DocuSign Envelope ID: 494B973F-77A9-49CA-90F4-A8553569D4E9

We would like to know more about you and your interest in becoming a counselor. Please address each of the following questions to
the best of your ability. Please give careful thought to your answers. Consider these formal essays, paying attention to clarity of thought,
grammar, and punctuation. Write your answers out on paper or type them on a computer and carefully edit them before you complete
this form.

Tell us about your interest in becoming a clinical mental health counselor. Please address ALL of the following points:
a. When did you first start thinking about becoming a counselor?
b. With whom have you discussed this and what were their reactions?
c. What personal experiences motivate you to want to help people?
d. With what types of client groups (children, teens, adults, couples, etc.) or client issues (depression, trauma, sexual
dysfunction, eating disorders, etc.) have you thought about working with?
Throughout my adolescence and early adulthood, I always had a passion for helping others. When I
began my undergraduate degree, I knew that I wanted to become a counselor. I studied psychology with
a concentration in child and adolescent development, knowing that I wanted to focus on helping
children through hard times, understanding their feelings, and moving forward in a positive way
after traumatic events. I also began to realize that a way to help children, would to also be able
to help families through difficult times. We are a military family, so being able to express your
feelings and emotions to one another is especially important. By becoming a counselor, I hope to
help many families become closer, work through hard times, and grow stronger.

Most of those who are close with me know that I want to become a counselor. I have discussed it with
my husband, my parents, my closest friends, and my grandmother. My entire family has been extremely
supportive and motivating throughout my schooling. My grandmother especially. My grandmother is a
therapist in New York and has always known that I share her passion for helping. When I told my best
friend that I wanted to become a counselor, she was incredibly happy and said that she knows that
this is something I have always been passionate about. My husband has continued to be my biggest
supporter and has done everything he can to help me along the way.

My parents divorced when I was around 10 years old. I had so many emotions and feelings that I did
not know how to express at the time. I was close with my father and watching him move out of our
house was exceedingly difficult for me. When I got older, I found myself wanting to help others
through tough times. I believed that these individuals should not have to go through difficult times
alone. I credit my want to help to the way I felt when my father left.

Working with children and adolescents has always been top of my list for the group of individuals I
want to work with. As I continue with my coursework, I have become open to working with adults,
couples, and families as well. As of right now, my special interests include anxiety, depression,
trauma, grief, relationship conflicts, military psychology, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism
spectrum disorder and adjustment.

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Students often find that once admitted into a Counseling program, people come to them expecting advice and life
recommendations. For each of the following scenarios, we would like to know 1) what would be your internal reaction? 2) How would
you respond to the person?

a. A male coworker confides in you that he is bisexual and says he doesn’t know who else he can trust with this information.

If a male coworker came to me with this information, I would first think to myself that he must truly
trust me. This is not information that is shared with everyone. Often individuals will keep it to
themselves because they fear disapproval or ridicule.

I would thank him for trusting me with this information and allow him to open at his own pace with
any information he wants to share. I would also let him know that I am there for him as a friend if
he should feel he needs someone.

b. A married female friend shares with you that she’s decided to have an affair.

Having an affair is not something most people want to talk about. It may make some uncomfortable to
hear details of something such as this. If a married female friend came to me and told me that she was
having an affair, I would at first be taken back, as this is not what one expects to hear from their
friends. However, the fact that she came to me means that she trusts me, and truly needs someone to
listen and just be there for support.

There can be a lot of feelings of guilt that come along with having an affair. I would let her know
that I am here to listen and be a non-judgmental shoulder to lean on. I will ask her show she is
feeling if it seems she wants to talk about it. I would also ask her if she had thought about speaking
to a counselor. I have heard that speaking to a counselor during times such as this can help an
individual to navigate the situation, they are in. Especially since I am here only as a friend, I do
not want her to think that I am there in a professional capacity.

c. A man on the street with a sign that says “Homeless vet” approaches and asks you for money.
When a person who I do not know approaches me, my guard immediately goes up. Not many people
immediately respond when someone approaches them on the street. At first, I would think to myself that
it is sad that someone can fight for our country and be homeless on the street years later. I would
also think about whether this person truly needed the money. I have sadly come across individuals in
the past who were asking for money when they were not in need. This takes away from those who truly
need our help.

Personally, I do not carry cash or change on me on a regular basis. So, I probably would have to let
the man know that I do not have any money on me. If I did have change on me, I would help with what I
could. I would buy them food and bring it back to them or ask if they wanted to come with me while I
bought them some food.

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Please describe a time when you were able to appreciate another person’s viewpoint even if you did not agree with the person. We are
interested in how you reacted psychologically and how you responded to the other person, not the particulars of the topic on which
you disagreed. (Please provide a specific example)
A few years ago, I worked as a client care coordinator for a family law attorney. As part of my
position, I had to handle the intake process for new clients coming in. Most of the calls came in
at the same time of day, and we only had 3 client care coordinators working at one time. Due to the
high number of calls and long hold times, I asked the administrative assistant to take a message
and let the new client know that they would receive a call back by a specific time. However, the
manager of the law firm did not approve of this strategy. She stated that while the new clients may
be on hold for extended periods, this way we would not miss speaking with them or forget to call
them back. I told her that I understood her reasoning, but still expressed my concern for the long
hold periods. Instead, we came up with an alternative. Together, we spoke with other employees at
the firm who had been trained in intake and asked if they would be willing to help. This way, if
all client care coordinators were on the phone, the call could be transferred to another trained
employee if they were not busy.

