Overview of Some of the Helping Professions 21

and probably cannot, ensure that practitioners will competently do what their
licenses permit them to do. The main advantages of licensure are protection
of the public from grossly unqualified and untrained practitioners and formal
representation to the public that practitioners are part of an established profession.

American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA). The

AMHCA is a growing community of approximately 6,200 clinical mental
health counselors. Their mission is to enhance the profession of clinical mental
health counseling through licensing, advocacy, education, and professional
development. AMHCA strives to be the national organization representing
licensed clinical mental health counselors and state chapters, with consistent
standards of education, training, practice, advocacy, and ethics. Recognized as
a national division of the ACA until 2019, the AMHCA is now an independent
organization. The ACA achieved passage of state licensure in all 50 U.S. states
and its territories in 2019, and it continues to work collaboratively with the
AMHCA on issues of common concern. For further information, refer to
AMHCA’s website: www.amhca.org.

School Counseling
Accreditation guidelines for school counseling have been implemented over
the past 20 years, which has moved school counseling forward in terms of
accountability as a helping profession. All states now require a master’s degree
in school counseling, and professional organizations advocate and lobby for
legislative initiatives and the establishment of credentialing.
School counselors perform a wide variety of roles and functions in
elementary, middle, and secondary schools, including individual counseling,
group guidance, group counseling, consultation, advocacy, and coordination. In
addition to working with students, many school counselors consult with teachers,
administrators, and, at times, with parents. School counselors work with students
on a variety of educational issues, including personal and social counseling. From
a multicultural perspective, school counselors have the challenge of advocating
for all students, sensitizing the school community to cultural diversity issues, and
establishing a comprehensive developmental counseling program.

American School Counselors Association (ASCA). The ASCA is the

major professional organization devoted to school counseling. The ASCA has a
code of ethics and a student membership category. For additional information,
refer to their website: www.schoolcounselor.org.

Rehabilitation Counseling
Rehabilitation counseling focuses on person-centered programs and services for
people with medical, physical, mental, developmental, cognitive, and psychiatric
disabilities to help them achieve their personal, career, and independent living
goals in the most integrated setting possible. The profession itself is founded
on humanistic values and the belief that each person has unique cultural
attributes. Rehabilitation counseling is a holistic and integrated program of
medical, physical, psychosocial, and vocational interventions (Commission on
Rehabilitation Counselor Certification [CRCC], 2014). Rehabilitation counselors
22 Chapter 1 Are the Helping Professions for You?

use career, vocational, mental health, case management, and counseling

strategies to empower people with chronic illnesses or disabilities to achieve
their maximum level of independence and psychosocial adjustment through
personally fulfilling, socially meaningful, and functionally effective interaction
with their environment. For additional information on the rehabilitation
counseling profession, refer to their website: www.crcertification.com.

Drug and Alcohol Counseling

Addiction is one of the main public health issues in the United States today.
Substance abuse counselors are actively involved in education, prevention,
intervention, and treatment for various addictions. Practitioners in the field
provide treatment in a variety of settings: private and public treatment centers,
residential treatment facilities, hospitals, private practice, and community agencies.

National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors

(NAADAC). NAADAC is the major national professional organization
devoted to ethical standards for addiction professionals. NAADAC’s mission
is to lead, unify, and empower addiction-focused professionals to achieve
excellence through education, advocacy, knowledge, standards of practice, ethics,
professional development, and research. For additional information, refer to their
website: www.naadac.org.

Human Service Professionals

Many people are in need of support and psychological assistance other than,
or in addition to, counseling and psychotherapy. These clients, sometimes
called consumers, are often helped by people with an undergraduate or graduate
degree in psychology, sociology, or a related field. More recently, many of these
helpers have an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in human
services (Neukrug, 2016a). Although not licensed therapists, human service
practitioners assist in the difficult work with clients who may be struggling
with mental health issues and are in need of assistance with daily living skills.
Sometimes these practitioners are supervised by licensed counselors, social
workers, or psychologists.
Human service professionals (which include educators, students, and human
service practitioners) are generalists with broad training that encompasses skills
from counseling, psychology, and social work (Woodside & McClam, 2019). They
hold a variety of jobs, including case worker, case manager, community organizer,
community planner, community outreach worker, crisis counselor, parole officer,
advocate, mental health aide, substance abuse counselor, social work assistant,
alcohol or drug abuse counselor, mental health technician, child care worker, and
residential assistant, to name just a few (Moffat, 2011). Their focus is on support
and basic psychological aid rather than in-depth counseling and psychotherapy.
Some social service agencies have discovered that human service practitioners
provide services as well as, or more effectively than, highly trained licensed
professionals for these clients. Only a limited number of licensed professionals are
available to work with the vast number of individuals seeking mental health and
daily living skills assistance, and human service practitioners are bridging this
gap in the social service field.
 Values to Consider in Choosing Your Career Path 23

