Becoming a Community Counselor: Personal and Professional Explorations » (1st Edition)

Designed as a first course for graduate students on a community counseling track, this text provides a practical introduction to the field and covers all the core competencies required by CACREP. Students learn about the challenges a counselor may face, including ethical dilemmas and the struggle to meet an increasing demand for mental health services for a diverse populationm, through personal accounts, structured activities, and practical hints from experienced counselors.A special feature, the Defining Moment, in each chapter provides an account of the struggles and triumphs of a practicing counselor. These insights, from counselors with a range of experience, help students realize the personal strengths and challenges they bring to the role of community counselor.

1. Putting Ourselves in Context: Professional, Community, and Personal Histories
2.Living the Life: Practical Realities of Community Counseling
3.Doing Good: Ethical and Legal Issues in Practice
4.Exploring the Counselor Within: The Facilitative Self
5.Experiencing Counseling: Concepts, Dynamics, and Change
6.Conceptualizing Clients: Individual Assessment
7.Viewing the Community Kaleidoscope: Embracing Diversity in Counseling
8.Responding to Change: Lifespan Development
9.Building on Strengths: Working with Groups
10.Discovering Options: Career Counseling
11.Expanding Our Knowledge Base: Research and Evaluation
12.Working Behind the Scenes: Consultation and Supervision