perceived transition. One

way to help with that transition is to offer support. As a student mentor, I had two sessions with

them and offered minimal support because we were not able to meet more than twice. Because of

this, I referred her to the counseling center and walked her over because her presenting concerns

were outside of my scope. In following counseling ethics as outlined by the ACA Code of Ethics

(2014), I recognized my limitations and acted accordingly (1a). I realized my professional role

and function, collaborated with an outside entity (the Counseling Center), and referred out as

needed (1b).

Overall, The counseling profession is based on a rich history and philosophy and can be

seen through a lens of multiple professional roles and functions. These roles can involve

referring the client to integrated behavioral healthcare systems and working with a client in the

context of career, mental health, and addiction counseling. As a counseling professional,

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conceptualizing the history of my profession and in specialty areas and understanding how

collaboration and integration work, I was better able to help my students overcome barriers that

could impede their success in college.

c. counselors’ roles and responsibilities as members of interdisciplinary community outreach

and emergency management response teams and m. the role of counseling supervision in the

profession

Counseling professionals have many responsibilities as interdisciplinary community

outreach members, including the supervision of others and emergency management. Counselors

come from a rich community of behavioral health experts and often work with other experts such

as psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers to help the client. Also, if a client is going

through an emergency, there are emergency management teams to help. The counselor may be

the first line of defense and knowledgeable of mental health first aid practices.

When a counselor or student affairs professional takes a position, they will have in their

contract “and other duties as assigned.” For example, a counselor may take on the role as a Floor

Marshall to ensure everyone is accounted for during an emergency (1c). A Floor Marshall may

complete and construct an emergency plan, check fire extinguishers and emergency alarm

locations, undergo training for on-campus shooters, and conduct shelter-in-place drills.

Knowledge of the three phases of a crisis, pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis, is also essential. The

crisis matrix also gives context to the counseling professional regarding the difference between

types of crisis. Lastly, counselors should be aware of the five phase model which includes

prevention, protection, mitigation, response, & recovery. It is important that no matter the role,

the counselor seeks out and stays up do date with current information

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The counselor may engage in community outreach by educating others on specific topics

such as mental health across diverse populations and resources for homeless folks who suffer

with mental illnesses. These roles may be daunting for a new professional, so it is important that

each counselor has a supervisor that they work within the beginning years of their practice (1m).

In fact, counseling students must be supervised on the work they do throughout their time in the

counseling program to learn essential counseling skills.

During my tenure in the counseling program, I worked at College of the Canyons (COC)

as an Outreach Representative. I worked with high school students and the community to provide

information and services to ease students transition into college. During this time, the COVID-19

pandemic hit and my team and I needed to respond to the shift to virtual learning (1c). Although

this was difficult for the students, I also had a challenging time transitioning. According to

Schlossberg (1989), transition can be difficult if the individual perceives it as so. The emergency

caused by the pandemic was a difficult transition for many people worldwide. I realize that the

students I was working with were dropping out of classes and failing their classes. This is mainly

due to the transition to an online platform. I wrote a research paper on online learning with a

special focus on the pandemic, which describes the transition to online learning for many

students (Major Artifact, “Online Learning”).

In addition to working with students at COC, I also worked with a virtual client (VC) for

a total of 14 sessions utilizing counseling skills to reach goals as described in a treatment plan

that I wrote for the VC. I recognized that they also had a difficult time transitioning during a

pandemic as their motivation was low and they had no energy to work out and complete daily

tasks. I worked with my supervisor to conceptualize what the student was going through and do

some reflecting on my mental health. I realize the importance of supervision due to this event.

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Supervision allowed me to bounce my ideas off of someone and use them as a sounding board to

get feedback on what I was going through. Through my supervision I learned that I had a wall

up, and I wasn’t as vulnerable as I could be in my counseling sessions (1m). I made sure to use

this feedback to my advantage and grow in my vulnerability with students. Now in working with

students, I have a vulnerability level that I would not have had if I did not have supervision.