National Organization for Human Services (NOHS). The National

Organization for Human Services is made up of members from diverse
educational and professional backgrounds with the mission of fostering
excellence in human services delivery through education, scholarship, and
practice. Regular membership is open to educators and practitioners, and student
memberships are available. NOHS schedules a conference each year. For further
information, refer to their website: www.nationalhumanservices.org.

Values to Consider in Choosing

Your Career Path
People generally go through a series of stages when choosing a career path.
Information from practitioners and professors can help you define a professional
direction. But you cannot rely solely on the advice of others when making your
career decisions. In today’s world, it is increasingly important to become a
generalist. Your chances of gaining employment in a managed care system are
greater if you are able to work with a range of client populations in a variety of
problem areas. Although you may develop expertise in an area of specialization,
flexibility is often necessary to meet the changing demands in the marketplace.
Ultimately you must decide for yourself which path is likely to best tap
your talents and bring you the most fulfillment. In your career decision-making
process, consider your self-concept, motivation and achievement, interests,
abilities, values, occupational attitudes, socioeconomic level, parental influence,
ethnic identity, gender, and any physical, mental, emotional, or social disabilities.
Your values will affect your choice of a career path, and it is important to assess,
identify, and clarify your values to match them with your career aspirations.
Your work values pertain to what you hope to accomplish in an occupation.
Work values are an important aspect of your total value system. Recognizing
those things that bring meaning to your life is crucial in finding a career that has
personal value for you. A few examples of work values include helping others,
influencing people, finding meaning, prestige, status, competition, friendships,
creativity, stability, recognition, adventure, physical challenge, change and
variety, opportunity for travel, moral fulfillment, and independence. Because
certain work values are related to certain occupations, they can be the basis of a
good match between you and a position.
To clarify some of these work values, ask yourself these questions:
• Do I like working with a wide range of people?
• Am I able to ask for help from others when I am faced with problematic
situations?
• Do I value doing in my own life what I encourage others to do in theirs?
• How do I feel about offering help to others with their problems?
• Am I interested in organizing, coordinating, and leading others in work
projects?
• Do I value working on projects I have designed, or do I tend to look to others
to come up with ideas for projects with which I can become involved?
Your values and interests are intertwined; knowing them can help you identify
areas of work where you will find the most personal satisfaction.
24 Chapter 1 Are the Helping Professions for You?

Suggestions for Creating Your

Professional Journey
In Journeys to Professional Excellence, Bemak and Conyne (2018) introduce 12
leaders in the fields of psychology and counseling who share their personal and
professional journeys. They talk about how they chose their career paths, what
challenges they have faced, what factors contributed to their successes and failures,
how they balance their personal and professional lives, and what advice they have
for those entering the helping professions. We highly recommend this book as you
think about the kind of professional journey you would like to create.
Here are some ideas for you to consider as a way to actively create your
personal and professional journey:
• Look for opportunities to challenge your perceptions of your limitations and
focus on what you can do.
• Ask for help when you need it, both personally and professionally.
• Find a group of people who are supportive and can offer you encouragement.
• Seek out at least one mentor and form networks with others in the helping
professions.
• Seek supervision and be open to feedback and learning regardless of the
stage of your career.
• Remain connected to those people who mean the most to you in your life.
Take time for your family and close friends.
• Strive to integrate your personal and professional journeys. Commit to
taking care of yourself in all ways. If you hope to care for others, you need to
take care of yourself.
• Learn about people from cultures different from your own and strive to
acquire cultural competencies.
• Be your genuine self. Learn from others and integrate that into who you are.
• Listen to your intuitive voice and create your own path.
• Value your mistakes along the way as they provide opportunities for growth
and change.
• Establish both long-term and short-term goals.
• Recognize that obstacles, disappointments, and failures can teach you
valuable lessons.
• Maintain a sense of humor.
• Realize that you can make a significant difference. Become an agent of
individual and social change.
• Work hard and set high standards for yourself.
• Join a professional organization and attend conferences.
• Read, discuss, reflect, and keep a personal journal.
• Develop interests outside of the counseling field.
• Identify your sphere of influence, and act when you have the power to do so.
• Identify your strengths and seek out self-exploration and therapeutic
experiences.
• Dare to dream and have the courage to pursue your passions.
At times in your training, you may feel discouraged, and it may be difficult
to focus on what is really important. Review this list, and use it as a way to
 Self-Assessment: An Inventory of Your Attitudes and Beliefs About Helping 25

