Running head: CAREER REFLECTION 1

Future Career Plan

Gabrielle Cullen

Loras College
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Future Career Plan

After my three and a half years at Loras College, I can proudly say I have chosen what I want

to do in the future. I have taken various psychology courses that have broadened my view on the

many career paths that are available within the psychology field. The one that stands out to me the

most is counseling, specifically, mental health counseling. Mental health is extremely prevalent in

today’s society and is not spoken about as much as it should be, in my opinion. Millions of people

suffer every day from mental disorders. I have learned in my psychology classes that one in four

people will be affected by a mental disorder during their lifetime; this shows how widespread mental

health truly is. One’s mental health is enormously important when it comes to living day to day and I

want to be able to promote mental and emotional health.

I have decided to go to graduate school after I graduate from Loras and will be applying to

Lewis University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program in hopes of being accepted. Lewis

University’s campus is close to my hometown where I plan on living until I complete my master’s

degree. Their program has three concentrations to focus on such as adult clinical mental health

counseling concentration, child and adolescent clinical mental health counseling concentration, and

child and adolescent distinction. Lewis University also offers an optional course study of addiction

studies. I will be choosing the concentration of adults as well as the addiction studies course. The

real-world faculty and the flexible formats of the course classes will allow me to work as I am

continuing my education. I plan on becoming a mental health counselor in Illinois where I will start

practicing in an office, but hope to move to Wisconsin to further my career. After gaining a few years

of experience at a particular counseling office, I want to open my own practice. Using the skills and

knowledge I attain after the years of experience, I will be able to open my own practice where I can

further express those skills and support those in need.

The content I have learned in psychology has helped me in my choice of becoming a mental

health counselor. I took an abnormal psychology class where I was exposed to the various types of
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mental illnesses and what criteria must be met in order for someone to be diagnosed with that

specific illness. This class made me aware of how diverse the world is and how many illnesses really

exist. To me, it is important to address the issues of the world and if people can be helped, then they

should have access to such help. The material I learned in abnormal psychology relates to mental

health counseling because the main focus is mental health. Learning about the different mental

illnesses such as depression and anxiety and how it comes about in different people, made me realize

that I truly want to advocate for peoples’ well-being and be able to benefit those in need. I also

learned that it is important to use person first language when regarding an individual and their mental

health. When counseling an individual, I must make sure that I see them as a human first and not for

their mental disorder. I can use what I have learned about mental illnesses from my abnormal

psychology class and the DSM-5 to build upon this knowledge while in graduate school. I will

eventually be able to listen to a client’s concerns and develop a treatment plan for them. For instance,

I must provide clients with self-knowledge and the tools they need to live a stable life.

Cross-culture psychology has also influenced my future choices. This course allowed me to

see how other cultures view the world and how it relates to psychology. One’s cultural identity will

be different from others and that is what makes us unique. Not everyone endures the same situations

or difficult times other people have. In this course, I have learned how one’s society plays a large

role in an individual’s life. One’s society can either support an individual’s decisions/actions or reject

them which can be overwhelming for some people. I have also learned how emotions vary within

cultures and how people might not express their feelings due to the society they are living in. This

course showed me how vital it is to understand others before making any assumptions or judgements

about them. One’s culture might be a central part of their life and mental health counselors must be

respectful of their client’s preferences. When I am a mental health counselor, I can use what I have

learned about the emotions of others when conversing with my clients. People can receive counseling

regardless of their culture and I must use cultural sensitivity when it comes to diagnosing and treating
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a client. A client might view an illness differently than someone from another culture which is

imperative for me to realize. I must disregard any biases I have so that I have a clear idea of who the

individual is in order to create treatment plans that will work well for them. Counseling is a

judgement free zone and it is essential that the client feels comfortable and welcome in my office.

Research methods and statistics is a course that has provided me with skills I will be able to

use in my future. I learned about the research process and how the scientific method works. In this

course, we had to write a research proposal on a topic of our choice. I explored the negative

consequences screen time has on adolescents. Writing this research proposal helped me improve and

enhance my research abilities as well as my critical thinking skills. I had to express creativity and my

critical thinking skills when designing my own experiment and deciding how I was going to analyze

the results. SPSS has also taught me valuable technical skills and how to run descriptive and

inferential statistics. After completing my own research study, it was easier to produce another

research study with a group during the second part of research and statistics. My group and I chose

the topic of adult’s perception on child sport and risk of concussion. We took the steps needed to

create an IRB and ultimately conducted a study by asking parents if they would allow their children

to play contact sports even after reading articles about the risks of concussions. Each of us were able

to send out the informed consent and surveys. At the end of the project, we analyzed the results

together and were able to discuss our own thoughts. The material learned in this course will translate

into my work as a mental health counselor if I need to conduct research on a certain population or

even collaborate with others. I will be able to study and analyze the research found and decide how to

implement it into my work in order for it to benefit my clients.

In order to become a mental health counselor, I must keep in mind the APA Code of Ethics. I

must abide by the rules and guidelines given. Specifically, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence,

justice, fidelity, and veracity will apply in this work setting. Promoting autonomy is important in the

field of psychology as well as in counseling. The client is allowed to make their own choices and act
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how they would like. As a counselor, I must encourage clients to make their own decisions and to act

according to their own values. Beneficence and non-maleficence also apply in this work setting.

Counselors strive to benefit their clients and take reasonable steps to do no harm. Promoting the good

of others and doing right by the client is essential and no harm must be inflicted on a client.

