Self-Reflection Counseling Beliefs Paper

Topic-Discuss the following: role of the counselor, how people change, world and religious views, personal strengths, weaknesses, and biases that might be pertinent to the profession of counseling.


Joseph Campbell, a revolutionary figure in the field of mythological research, coined the term “monomyth.” Campbell, after extensive research into folklore spanning centuries and the globe, realized common elements exist in the stories we create about our heroes and our legends. These elements form the stages of the Hero’s Journey—the path towards redemption forged by the protagonist, and are still relevant and present in today’s most popular stories and films. Campbell postulated these commonalities exist because the human spirit is innately the same across divides, and we relish these stories because they represent metaphorically our own journeys towards defeating dragons and finding elixirs. As I reflect upon myself and my experiences at this beginning stage of my educational career in counseling, I find I am balancing my lack of content knowledge with my desire to not lose sight of the fact I can intrinsically connect with others through our collective monomyth journeys.
Individuals, myself included, most often enter counseling because they are already in the midst of a transition or a crisis. Change in life is inevitable however, and I am struck by the notion society considers routine mental healthcare superfluous, when in reality it is the one form of healthcare that contains the most transformative power. A little less than a year ago I entered personal counseling due to feeling stuck. Having long term mental health issues, coupled with major life changes, was too much for me to handle on my own. I am by nature a conscientious planner. I grew up believing if I did all the right things—college, marriage, career, children—in the right order, life would naturally fall into place. The reality though, is that some things you can plan, and other things you can only plan around. I have been changed more by the things I didn’t see coming than by the collective power of all my best-laid plans. I would venture this is true for most people. Change and growth occur at the intersection of biological life processes and outside social influences—both of which are inevitable. Through counseling, I have come to realize the necessity of coping skills in tackling life’s unavoidable crash course. The process of intensive therapy and the relationship I have formed with my counselor, have been intrusive, frustrating, and infinitely rewarding.
I came into therapy expecting my counselor to have all of the answers I was looking for. A few simple yet sagacious comments, a bit of life-tweaking, and I’d be on my way. I’m a high school educator, and as such, I never want to give my students the “right” answer; I want them to use their own critical thinking and strategies to form their own conclusions—a process I now understand serves as a more accurate representation of the role of a counselor. With a skill I can only assume comes with practice, my counselor helped me to distill complex emotions and situations down to targeted counseling objectives, while leaving the door open to the possibility sometimes I would simply need to talk and not reach any actionable results that day. As I formulate who I want to be on the other side of the office someday, I am confident in knowing it is the integrity and complexity of the counselor-client relationship that is paramount. My therapist and I have established a history together; she can make connections between what I am saying and my experiences in the past that even I have missed. This has taken time and dedication for both of us. I appreciate the fact she pushes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to confront my experiences in a safe environment. A few months ago I began EMDR under her guidance. I was at first skeptical and hesitant. Were it not for the mutual trust that exists between us, I would not have journeyed down that road. EMDR has been a powerful and effective force in tackling my personal dragons. I am thankful she knew me well enough to not suggest it until I was ready, and for continuing to guide me safely through the process. Her example has demonstrated for me the role of establishing deep, working relationships in the counseling setting.
A major benefit of having taught high school for nine years, specifically English, is that the content of what we are reading and studying comes alive in a very real and present way in my classroom. My content allows me to gain insights into the lives and struggles of my students in a way that is not as easily facilitated in other classes. Indeed, it has been the joy I receive from establishing these relationships with my students that led me to pursue counseling. Perhaps it has been the exposure to so many students from varying socio-economic classes, religions, nationalities, sexual identities, and learning abilities, that has enabled my to quickly connect with others. I find I am relatively skilled at helping people break down their emotional barriers in order to talk through their situations. I have been told on several occasions I feel like an old friend within a relatively short period after meeting someone. I appreciate this ability within myself to deeply connect to others with relative ease and believe it will serve me well in my career.
Concurrently, I am aware there are populations of people with whom I will have a more difficult time connecting with. I value intelligence in myself and others. I have a difficult time being under the guidance of a leader I perceive to be less intelligent than myself. I find myself judging others based on their language and writing, and often have to remind myself intelligence is expressed in many ways outside of established norms. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I believe I would have a harder time working with individuals I perceive as less intelligent, because I would have a more difficult time establishing our therapeutic relationship. Even in my teaching career, I find I am skilled at taking naturally gifted student to the next level, while I am less apt or excited about working with students with learning disabilities.
In addition, another group of individuals I believe I will find difficult to counsel, are the fundamentally religious. My own religious and spiritual backgrounds have spanned growing up in a very conservative Southern Baptist church, to embracing elements of Eastern religion, to today having settled into a very deist point of view. I do believe in a divine creator, but have come to shirk the idea he or she plays an active role in our day-to-day lives. I embrace the idea of being the hands and feet of God and believe divine love is shared only through one individual to another. In other words, if I want to share God’s love, I am compelled to act, not simply to pray for a certain outcome. I reject wholeheartedly the notion natural disasters and disease are God’s will, and instead firmly believe these are are natural consequences of the human population over time. Holding such beliefs makes it difficult when talking with religious people who feel most circumstances are out of their control and that “whatever happens, happens, and was God’s will.” I believe in a loving creator who compels me to love others, and personal responsibility and taking ownership over our actions is an integral part of this.
The twelfth and final stage of the Hero’s Journey is “Return With the Elixir.” At this point the hero has battled and conquered their adversaries, grown in strength and spirit in the process, and comes back to their ordinary world ready to share their experiences in order to help themselves and others. I can think of no more beautiful of a representation of the intended outcome of therapy. I am in the middle of my own personal journey, and the very beginning of my journey of formally helping others. I value introspection and the ability to challenge my own assumptions and beliefs in order to better serve myself and others—a process I believe will continue indefinitely.