regain your momentum. Reflect on the points that most speak to you. What kind
of future do you want for yourself, both personally and professionally? Begin
taking action now on your journey toward the future.

LO6 Self-Assessment: An Inventory of Your

Attitudes and Beliefs About Helping
Self-assessment is an ongoing process for all helping professionals. Completing
this inventory will help you clarify your beliefs and values. The inventory is
designed to introduce you to issues and topics presented in this book and to
stimulate your thoughts and interest. You may want to complete the inventory in
more than one sitting, giving each question your full concentration.
This is not a traditional multiple-choice test in which you must select the “one
right answer.” Rather, it is a survey of your basic beliefs, attitudes, and values on
specific topics related to the helping process. For each question, write in the letter
of the response that most clearly reflects your viewpoint at this time. In many
cases the answers are not mutually exclusive, and you may choose more than one
response if you wish. In addition, a blank line is included for each item so you can
provide a response more suited to your thinking or qualify a chosen response.
Notice that there are two spaces before each item. Use the space on the left
for your answer at the beginning of the course. At the end of the course, take this
inventory again, placing your answer in the space on the right. Cover your initial
answers so you won’t be influenced by how you originally responded. Then you
can see how your attitudes have changed as a result of your experience in this
course.
____ ____ 1. Effective helpers. The personal characteristics of helpers are
a. not really that relevant to the helping process.
b. the most important variable in determining the quality of the
helping process.
c. shaped and molded by those who teach mental health workers.
d. not as important as the skills and knowledge helpers possess.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 2. Personal traits. Which of the following do you consider to be the
most important personal characteristic of a good helper?
a. Willingness to serve as a model for clients
b. Courage
c. Openness and honesty
d. A sense of being “centered” as a person
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 3. Self-disclosure. I believe helpers’ self-disclosure to their clients
a. is essential for establishing a relationship.
b. is inappropriate and merely burdens the client.
c. should be done rarely and only when helpers feel it would be
of benefit to clients.
d. is useful to reveal how helpers feel toward their clients in the
context of the professional relationship.
e. __________________________________
26 Chapter 1 Are the Helping Professions for You?

____ ____ 4. Fees. If I were working with a client who could no longer continue
because of his or her inability to pay my fees, I would most likely
a. be willing to see this person at no fee, but in return expect him
or her to do some type of volunteer work in the community.
b. give my client the names of several referrals.
c. suggest some form of bartering of goods or services for therapy
services.
d. adjust my fee to whatever the client could afford.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 5. Change. Which of the following factors is most important in
determining whether the helping process will result in change?
a. The kind of person the helper is
b. The skills and techniques the helper uses
c. The motivation of the client to change
d. The theoretical orientation of the helper
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 6. Key attribute of effective helpers. Which of the following do you
consider to be the most important attribute of an effective mental
health practitioner?
a. Knowledge of the theory of counseling and behavior
b. Skill in using techniques appropriately
c. Genuineness and openness
d. Ability to specify a treatment plan and evaluate the results
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 7. Fieldwork. With respect to a fieldwork placement,
a. I do not feel at all ready to participate in fieldwork.
b. I would treat it like a job.
c. I expect to limit myself to working with the kind of clients that
I think I want to eventually work with in a job position.
d. I want to work with clients that I think would be a challenge
for me.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 8. Effectiveness as helper. To be an effective helper, I believe I
a. must have an in-depth knowledge of my client’s cultural
background.
b. must be free of any personal conflicts in the area in which the
client is working.
c. need to have experienced the same problem as the client.
d. must be aware of my own needs and motivations for wanting
to enter the helping field.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 9. Helping relationship. With regard to the client–helper
relationship, I think
a. the helper should remain objective and anonymous.
b. the helper should be a friend to the client.
c. a personal relationship, but not friendship, is essential.
d. a personal and warm relationship is not essential.
e. __________________________________
 Self-Assessment: An Inventory of Your Attitudes and Beliefs About Helping 27