Overall, counselors have roles and responsibilities as members of interdisciplinary

community outreach, emergency management response teams, and supervision. I was able to

work with students by providing outreach services to help them with their transition into college.

With my supervisor’s help, I also counseled my virtual client through the beginning stages of a

pandemic and referred her to a long-term therapist. These are examples of community

engagement, emergency management, and counseling supervision.

d. the role and process of the professional counselor advocating on behalf of the profession and

e. advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede

access, equity, and success for clients

Counselor advocacy involves taking action to promote the profession, emphasizing

removing or minimizing barriers to the counselors’ ability to provide services (Remley, 2019).

Counseling as a mission-based profession meaning that we have a reason for choosing this

career. For example, there may be a specific client population for which we want to make a

difference. The counseling ethics codes and professional competencies mandate that we advocate

for and alongside our clients. We must know and promote our worth and recognize if we are not

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strong and healthy as a profession, we cannot help others, so professional advocacy should be a

top priority for all counselors.

Advocacy activities serve to expand counselors’ presence at the community, state, and

national levels (1d). Larger scale advocacy actions could encompass large organized efforts such

as those aimed at choosing federal or state legislation or local policies and practices. Smaller

scale advocacy may present measures that positively impact the counseling profession such as

mentoring the next generation of professionals. The American Counseling Association (ACA)

has advocacy as one of its core principles (ACA, 2014).

There are also advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that

impede access equity and clients’ success (1e). Because we live in a society where there are

marginalized and underserved populations who may feel like second-class citizens, the counselor

should be aware of the barriers that present themselves to the special populations. For example

African-American students have some of the lowest graduation and attending rates in college.

This is because there are barriers such as access to resources, lack of social and cultural capital,

and societal barriers such as the school to prison pipeline. The counselor should be aware of such

obstacles and be willing to advocate on the student’s behalf when needed.

During my time in the counseling program I had the chance to research and write a paper

on successful programming for women of color and stem(Major Artifact, “Women of Color in

STEM”). Women of color account for a tiny population of those in stem professions due to the

special barriers that they encounter such as lack of support, lack of feelings of belongingness,

and lack of social and cultural capital. Rendon (1994) stated that students need to feel validated

in order to persist through college. In understanding this I felt it necessary to focus my attention

on this student population to address barriers to access, equity, and success for clients (1e).

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In my research, I found that retention was higher among students who were engaged in

programmatic efforts focused on supporting and nurturing women of color, with attention paid to

their specific challenges and strengths. Students cited undergraduate research opportunities,

financial support, academic skill-building workshops, mentoring, and student memberships in

professional organizations as most helpful (Reyes, 2011). Research internships allow science

students to learn about the profession from other scientists, gain research skills, and apply

science concepts within the research context. These students often talked about gaining

validation of their academic abilities and thinking of themselves as real scientists after working

in research laboratories (Reyes, 2011). Furthermore, staying or leaving considerations were often

resolved by sharing experiences and advice in programmatic settings (Reyes, 2011).

My research helps to inform my practice as a counselor and work with diverse student

populations and advocate on behalf of my profession (1d). By writing papers and doing my

research, I am advocating for my profession by providing evidence that what we do truly impacts

students. I know, for example, that the students who participated in my psychoeducational group

for African-American student populations gleaned knowledge and felt connected because of a

group that I facilitated. These connectedness feelings will lead to them having a higher chance of

persisting (Astin, 1985).

The professional counselor’s role and processes advocating on behalf of the profession

are broad and far-reaching. The counselor is a key player in pushing forward social justice and

advocacy for all. Processes such as doing research, engaging on a community level, engaging

and if on a federal level, and interacting one on one are all ways to advocate for the profession

and for clients. I had the opportunity to research special student populations who frequently

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Core 1 Reflections
encounter access and equity barriers to their success and then implement them into my practice

to impact my clients’ lives positively.

