C1- Theory and Development and Practice of Individual, Group, Career, and Family Counseling.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of counseling theory and capacity to practice both
individuals, and group counseling with a broad range of clients/consumers/students, regarding
an array of concerns including career and family concerns.
When I first heard of theories, I did not have the ability to fully understand what a theory
was or how they were developed. I viewed theoretical orientations, methods as an obscure term.
When I took careers, I was fascinated by the ability to understand and connect my thought
process on improving college access and jobs to a theory. It was then, that I realized in education
research is pivotal to my work. In other words, until I obtain my advanced degree my thoughts
are not of value unless I can support them with theory and research. I thank Albert Bandura for
his ability to identify personal performance, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion,
physiological and emotional factors as part of his Social Cognitive theory; his work validated my
experiences and my advocacy work.
When I was invited to participate in selecting the best career development information
system for educators in our state, I was honored. My feedback and scoring focused heavily on
accessibility, reliability of career assessments, ongoing professional development support to
educators and students regarding career planning and cultural relevance. With the announcement
of the new vendor, I feel confident in my scoring and logic for supporting such vendor. I will
continue to stay abreast in the theories of career development, and although I am aware that most
counselors do not operate entirely under one theatrical orientation, my favorite method is Albert
Banduras, this is because of my personality and values.

During my Group Counseling class, I had the privilege of working with two great
colleagues, Vince and Ellie. The preparation for our group session required us to decide whether
or not the group would be a closed or open group, psychoeducational or support group, and many
more decisions. These conversations prior to our session allowed our group to be a success.
Although, I may not pursue the option of becoming a Rehabilitation Counselor I do plan on
continuing to use group techniques such as identifying the purpose of the group, what do I want
members to obtain from participating in this group, how often is this group meeting and what are
the expectations of the group.
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