Issues faced by beginning therapists

There are many issues faced by beginning therapists as they take what they learned in class about seeing clients and attempt to integrate theory into practice. At some point beginning therapists will have real concerns about their adequacy as a person and as a professional. Review the issues listed in your Corey text, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, on pages 28–33. Choose three of the issues that you might encounter in practice and address the following in your post:

Discuss how the issues might affect your personal view of how people grow and change.
Indicate how you can turn your limitations (personal or professional) into strengths when it comes to counseling clients.
Describe at least one ethical issue you may encounter when working with a diverse population.Corey Text: 28-33 I will cite it, do not have to worry about it. Issues Faced by Beginning Therapists LO7 When you complete formal course work and begin helping clients, you will be challenged to integrate and to apply what you have learned. At that point, you are likely to have some real concerns about your adequacy as a person and as a professional. Beginning therapists typically face a number of common issues as they learn how to help others. Here are some useful guidelines to assist you in your reflection on what it takes to become an effective counselor. Dealing With Anxiety Most beginning counselors have ambivalent feelings when meeting their first clients. A certain level of anxiety demonstrates that you are aware of the uncertainties of the future with your clients and of your abilities to really be there for them. A willingness to recognize and deal with these anxieties, as opposed to denying them, is a positive sign. That we have self-doubts is normal; it is how we deal with them that matters. One way is to openly discuss our self-doubts with a supervisor and peers. The possibilities are rich for meaningful exchanges and for gaining support from fellow interns who probably have many of the same concerns and anxieties. Being Yourself and Self-Disclosure If you feel self-conscious and anxious when you begin counseling, you may have a tendency to be overly concerned with what the books say and with the mechanics of how to proceed. Inexperienced therapists too often fail to appreciate the values inherent in simply being themselves. If we are able to be ourselves in our therapeutic work, and appropriately disclose our reactions in counseling sessions, we increase the chances of being authentic. It is this level of genuineness and presence chat enables us to connect with our clients and to establish an effective therapeutic relationship with them. It is possible to err by going to extremes in two different directions. At one end are counselors who lose themselves in their fixed role and hide behind a professional facade. These counselors are so caught up in maintaining stereotyped role expectations that little of their personal self shows through. Counselors who adopt this behavior will likely remain anonymous to clients, and clients may perceive them as hiding behind a professional role. At the other end of the spectrum is engaging in too much self-disclosure. Some counselors make the mistake of inappropriately burdening their clients with their spontaneous impressions about their clients. Judging the appropriate amount of self-disclosure can be a problem even for seasoned counselors, and it is often especially worrisome for new counselors. In determining the appropriateness of self-disclosure, consider what to reveal, when to reveal, and how much to reveal.