Section A
There are many core skills that are critical to becoming a successful counseling professional. Empathy for the client, active listening, and authenticity are some of the skills that are key to understanding and helping clients. You will be better able to develop these skills once you have assessed your own strengths and challenges. Understanding your existing strengths and objectively assessing challenges you may face are key to building core counseling skills.
For this Discussion, you will take the Survey of Character Strengths from the VIA Institute on Character. This self-assessment will help you analyze your character strengths, and act as a foundation for developing critical counseling skills. It can also aid you in developing your Self-Care Plan.
To Prepare:
Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider your personal character strengths and how they will contribute to your counseling skill development.
Take the VIA Survey of Character Strengths found in the Learning Resources and save your results for your Discussion.
Based on your VIA survey results, post an analysis and explain the strengths that will help you thrive as a counselor. Discuss any results that you found surprising, as well as results that you were expecting.
Section B
To be successful in your mental health counseling career and remain passionate about serving clients, it is necessary to maintain personal and professional wellness. Helping clients, while intrinsically rewarding, is difficult work. Counseling sessions are often filled with intense client stories, experiences, and emotions that can be stressful for you as well as for the client. Focusing solely on clients and losing sight of yourself can have a significant impact on your effectiveness as a counselor and can potentially lead to burnout.
For this Assignment, you will develop a Self-Care Plan that you can use to help maintain your personal and professional wellness.COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Self-Care Plan
Created by:
On Date:
This is your Self-Care Plan. There are no right or wrong answers. There is no “perfect” way to complete
it—you can do so with words, pictures, links, or other creative ways. Be authentic and identify what is
right for you at this time. Remember that you can always change your mind and adjust your plan! This
document is evolving and flexible, a place to start. This is your contract with yourself to prioritize your
health and well-being throughout your graduate school journey. Welcome!
How do you know when you are stressed and need to practice extra self-care? What are
the signs?
1.
2.
3.
Take some time to think about your current self-care. What do you currently do?
Mind
Current Practices:
1.
2.
Body
Current Practices:
1.
2.
Social or Cultural
Current Practices:
1.
2.
Spirit
Current Practices:
1.
2.
Identify new, quick, and easy practices that you could consider trying for each area (examples are
given below; you can use these examples if you wish, but come up with your own as well!)
Mind
(e.g., watching a comedy on TV or reading a
book)
New Practices:
1.
© 2018 Walden University
Body
(e.g., going for a short walk or dancing in the
living room)
New Practices:
1.
1
COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
2.
3.
Social or Cultural
(e.g., game night with your kids or calling a
friend)
New Practices:
1.
2.
3.
2.
3.
Spirit
(e.g., closing your eyes for 2 minutes and
breathing deeply, or listening to your favorite
music)
New Practices:
1.
2.
3.
Identify three people you can call or visit to talk about your thoughts and feelings:
1.
2.
3.
Identify three affirmative statements, inspirational quotes, images, or links to videos that
remind you of your strengths: (e.g., “I know I am strong enough to accomplish this goal,” or listing
your strengths from your VIA Survey of Character Strengths)
1.
2.
3.
Emergency Self-Care Contract
If I notice any of the following signs or symptoms of stress, I commit to find time to take my own good
advice. I will avoid doing the following:
1.
2.
3.
Instead, I commit to taking care of myself and nurturing my well-being by engaging in the following
activities, behaviors, or actions, keeping in mind that my mind, body, socio-cultural self, and spirit all
need to be cared for (list at least three, but feel free to list as many as you like):
1.
2.
3.
I will contact one of the following people to talk to them about my feelings and thoughts:
© 2018 Walden University
2
COUN 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
1.
2.
3.
I will review the following to remind me of my strengths:
1.
2.
3.
If appropriate, I will reach out to one of the following available Walden resources if I find I am struggling
in school because I am overwhelmed:
1.
2.
3.
e-Signature:
© 2018 Walden University
Date:
3
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