____ ____ 10. Being open and honest with clients. I should be open and honest
with my clients
a. when I like and value them.
b. when I have negative feelings toward them.
c. rarely, if ever, so that I will avoid negatively influencing the
client–helper relationship.
d. only when it intuitively feels like the right thing to do.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 11. Ethical decision making. If I were faced with an ethical dilemma,
the first step I would take would be to
a. talk to my supervisor or seek consultation.
b. attempt to solve the problem myself.
c. identify the nature of the problem or problems.
d. talk to my client and strive to involve him or her in working
through this dilemma.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 12. Dealing with inadequate supervision. If I were not getting the
kind of supervision I thought I needed and want, my inclination
would be to
a. make the best of the situation and not cause any trouble.
b. demand that my supervisor provide adequate supervision.
c. learn assertiveness skills and consistently ask for what I need
by way of supervision.
d. suggest that my peers and I form our own peer-supervision
group to talk about the concerns we are facing.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 13. Competence. If I were an intern and was convinced that my
supervisor was encouraging trainees to take on clients with
problems beyond their level of education and competence, I
would
a. first discuss the matter with the supervisor.
b. ask my supervisor to give me extra help and perhaps work
with me directly.
c. ignore the situation for fear of negative consequences.
d. refuse to engage in delivering any services that I thought were
beyond my level of competence.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 14. Cultural competence. Practitioners who work with culturally
diverse groups without having multicultural knowledge and skills
a. are certainly not going to be able to provide effective
services.
b. are probably guilty of unethical behavior.
c. will need to acquire the knowledge and skills by taking a
course, reading, or engaging in continuing education.
d. are making themselves vulnerable to a malpractice suit.
e. __________________________________
28 Chapter 1 Are the Helping Professions for You?

____ ____ 15. Dealing with difficult clients. If I were working with a difficult
and resistant client, my approach would likely be to
a. discuss my reactions to my client’s behavior with him or her.
b. keep my reactions to myself and figure ways that I might get
the upper hand with my client.
c. discuss strategies for reaching difficult clients with a supervisor
or colleague.
d. strive to honor and respect the resistances my client displays and
encourage my client to explore his or her attitudes and behaviors.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 16. Being ready. I won’t feel ready to offer professional help to others
until
a. I have completed the program I am now in.
b. I have developed a specialization that will make me an expert
in a particular area.
c. I feel very confident and know that I will be effective.
d. I have become a self-aware person and developed the ability to
continually reexamine my own life and relationships.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 17. Managing attractions. If a client evidenced strong feelings of
attraction or dislike for me, I think I would
a. immediately want to discuss this matter in my supervision.
b. not have a clue as to how to respond.
c. quickly refer my client to another professional.
d. engage in self-disclosure, letting my client know how I was
affected by what he or she said to me.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 18. Diversity. Practitioners who counsel clients whose sex, race, age,
social class, or sexual orientation is different from their own
a. will constantly be tested by these clients, which will make trust
almost impossible.
b. need to understand the meaning of the differences between
their clients and themselves.
c. are likely to be very effective if they are willing to acquire a
range of knowledge and skills that will enable them to become
culturally competent helpers.
d. are probably not going to be effective with such clients because
of these differences.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 19. Value priorities. When I consider being involved in the helping
professions, I value most the
a. money I expect to earn.
b. status and recognition that will be associated with the job.
c. knowledge that I will be intimately involved with people who
are searching for a better life.
d. opportunity to give back to the community.
e. __________________________________
 Self-Assessment: An Inventory of Your Attitudes and Beliefs About Helping 29