Counselors need to be aware of the possible effects their own reasoning and knowledge can have on

their clients in order to avoid potential harm. All persons have the right to equal treatment which is

known as justice. Counselors must use reasonable judgment and avoid their own biases when it

comes to diagnosing and treating an individual. Fidelity is another ethical principle counselors must

follow. Establishing a relationship of trust with clients will allow for a safe space and comfortability.

Counselors must remain honest and uphold their promises made to their clients; they must take

responsibility for their behavior. Lastly, veracity will apply to this work setting as well.

Demonstrating accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in counseling is critical. Counselors must keep

their promises and avoid unclear commitments. Informed consent also plays a role within the

principle of veracity. Clients need to know accurate information about their medical situation and the

different options available.

Along with the ethical principles of psychology, my own abilities, achievements, motivation,

and work habits will aid me in becoming a successful mental health counselor. I possess the abilities

and skills of critical thinking, problem-solving, empathy, and self-awareness. My critical thinking

and problem solving skills were improved upon when I had to analyze different case studies of

humans and their personalities in my personality and social psychology class. I had to interpret and

make inferences about peoples’ lives and explain what might have caused them to behave the way

they did using the concepts we previously learned. I will be able to display my critical thinking and

problem-solving skills as a mental health counselor when I am diagnosing and treating a client. I

must be able to identify what is causing the symptoms of my clients, how to change their thought

patterns, and teach them coping skills. Displaying empathy is important in counseling because a
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counselor has to be able to feel what their client is feeling. I demonstrate empathy in my everyday

life when I take on the perspective of someone else and imagine how they are feeling. Mental health

counselors assist people through very difficult times in their lives and being able to express empathy

will comfort clients. Being self-aware is vital for a mental health counselor when treating clients.

They have to be conscious of their own feelings and desires before they can help someone else. I am

self-aware and know my own psychological needs and desires. Possessing self-awareness will

prevent my own issues from conflicting with those of my clients.

I have made the Dean’s List the last three semesters of being at Loras College, have been

inducted into the Psi Chi Honor Society and will be completing my psychology degree in less than

two months. Motivation and determination have played a large role when completing challenging

course work. I chose difficult classes in order to push myself to do better every day and to see my

growth as a student. These accomplishments will help me in the path of becoming a mental health

counselor because I must be driven and strong-minded when it comes to assisting clients and

completing my own tasks as a counselor. To increase my motivation, I think about my future and

why I truly want to become a mental health counselor. I think about my own accomplishments and

future goals in order to improve upon myself and adapt to new circumstances. When I am a mental

health counselor, I must focus on my goals and be capable of creating new ideas on how to achieve

them if something goes unplanned. For instance, if one treatment plan does not work for a client, I

must develop a different plan to fit their needs.

My work habits such as taking initiative, staying organized, being responsible and consistent

in my school work will translate into this work setting as well. I work best independently because I

am able to work at my own speed and use my own imagination to complete tasks; however, when I

am a part of a group I express initiative well. When working with others, I am usually the person who

takes charge and sets up a game plan. I am willing to get things done in a timely manner and do so by

splitting up tasks. Having all group members create a main goal is essential when it comes to
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communicating effectively. Once everyone is striving towards a common goal, productivity will

ensue. I make goals for myself when working alone and try my best to achieve them. When it comes

to being a mental health counselor, I must express initiative when I am working with clients. I must

take action and decide how to assist a certain individual and what treatment options are best for them.

Staying organized provides me with advantages because I am most productive when I have all my

assignments in one location. Designing outlines ensures I remain organized since everything for a

specific task is written out. Organizing the case files of clients and putting them in my desk will

allow me to find them easily when I see the client next.

Taking responsibility and being consistent are work habits that will definitely translate into

the field of counseling. I take responsibility for my actions and remain consistent in all the work I

complete. There are ample assignments to do while in college and I am responsible for completing

each one the best I can. I put forth the same amount of effort into each class and take each one very

seriously. To remain consistent, I follow study techniques, create schedules, and try not to

procrastinate. Prioritizing my time to homework is key to achieving good grades. Showing

responsibility and demonstrating consistency will benefit me as a mental health counselor because I

will be working with many different clients. I will be responsible for listening to them, developing

treatment plans, and providing them with coping strategies. These responsibilities are important for

me to follow, and I must be consistent with each of my clients. Making the most out of the time I

have with each client will make certain that treatment plans are not prolonged; I want to provide the

help my clients need and not waste their time with many sessions if I can develop treatment plans

quickly. If mental health counseling was no longer offered and I could not become a counselor, I

would have to have a back-up plan. With the abilities, achievements, motivation, and work habits I

have, I could go into another field where I could still express my strong qualities and be successful. I

would not mind working for Human Resources. Going to graduate school would not be necessary for

this position and I could enter the workforce after I graduate from Loras. Managing an organization
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would be difficult, but I believe I have the skills necessary to begin working. I would be able to see

where progress can be made and how I can improve upon my skills to better the organization. HR

managers still work with people, but in a different way than counselors do; therefore, this career plan

would not be a bad option for me.

In conclusion, I have decided to go to graduate school to continue my education in the

psychology field. Becoming a mental health counselor will provide me with the skills and knowledge

necessary to support people who are suffering. One’s mental health is truly important and must be

cared for. The classes I have taken at Loras have influenced my choice in becoming a mental health

counselor and I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given. Learning about the APA Code of

Ethics and what is expected of me as a counselor has opened my eyes to what counseling is all about.

My abilities and skills, achievements, motivation, and work habits will prepare me for graduate

school. Treating clients can be difficult, but I am willing to put in the effort and time to become a

very successful counselor.