New Counselors' Experiences of Community Health Centers

Abstract

This phenomenological study explored 6 new counselors' experiences working in community mental health centers and their experiences of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs-accredited training received in preparation for such work. Three themes from the interviews were identified to provide implications for counselor preparation: contextual descriptions, essential graduate training components, and supportive factors.

Voices from the Desks: Exploring Student Experiences in Counselor Education

“…Graduate student persistence was reported to be higher in students with supportive partners, children, and parents (Cohen & Greenberg, 2011). The strength of the relationships with family is significant to counseling students as it can reduce stress (Mallinckrodt & Leong, 1992;Roach & Young, 2007) and promote stamina in practice post-graduation (Freadling & Foss-Kelly, 2014 (Roach & Young, 2007). For example, activities like meditation have been found to help clinicians self-nurture, manage stress, and maintain social connectedness (Boellinghaus, Jones, & Hutton, 2013).…”

Exploration of Prelicensed Counselors’ Experiences Prioritizing Information for Clinical Supervision

“…Prelicensed counselors, many of whom recently graduated from counseling programs, are facing new challenges in their new positions. While they enjoy a sense of new autonomy and are working to develop their own personal counseling style (Rønnestad & Skovholt, ), they are also managing complicated caseloads and experiencing feelings of self‐doubt (Freadling & Foss‐Kelly, ). Thus, the supervised clinical experience is necessary because of these developmental concerns.…”

“…Because prelicensed counselors work autonomously with minimal direct observation from supervisors (Ellis et al, , ; Rønnestad & Skovholt, ), they are tasked with conveying salient information to their supervisors (Noelle, ). Discerning what information should be prioritized in clinical supervision may be particularly challenging with complex caseloads (Freadling & Foss‐Kelly, ; Lawson, ). The information discussed (or not discussed) in clinical supervision can have important legal and ethical ramifications (ACA, ; Remley & Herlihy, ).…”

“…Clinical supervision of prelicensed counselors is an essential component of continued counselor training (American Counseling Association [ACA], ; Borders et al, ). Prelicensed counselors manage complex caseloads (Freadling & Foss‐Kelly, ; Lawson, ) and work more autonomously than they did during their training programs (Rønnestad & Skovholt, ). To combat these challenges and to ensure the well‐being of clients, supervisors are recommended to provide “direct observation (e.g., recording of counseling sessions, live observation, live supervision)” (Borders et al, , p. 5) of supervisees’ clinical work.…”

Untitled

“…Graduate student persistence was reported to be higher in students with supportive partners, children, and parents (Cohen & Greenberg, 2011). The strength of the relationships with family is significant to counseling students as it can reduce stress (Mallinckrodt & Leong, 1992; and promote stamina in practice post-graduation (Freadling & Foss-Kelly, 2014). Participant's remarks about their perceived need to postpone developmental decisions were a unique finding, as it is not often discussed in the literature.…”