____ ____ 20. Value judgments. With respect to making value judgments in the
helping relationship, I believe helpers should
a. feel free to make value judgments about their clients’ behavior.
b. actively teach their own values when they think clients need a
different set of values.
c. remain neutral and keep their values out of the helping process.
d. encourage clients to question their own values and decide on
the quality of their own behavior.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 21. Helper key tasks. Helpers should
a. teach desirable behavior and values by modeling them for
clients.
b. encourage clients to look within themselves to discover values
that are meaningful to them.
c. reinforce the dominant values of society.
d. very delicately, if at all, challenge clients’ value systems.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 22. Making referrals. I would refer a client to another professional if
a. I were convinced that I was no longer able to be effective with
this client for any reason.
b. I didn’t have much experience working with the kind of
problem the client presented.
c. any sort of conflict of values existed between my client and me.
d. the client seemed resistant and was not willing to be open to
my suggestions.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 23. Confidentiality. Regarding confidentiality, I believe
a. there is little hope that trust will be established unless clients
can be guaranteed absolute confidentiality.
b. it is ethical to break confidence when there is reason to believe
that a client will do harm to someone else or will harm him- or
herself.
c. it is essential for me to discuss in detail the purpose and limits
of confidentiality at the first session with a client.
d. it is ethical to inform the authorities when a client is breaking
the law.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 24. Sex with former clients. A sexual relationship between a former
client and a therapist is
a. ethical if the therapist can prove that the relationship will not
harm the former client.
b. considered ethical 5 years after the termination of the
professional relationship.
c. ethical only when client and therapist discuss the issue and
agree to the relationship.
d. never ethical, regardless of the time that has elapsed.
e. __________________________________
30 Chapter 1 Are the Helping Professions for You?

____ ____ 25. Accepting gifts. If a client were to offer me a gift, I would
a. possibly accept it, but only after fully discussing the matter
with my client.
b. never accept it under any circumstances.
c. accept the gift only if this was the termination of our
professional relationship.
d. accept the gift if gift-giving were a part of the client’s culture
and if refusing the gift would be insulting to my client.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 26. Spiritual and religious values. With respect to the role of spiritual
and religious values in the helping process, I would be inclined to
a. do my best to keep my own values out of the professional
relationship for fear that I would unduly influence my client.
b. recommend to my client that he or she think about how
spirituality or religion could bring new meaning to his or her life.
c. avoid introducing such topics in a session unless my client
initiated this discussion.
d. routinely conduct an assessment of my client’s spiritual and
religious beliefs during the intake session.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 27. Goals of helping. Regarding the issue of who should select goals
in the helping process, I believe
a. it is the helper’s responsibility to select goals.
b. it is the client’s responsibility to select goals.
c. the responsibility for selecting goals should be a collaborative
venture by both client and helper.
d. the question of who selects the goals depends on what kind of
client is being seen.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 28. Social justice counseling. Counseling from a social justice
perspective involves addressing the realities of oppression,
privilege, and social inequities. This implies
a. being aware of sociopolitical forces that have influenced my
clients.
b. teaching my clients how to become advocates for themselves.
c. assisting people in gaining full participation in society.
d. assuming an advocate role if I am to make a difference.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 29. Advocacy competence. To become a competent client advocate, a
helper must
a. be aware of his or her own beliefs, attitudes, and biases as they
relate to social and political factors influencing marginalized
and underserved populations.
b. have the courage to speak out against injustices.
c. engage in considerable reflection before taking action.
d. assess whether to engage in social advocacy action.
e. __________________________________
 Self-Assessment: An Inventory of Your Attitudes and Beliefs About Helping 31

____ ____ 30. Internet counseling. Regarding the practice of counseling via the
Internet, I believe
a. the practice is fraught with ethical and legal problems.
b. this is a form of technology with real promise for many
clients who would not, or could not, seek out face-to-face
counseling.
c. it is limited to dealing with simple problems because of the
inability to make an adequate assessment.
d. will eventually replace traditional face-to-face counseling.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 31. Unethical behavior. I consider the most unethical form of
therapist behavior to be
a. abandoning a client.
b. becoming sexually involved with a client.
c. imposing my values on a client.
d. accepting a client who has a problem that goes beyond my
competence.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 32. Bartering. I believe bartering with a client in exchange for therapy
services
a. depends on the circumstances of the individual case.
b. should be considered if the client has no way to pay for my
services.
c. is almost always a poor idea.
d. should not be undertaken without prior consultation to explore
the possible harm to the client.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 33. Responsibility to the community. Concerning the helper’s
responsibility to the community, I believe
a. the helper should educate the community concerning the
nature of psychological services.
b. the central role of a helper is that of a change agent.
c. it is appropriate to function as an advocate for
underrepresented groups in the community.
d. helpers should become involved in helping clients use the
resources available in the community.
e. __________________________________
____ ____ 34. Working in systems. When it comes to working in institutions or
a system, I believe
a. I must learn how to survive with dignity within a system.
b. I must learn how to subvert the system so that I can do what I
deeply believe in.
c. the institution will stifle most of my enthusiasm and block any
real change.
d. I cannot blame the institution if I am unable to succeed in my
programs.
e. __________________________________
32 Chapter 1 Are the Helping Professions for You?

