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Internship Reflection Essay: Theory of Choice and Self-Evaluation

Sophie J. Young

Department of Counseling, Wake Forest University

CNS 745B: Internship II Clinical Mental Health

Dr. Erin Binkley

April 29, 2022

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Internship Reflection Essay: Theory of Choice and Self-Evaluation

After my two semesters of internship experience at Guilford College, it feels wonderful

to be able to reflect my learning, gained competencies, accomplishment of goals, existing

strengths, and areas of growth to continue by development as a clinician. Within this two-part

essay, I will begin by highlighting the facets of my selected theory, being

Person-Centered/Rogerian theory, which is the foundation for the work I have completed with

clients. The second part of this essay will be a reflection on what I have learned over the past

year including the counseling strengths I possess and the areas of my clinical skillset that need

more focus as I move forth from this program.

Person-Centered/Rogerian Theory

Person-Centered theory was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940s as a divergence from

the traditional therapist-as-expert model of counseling (Noel, 2018). This theory emphasizes

being a nondirective and empathetic counselor in order to empower and motivate clients towards

change. Rogers believed that humans were essentially good in nature and that each person strives

for and has the capacity to fulfill their own potential. Rogers termed this inclination as the

actualizing tendency (Noel, 2018). Rogers also believed that we all possess the resources needed

for self-understanding which can be accessed within the right therapeutic environment.

A Person-Centered clinician is one who learns to recognize and trust human potential by

providing their clients with the essential therapeutic components of empathy and unconditional

positive regard to help facilitate change (Noel, 2018). Although the counselor takes a more

nondirective approach and follows the client’s lead whenever possible, they still offer sufficient

support, guidance, and structure in their sessions. Regarding the counseling process, Rogers

stated that there are six necessary and sufficient conditions which must be met for growth to
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occur. If the following conditions are met, then a client can move forward with their actualizing

tendency (Noel, 2018):

1. Therapist-Client Psychological Contact

2. Client Incongruence or Vulnerability
3. Therapist Congruence or Genuineness
4. Therapist Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR)
5. Therapist Empathy
6. Client Perception of the UPR and Acceptance
Due to the warm, accepting, and flexible nature of Person-Centered theory, I believe it is

applicable for all clientele. Rogers noted that as long as the six necessary conditions listed above

are met, then growth is possible. Personally, I believe that the emphasis on a strong relationship

as the foundational agent of change combined with a positive outlook on human nature makes

this theory an excellent avenue for clients of all demographics.

From the beginning of the counseling program, I began noticing my strong alignment

with this theory given the thorough crossovers between Rogers’ and my own view of human

nature, change, and our natural therapeutic inclinations. For these reasons I innately gravitated

towards a Person-Centered presence in the Theories and Basic Skills courses. After learning

more details about the theory and reviewing my own session recordings, I could see that this was

a natural fit for myself. Rather than trying to act in a certain way as a counselor, it has always felt

easy, comfortable, and straightforward to operate from this particular theoretical lens, which has

continued to solidify throughout my internship experience. I believe that my therapeutic presence

and communication with clients is where my use of Person-Centered theory is most obvious. I

have been validated by my peers, professors, supervisors, and clients that I have a calming,

nonjudgmental presence and that this leads clients to willingly work towards change.
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Self-Evaluation

I feel very fortunate for the immense knowledge I have gained from my clients, peers,

and supervisors throughout my second year of the counseling program. Some of the most

impactful pieces of learning from my clients include seeing what leads some individuals to make

changes and progress towards their counseling goals while others do not as much. Additionally, I

learned the individuality of what progress looks like across clients and how even if our

interactions only served to “plant the seed” of clients being open to pursue therapy again in their

future, then I have done good work. My clients have also taught me about what things are and

aren’t in my control as the clinician, and the value of client autonomy. And finally, all of my

clients have exhibited to me the importance and absolute necessity of a strong therapeutic

alliance. From my peers I have been validated in my natural instincts to engage with clients in a

Person-Centered way, have seen that I tend to be harder on myself than needed, and have learned

the value of my use of silence with clients. My peers also served as educators about various

theoretical orientations that I am less familiar with and have helped give me a more well-

rounded, eclectic stance towards counseling theories. From my supervisors, I have been

reminded time and time again that I can do hard things. This powerful notion has been

highlighted frequently by my site supervisor, Taleisha Bowen, who continuously encouraged and

reassured me of my competence and skills. My supervisors also showed me the importance of

bringing my authentic self into my sessions, and once again validated my Person-Centered

leanings.

When revisiting the objectives for this internship course, I am pleased to see that I have

experienced an increase in competency for all of them. I have gained much self-awareness and

understanding of my counseling performances and application of skills through viewing my

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session recordings and by receiving evaluations from supervisors. I had the privilege of attending

free trainings on topics like alcohol and other drugs, trauma, and suicidality among college

students to enhance my knowledge in these areas. I also had access to many helpful resources

from supervisors, classmates, and therapistaid.com (which I used in sessions many, many

times!). I enhanced my development of individual counseling skills and was able to prepare an

arts and crafts counseling group which I hope to deliver in a future setting. Overall, I am so

pleased that I was able to successfully complete the required 600 supervised hours with a

population that I have grown to love.

At the beginning of my internship experience my learning goals were to lower my session

anxiety, increase my confidence and comfort as a counselor, and learn to trust my instincts. I am

proud to say that I have made significant progress with each of these. I have also become much

more comfortable not knowing everything there is to know about counseling and relying on the

power of basic skills. I believe that my current strengths lie in my therapeutic presence, ability to

form strong therapeutic bonds with clients, effective use of reflections, summaries, and

inferences, and surprisingly my ability to work with high acuity trauma as seen with the many

sexual assault victims I counseled this year. Going forward, my areas of growth and new

learning goals center around the use of confrontation and challenges when therapeutically

needed, as well as continuing to bring more authenticity into my sessions. I hope to continue

working with the young adult population while also gaining familiarity with more mature

clientele and even delving into couples counseling, family counseling, and crisis counseling to

help me become a well-rounded practitioner with a variety of experiences. I am extremely

grateful for the excellent internship I have had at Guilford College and feel well prepared to

move on to my next clinical endeavor.

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Reference

Noel, S. (2018, January, 17). Person-centered therapy (Rogerian therapy). GoodTherapy.

https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/person-centered