Openness to feedback from instructors is an essential component of growth during a graduate counseling program. Please describe a
time when you received feedback that was difficult for you to hear. What were your initial reactions and how were you able to work
through those initial reactions in order to act upon the feedback given? (Please provide a specific example)
During my undergraduate program I took a class in scientific investigation. The professor of this
class wanted specific types of answers that I did not understand. I read through all the
announcements, resources, and discussion posts and completed the assignment how I thought we were
supposed to do it. After I handed in the assignment, I received a failing grade and ample feedback
on how to correct the work I had done. She stated that my information was correct but not formatted
properly. As this was an online course, I did not have office hours where I could go speak with her
in person. We exchanged multiple emails back and forth while I was trying to understand the feedback
she had given. At first, I felt as though she had been too harsh with the failing grade I had
received since she stated that my information was correct. I made the changes she requested and
turned it back in. At this point, she bumped my grade up to a C, but still stated that I had things
that needed to be corrected. I was confused about this as I had just made all the corrections she
pointed out. Once again, we exchanged multiple emails and she gave me ample feedback. After I made
the second set of corrections it became clear to me the way that she wanted it formatted. I ended up
receiving an A on the assignment after I turned it in again.

Throughout the process it was difficult for me to hear and comprehend the feedback I was being
given. This is since she had stated my information was correct, so I was confused about what needed
to be changed. In the end, I was grateful for her feedback so that I could make sure I continue to
format that type of research properly in the future.

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Completing a master’s degree requires a serious commitment in terms of time and personal resources. Please describe your plans to
accommodate each of the following requirements. Include specifics such as whether you have sufficient family support, work flexibility,
etc.

a. Successful completion of courses in the Counseling program requires a minimum of 10 to 15 hours of coursework per week per
course. Please describe how you plan to fit your coursework into your weekly schedule.

I have been taking online courses for five years with Southern New Hampshire University. As of
right now, I commit 2-3 hours per day to studying and completing coursework. With this program, I
will still set aside those 2-3 hours per day and add more time each day when needed. I do not work
right now, and my son is in daycare full-time, so I am able to devote all my daytime hours to
schoolwork. I also set aside time in the evening after he has gone to sleep to complete any more
coursework and studying left for that day.

b. You will be required to attend two in-person residencies in New Hampshire (one in your second term and one in the term before
your start your Practicum course). Please describe your plans to make adjustments in your life to be able to devote yourself to these
week-long experiences that involve all-day sessions and several evening events.
My family and I live in the state of Georgia. I will travel to New Hampshire for the two in-person
residencies and stay at the residency site. We have already spoke to my mother-in-law who will be
traveling to Georgia to help take care of our son while my husband is at work. As stated above, I
do not have a job, which means I will not have any issues traveling to New Hampshire.

c. Finally, you will be required to complete 700 to 1000 hours of clinical practice as part of your field experience (total hours may vary
by state) once you’ve completed the coursework. This will require you to be physically present at a clinical site between 20 to 30
hours per week for at least 9 to 12 months. Please describe the changes you may need to make in your life and the resources you
have that will allow you to make this time commitment. If you are hoping to use your current employment as your field site, please
contact Dr. Earl Grey at CounselingFE@snhu.edu to discuss this before enrolling in the program.
Most of my time during the week is spent studying and completing coursework. Once the coursework for
this program is completed, my days will be open and allow me to be physically present and the
clinical site. As my son is in daycare full-time, this will not interfere with being able to perform
my duties at the clinical site. My husband also works near the daycare, so for any reason, he will
be able to pick him up if needed.

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What other information do you believe would be useful for us to know as we consider your application to our program?
Multiple experiences in my life have continued to fuel my commitment to becoming a mental health
counselor. First and foremost, my parents divorce. Their divorce had a huge impact on the way we
continued to live our lives. As I got older, I found myself wanting to help others who had gone
through the same experience as I had, or any traumatic experience within their family unit.

Another experience is my current lifestyle. I married into a military family, and I have seen
firsthand that military families function differently than others. We must adapt to change quickly
and be ready for anything that is thrown our way. I know many spouses who have sought out
counseling to help them adjust and become comfortable with this type of lifestyle. Being able to
assist them with this and gain their trust because I have been through the same things is
something that I strive for.

A third experience that has helped push my drive to become a mental health counselor is my nephew.
He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of 3. Before his diagnosis it was
difficult to communicate with him, there was struggle within the family, and he would become very
frustrated doing simple tasks. After he and the family began therapy, their world changed in a
positive way. He is one of the happiest kids I know, he can now speak and communicate without
struggling, and he learned to play with other and just enjoy his life.

All these experiences are dear to me and help to strengthen my commitment to becoming a mental
health counselor. I am currently pursuing a graduate degree at Southern New Hampshire University
in Psychology with a concentration in Child and Adolescent Development. However, once I learned
that SNHU offered a Mental Health Counseling degree, I knew that this was the right program for
me. This program will give me the opportunity to learn and gain more knowledge about the
counseling field and how to apply it in real-world professional settings.

This program will help me take my next steps in being able to help others when they need it most.
I look forward to continuing my education and furthering my knowledge in the counseling field.

________ I acknowledge that it is strongly recommended that I stay at the SNHU sponsored hotel for residency. Should I make other

arrangements, I understand that I need to be fully present at all required residency sessions and that there will be no reduction in the

residency fee.

Student Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hannah Cohen Brown

4/28/2020
Student Signature ______________________________________________________________________ Date _______________________________________________

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