____ ____ 35. Philosophical conflicts. If my philosophy were in conflict with

that of the institution I worked for, I would
a. seriously consider whether I could ethically remain in that
position.
b. attempt to change the policies of the institution by any means
possible.
c. agree to whatever was expected of me in that system so that I
would not lose my job.
d. quietly do what I wanted to do, even if I had to be devious
about it.
e. __________________________________

By Way of Review
Near the end of each chapter we list some of the chapter’s highlights. These key
points serve as a review of the messages we have attempted to get across. After
you finish each chapter, we encourage you to spend a few minutes writing down
the central issues and points that have the most meaning for you.
• Become active in getting the most from your education. No program is
perfect, but you can do a lot to bring more meaning to your course of study.
• Just as you are evaluated and graded in your educational program, you will
be evaluated in the professional world. Evaluation can create stress, but it is
part of your educational program and your future career.
• Remain open to the question of whether a career in one of the helping
professions is right for you. In deciding whether to pursue one of the helping
professions, do not give up too soon. Be prepared for doubts and setbacks.
• Although the “ideal helper” does not exist in reality, a number of behaviors
and attitudes characterize effective helpers. Even though you might not
reach the ideal, you can strive to reach your own goal.
• It is essential that helpers examine their motivations for going into the field.
Helpers meet their own needs through their work, and they must recognize
these needs. It is possible for both client and helper to benefit from the
helping relationship.
• Some of the needs for going into the helping professions include the need
to be needed, the need for prestige and status, and the need to make a
difference. These needs can work both for you and against you in becoming
an effective helper.
• In selecting an educational program, follow your interests. Be willing to
experiment by taking classes and by getting experience as a volunteer worker.
• Investigate various specialty areas in the helping professions before
committing to a particular path. Visit the websites of the professional
organizations or associations of each of these specializations to clarify your
thinking about your career direction.
• Be willing to seek information about careers in mental health from others,
such as professionals in the field and faculty members, but realize that
ultimately you will decide which career path is best for you.
 By Way of Review 33

• Do not consider the selection of a career as a one-time event. Instead, allow

yourself to entertain many job possibilities over your lifetime.
• Realize that you must have a beginning to your career. Be patient, and
allow yourself time to feel comfortable in the role of helper. You don’t have
to be the perfect person or the perfect helper. Be mindful of the fact that
developing competence as a helper is an ongoing process that takes many
years of supervised practice and introspection.
• Your career as a professional helper can be highly beneficial to you
personally. In very few other kinds of work do you have as many
opportunities to reflect on the quality of your own life and have
opportunities to make a significant difference in the lives of others.

What Will You Do Now?

After each chapter review, we provide concrete suggestions you can put into action.
These suggested activities grow out of the major points developed in the chapter.
Once you have read the chapter, we hope you will find some way to develop an
action program. If you commit yourself to doing even one of these activities for each
chapter, you will become more actively involved in your own learning.
1. If you are an undergraduate and think you would like to pursue a graduate
program, select at least one graduate school to visit and talk with faculty
members and students. If you are in a graduate program, contact several
community agencies or attend a professional conference to determine
what kinds of positions will be available to you. If you have an interest in
obtaining a professional license, contact the appropriate board early in your
program to obtain information on the requirements.
2. Ask a helper whom you know about his or her motivations for becoming a
helper and for remaining in the profession. What does this person get out of
helping clients?
3. Conduct an interview with a mental health professional who works in a
position similar to the one you hope to obtain. Before the interview, develop
a list of questions that you are interested in exploring. Write up the salient
points of your interview, and share the results in your class.
4. The career-guidance center in your college or university probably offers
several computer-based programs to help you decide on a career. If you
are interested in a more comprehensive self-assessment that describes the
relationship between your personality type and possible occupations or
fields of study, we strongly recommend that you take the Self-Directed Search
(SDS), which is available online at Psychological Assessment Resources
(www.self-directed-search.com). The SDS takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
Your personalized report will appear on your screen.
5. Think of ways you can apply what you read. Decide on something specific,
a step you can take now that will help you become actively engaged in a
positive endeavor. After reading this chapter, for example, you could decide
to reflect on your own needs and motives for considering a career in the
helping professions. Review some significant turning points in your life that
might have contributed to your desire to become a helper.
34 Chapter 1 Are the Helping Professions for You?