f. professional counseling organizations, including membership benefits, activities, services

to members, and current issues and g. professional counseling credentialing, including

certification, licensure, and accreditation practices and standards, and the effects of public policy

on these issues

Professional organizations often serve as the counseling profession’s voice on regulatory

and legislative matters. They have had a significant role in shaping the profession into what it

has become today. Professional counseling organizations provide benefits to members such as

keeping them in the loop on current issues, giving exclusive invitations to counseling events to

supplement their work with clients (1f). For example, I receive a newsletter from the American

Counseling Association (ACA) regularly concerning current events to keep me in the

profession’s loop. This is a benefit of being a member of a professional organization. Also,

counseling organizations such as the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related

Educational Programs (CACREP) provide accreditation by reviewing and evaluating graduate

educational programs in counseling to ensure that the program adheres to a rigorous set of

national standards excellence (1g).

Public policy can also affect professional counseling credentialing. For example, Title V

funding is geared towards institutions that serve a large Hispanic population. There are

counseling and student affairs professionals who need to understand the specific challenges and

barriers that this population faces. Credentialing will then depend on the multicultural

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competency of the professional in working with the student population. Furthermore, the Black

Lives Matter movement’s current political climate has prompted funding for multicultural

centers across the nation. This means that there will be positions open for competent

professionals to practice in their field with diverse student populations (1g).

As a counseling student in a counseling program, I am a member of various counseling

organizations (1f, 1g). The American Counseling Association provides me with liability

insurance and working with my clients and students. The National Career Development

Association (NCDA) guides me on career counseling competencies. CACREP credentialing

ensures that I meet counseling competencies to be efficient in my field. Additionally, I was the

California career development Association’s vice president - CSUN Chapter (CCDA-CSUN)

during the first year of my counseling program. Being vice president for the CCDA allowed me

to participate in career development workshops and organize an event for graduate students to

network with each other. We had the president of CCDA as a keynote speaker at our event. I

believe the event was in success because graduate student counseling professionals networked

with each other and had a great time getting to know one another.

Being a member of a professional counseling organization allows counselors to

participate in exclusive activities and have access to specific services and benefits. As an ACA

member, I have liability insurance which allows me to confidently practice with my clients and

students during my time in the counseling program. Being a member of the ACA also keeps me

in the loop of current events issues that are happening in the world today. CACREP credentialing

ensures that the counseling professional is competent and the work that they do. Public policy

such as Title V funding affects the counseling professional’s practices, encouraging them to be

multiculturally competent.

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h. current labor market information relevant to opportunities for practice within the

counseling profession

Labor market information provides an outlook on the opportunities for practice within the

counseling profession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020), employment of

substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors is projected to grow 25%

from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employment growth is

expected as people continue to seek addiction and mental health counseling. Mental health and

wellness have become a more prevalent issue in today’s society, especially as the COVID-19

pandemic has affected many lives. Due to feelings of isolation, many people have been seeking

mental health counseling to address their challenges. Students in college also seek professional

help to ensure that they can continue to meet their career goals. They may seek services from

campus counselors, career counselors, and academic counselors to meet their needs. Even in

such a difficult time there is still an opportunity for the counselor to persist in their profession.

During my time in the counseling program, I attended class that discussed job search

strategies and opportunities for my cohort and I. We also discussed negotiating salary and

addressing imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome disproportionately affects hi achieving

professionals, especially women of color. As a black woman, I tend to encounter imposter

syndrome in my everyday life. It was nice to be able to discuss negotiating through imposter

syndrome during the class that we talked about jobs or strategies. Furthermore, I attended a

webinar that focuses on negotiating through imposter syndrome at UCLA, one of my field sites.

Even with a global pandemic, there are still opportunities for new counselors to thrive in

the field. During my time I have seen many counselors retiring during the pandemic, possibly

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due to the additional pressures that are being placed on them. There is a transition from being in

person to being in a completely virtual setting. With this comes zoom fatigue and adjustment

challenges for professionals across the spectrum. Although a challenge, this is an excellent

opportunity for new professionals to enter the field.