6. If you are in a training program, now is an ideal time to become involved

in professional organizations. Become an active student member in at least
one of the organizations described in this chapter. By joining a professional
organization, you can take advantage of its workshops and conferences,
often at a reduced rate. Membership also puts you in touch with other
professionals with similar interests, gives you ideas for updating your
skills, and helps you make excellent contacts. Check out the websites of the
professional organizations described in this chapter to see what they have to
offer, to learn about their mission, and to download their code of ethics.
7. Obtaining a master’s degree or a doctoral degree in counseling, counselor
education, social work, psychology, or couples and family counseling may
be the beginning of your educational journey as a mental health professional,
not the final destination. If you hope to establish even a part-time private
practice, or to work in some positions in mental health agencies, you need to
secure a license to practice. Licenses and credentials usually do not specify
the clients or types of problems practitioners are competent to work with,
nor do they specify the techniques that counselors are competent to use.
Most licensing regulations do specify that licensees are to engage only in
those therapeutic tasks for which they have professional competence, but
it is up to the licensee to put this rule into practice. Each state has different
continuing education requirements beyond the core curriculum required by
the state. This makes reciprocity between states more complicated. If you are
interested in securing more information about the licensure process, research
the specific licenses available in your state and the requirements for making
application for these licenses. What are the requirements for licensure as a
social worker, marriage and family therapist, licensed professional clinical
counselor, and other specializations? Compare the basic requirements to
obtain a license in various professions.
8. We cannot stress enough the value of keeping a journal as an adjunct to
reading this book and taking this course. Write in your journal in a free-
flowing and unedited style. Be honest, and use journal writing as an
opportunity to get to know yourself better, to clarify your thinking on issues
raised in each chapter, and to explore your thoughts and feelings about
working in the helping professions. At the end of each chapter, we provide
a few suggestions of topics for you to reflect on and include in your journal
writing. For this chapter, consider these areas:
• Write about your main motives for wanting to become a helper. How do
you expect your needs to be satisfied through your work?
• Write about factors that have influenced your conception of what it means to
be a helper. Who are your role models? What kind of help did you receive?
• Spend some time thinking about the attributes of the ideal helper. What
are your personal strengths that could enable you to become a more
effective helper? How can you determine how realistic your expectations
are about the profession you want to enter?
• What are your thoughts about selecting an educational and professional
route to pursue? Write about your work values that you might consider in
choosing a career path.
 By Way of Review 35

9. Attend a professional state, regional, or national conference offered by one of

the various professional organizations. Attending as a student has numerous
benefits, such as developing a network for jobs, field placements, and
meeting colleagues with similar interests.
10. Bring your completed self-assessment inventory to class to compare your
views with those of others in the class. Such a comparison might stimulate
some debate and help get the class involved in the topics to be discussed.
In choosing the issues you want to discuss in class, circle the numbers of
those items that you felt most strongly about as you were responding. You
may find it instructive to ask others how they responded to these items in
particular.
11. At the end of each chapter we provide some suggestions for further reading.
For the full bibliographic entry for each of these sources, consult the
References section at the back of the book. For a discussion on a wide array
of issues confronting those in the helping professions, see Kottler (2017). For
comprehensive coverage of topics such as development of a professional
identity, ethical standards, basic process skills, approaches to counseling,
and the making of a professional counselor, see Kottler and Shepard (2015)
and Neukrug (2016a, 2016b). For wisdom on a variety of topics for new
counselors, see Yalom (2003). For accounts of professional journeys of various
counselor educators and practitioners, see Bemak and Conyne (2018) and
Corey (2010).