I was encouraged in class to know that there will still be a variety of positions open by

the time I graduate in the spring of 2021. I have already been applying for positions at my field

site, college of the canyons (COC), due to professionals retiring. Counseling professionals

should be aware of current labor market information relevant to opportunities for practice within

the counseling profession. My counseling program has efficiently prepared me for the job search

process.

i. ethical standards of professional counseling organizations and credentialing bodies, and

applications of ethical and legal considerations in professional counseling and j. technology’s

impact on the counseling profession

There are ethical standards of professional accounting organizations and credentialing

parties which should be applied utilizing ethical and legal considerations (1i). In today’s world,

technology also comes with ethical considerations and impacts the counseling profession (1j).

The American Counseling Association Code of Ethics provides ethical guidelines and principles

for counselors to follow in their decision-making (ACA, 2014).

When counselors are faced with ethical dilemmas that are difficult to resolve, they are

expected to engage in a carefully considered ethical decision-making process, consulting

available resources as needed. Counselors acknowledge that resolving ethical issues is a process;

ethical reasoning includes consideration of professional values, professional ethical principles,

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and ethical standards (Remley, 2019). Counselors’ actions should be consistent with the spirit as

well as the letter of these ethical standards. No specific ethical decision-making model is always

most effective, so counselors are expected to use a credible model of decision-making that can

bear public scrutiny of its application. Through a chosen ethical decision-making process and

evaluation of the context of the situation, counselors work collaboratively with clients to make

decisions that promote clients’ growth and development. The National Career Development

Association (NCDA) also provides ethical guidelines and principles for career counseling

professionals and their work with clients.

In reference to 1i, The NCDA substandard addresses Technological Administration by

stating that, “Career professionals ensure that administration programs function properly and

provide clients with accurate results (NCDA, E.7.b, 2015). For example, when a career

counseling professional is working with a client, they must engage in ethical practices when

utilizing technological assessments. When a career counseling professional assesses a client

using a tool such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment (MBTI), they should ensure the

client does not look over the results independently. The MBTI assessment identifies personality

traits and characteristics based on a reliable normative sample. The results are difficult to read

for a client, so this is a restricted assessment, meaning that a counseling professional must

interpret the results with the client.

Another consideration that NCDA (2015) references is Provision of Favorable

Conditions, which states that, “Career professionals provide an appropriate environment for the

administration of assessments (e.g., privacy, comfort, freedom from

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distraction)” (E.7.d.). This may be difficult when counseling a client virtually (1j). The counselor

may need to assess the conditions of the client that they’re working with during sure that they are

in a space that is conducive to the catharsis that counseling can provide.

Toward the end of my counseling program, I was required to work with students from

home due to the stay-at-home order prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time I

had the privilege of working with students as a psychoeducational group facilitator for

African-American students at college of the canyons. This group’s purpose was to provide the

students with holistic wellness and success strategies to help them persist and graduate college.

In the beginning of this group I assessed each person‘s environment to ensure that they had

stable Wi-Fi and a comfortable place to meet utilizing an online video conferencing platform for

our group (1i).

I understand that there is less control of the environment, as clients are taking

assessments from home due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. After assessing each student's

environments and judging that it was appropriate, I proceeded to allow students to take a

non-standardized assessment at home that was based on the MBTI. Ethically, I went over all of

the personality functions during our group and explained them more in depth (1j). I allowed each

student to choose the personality functions that they most agreed with, regardless of what their

assessment results gave them (Minor Artifact, “Your Career Journey”). For example they can

choose from measures of extroversion and introversion depending on which description truly

matches their personality, not from suicidal messages that they’ve received throughout their

lives.

Overall there are ethical standards for the counseling professional to follow according to

credentialing bodies, and technology is becoming a larger consideration in today’s climate. The

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COVID-19 pandemic brought about a systemwide change to online learning. Because of this,

some ethical standards and practices need to be utilized when using technology to work with

students in a virtual environment by following ACA and NCDA ethical principles and

guidelines. Counseling professionals can ensure that they are up to par with ethical and legal

standards in their practices. I abided by ethical standards when utilizing technology when

working with students during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic is over, I will carry

over the skills into my daily practice with students on-site.

k. strategies for personal and professional self-evaluation and implications for practice and l.

self-care strategies appropriate to the counselor role

There are strategies for personal and professional self-evaluations which have

implications for practice (1k). Part of self-evaluation for counseling professionals is

understanding one’s limitations and engaging in self-care strategies that are appropriate to the

counseling role (1l). For example, counselors should be aware of countertransference when

working with a client. Countertransference can both positively and negatively affect the

counseling session. If the counselor is unaware of countertransference they may do harm to the

client. Additionally the counseling professional should have their own therapist or counselor and

a supervisor to discuss thoughts and feelings and take care of their own mental health.

The kind of work that counselors do is emotionally laborious. In reference to 1l, self-care

is the integration of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well- being. Emphasizing that

attention to self-care is also an important aspect of a counselor's work experience.

Counseling is a profession dependent upon our ability to be authentic and be

empathetically attuned. Research demonstrates that the therapeutic relationship’s quality is more

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predictive of counseling outcome than any other factor (Ardito & Rabellino, 2011). Since the self

of the counselor is an essential component of effective counseling, it is vital that we nourish our

own wellness. When we are well, we are better able to connect with our clients, more attentive

and creative in our work, and less likely to make clinical errors or violate boundaries.

During the second year of my counseling program, I attended a Presentation on self care

in my Human Development course. I was able to reflect on my own self-care strategies as a

counselor. I was able to view the impact of COVID-19 on my mental health by framing my

experience within a theoretical framework. For example, according to Maslow (1943), people

need to fulfill their lower needs such as food, water, shelter, and safety, before fulfilling higher

knees such as self actualization (i.e. education). I recognized that the pandemic threatened my

safety and my attention was being pulled away from school. I was also able to reflect and create

meaningful goals for myself (linked to the “Goals” section). My goals consisted of both shorter

term and longer-term strategies. One goal was ensuring I take care of myself by getting enough

sleep at night. After reflecting, I recognized that the amount of sleep directly impacted my

feelings of well-being. I took a look at my strengths of planning and organization and used this to

organize a work and sleep schedule for myself. I am happy to say that I was able to get an

average of eight hours of sleep per night during a rigorous counseling program because I said

that goal for myself. I increased my overall well-being by doing so and being proactive with my

health, even during a challenging pandemic.

Overall, there are strategies for personal and professional self evaluations which have

implications for practice. An example of a personal strategy can include self-care strategies, goal

setting, and talking with one’s own therapist. I was able to reflect on how the COVID-19

pandemic affected my mental health and conceptualize through Maslow‘s (1943) hierarchy. This

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reflection actually helped me to conceptualize what my students were going through and better

help them succeed in college. I looked at my strengths to help make it through some of my

difficult times and I now use a string spaced approach when working with my students.

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References

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics.

https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-e
Thics-finaladdress.pdf

Ardito, R. B., & Rabellino, D. (2011). Therapeutic alliance and outcome of psychotherapy:
historical excursus, measurements, and prospects for research. Frontiers in psychology, 2,
270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00270

Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal
of College Student Personnel, 25(4), 297–308.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.

https://doi.org/10.1037/h005434

National Career Development Association. (2015). Internet sites for career planning. Retrieved
from www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sp/resources

Remley, Theodore P. Jr. and Herlihy, Barbara P., "Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in
Counseling (6th Edition)" (2019). Counseling & Human Services Faculty Books. 26.

Rendon, L.I. Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and student
development. Innov High Educ 19, 33–51 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01191156

Reyes, M.-E. (2011). Unique Challenges for Women of Color in STEM Transferring from
Community Colleges to Universities. Harvard Educational Review, 81(2), 241–263. doi:
10.17763/haer.81.2.324m5t1535026g76

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020, February 7). Employment situation summary. Retrieved
February 7, 2020.

Major Artifact, “Online Learning & Student Success”

Major Artifact, “Women of Color in STEM”
Minor Artifact, “Your Career Journey”

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