Personal Reflections on Counseling

Gerald Corey

• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781119685005
• eBook ISBN: 9781119685050
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Professional Development

"Gerald Corey's Reflections is an absolute delight! Each chapter is packed with nuggets of wisdom he has gained over the decades. What makes the book particularly engaging is that it invites us into Corey's inner world and we feel as though we are reading a series of letters from a friend. This book could serve as an excellent supplemental reading in an introductory course or as a useful resource for advanced students as they navigate the complexities of graduate school and look ahead to their careers."
— Barbara Herlihy, PhD, University of Texas at San Antonio

"In this inspirational book, Gerald Corey shares his most heartfelt personal reflections and lessons learned as he describes his journey over a 60-year counseling career. He is honest, self-disclosing, humble, and insightful in this compendium that encourages readers to embrace their vision and entertain their dreams. This is a must-read gem that provides an opportunity for counseling students and young professionals to learn from the master."
— Robert Haynes, PhD, Psychologist and author, Borderline Productions

In an easy-to-read, question-and-answer format, Dr. Corey provides sage insight on a broad range of topics concerning professional issues, career development, the counseling process, and work-life balance. Responding to an array of questions often asked by students over the years, he uses candid personal examples to highlight key lessons and engage readers in an active process of personal and professional self-reflection on their own journeys.

Topical question themes include creating your professional path, mentoring and being a mentee, surviving graduate school, benefiting from personal therapy, focusing on self-care and wellness, becoming an ethical counselor, managing value conflicts in counseling, using self-disclosure therapeutically, dealing with difficult clients, getting the most out of supervision, and becoming a writer. In each chapter, reflection questions encourage readers to consider their own views and experiences related to the questions raised, and recommended readings provide suggestions for further information.

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Chapter 1
Creating Your Professional Path

Introduction

Choosing a career in counseling is more complex than simply deciding that you want to help others. In your graduate program interview, you may be asked, “Why do you want to become a counselor?” Your answer to this question may reveal both your motivations and how your personal needs may influence your work as a counseling professional. As you begin to create your professional path, reflect on these questions:

• What are your motivations for becoming a counselor?
• What rewards do you expect to gain from counseling others?
• What professional path do you envision for yourself?

If you understand your motivations for being in a counseling program, you will have a good chance of meeting the goals you set for yourself as a professional.

When I first decided to become a teacher, my conscious motivation was to help others. Eventually I realized that multiple motives were operating in my career choice. Initially I was not aware of what I would be getting from helping others. Later in my career, becoming a counseling psychologist and a counselor educator met my need for being able to make a difference in the lives of students, and this is a basic motivation that energizes me today.

Although you may have altruistic reasons for choosing your professional path, it is important to recognize what you are getting from helping others. Go deeper than simply saying you get satisfaction or a good feeling from helping others. Your desire to become a counselor might include the need to make an impact on others, to give back to society what you have been given, to understand yourself more fully or to resolve personal issues, to feel the appreciation associated with being needed, to study and understand what drives human behavior and behavioral change, or to develop answers to problems and find solutions that help others. Your professional endeavors should be satisfying. If some of your own needs are not met through your work, you may lose interest in what you are doing. Several needs and motivations may be operating at the same time, and your reasons for continuing on this path may evolve and strengthen throughout your career.

If you find meeting your clients’ needs satisfying, you are more likely to create a rewarding career for yourself. But it is important to understand whose personal needs are being met through your work. Meeting your personal needs at the expense of your clients’ needs is unethical. For example, if you push your agenda over that of your client because you need to see your client make behavioral changes, you are failing your client. If you have a strong need to be appreciated and praised, you may seek positive feedback from your client instead of focusing on your client’s needs. Your professional path will be built based on many choices you make early in your career.

• • •

What suggestions do you have for students who are selecting a counseling career?

Reflect on what you would most like from your career, and follow your interests. If you let yourself dream about an ideal profession, what does your dream tell you? Be guided by what you most want in life, not by what you think other people want for you. Creating a career is a continuing decision-making process; it is not a single event. If you let yourself envision what you most want from your career, and if you work to achieve your goals, your accomplishments may exceed your wildest dreams. Mentors and supervisors can provide resources to help you make career choices and point out directions for you to consider. Reflect on this input as you decide what will work best for you. Instead of selecting one occupation that will last a lifetime, choose a broad field of endeavor that appeals to you, and remain open to taking action on opportunities that come your way.

What ideas can you offer students who are beginning their professional journey?

My career path has not proceeded in a straight line; it has been marked by many twists and turns. I began by learning about counseling in general, and then I narrowed my focus as I took other turns on my professional journey. I have found ways to maintain interest in the many aspects of my work, especially through teaching, writing, and making educational videos. Teaching has always been my primary area of interest, and from this general area I eventually developed specialized interests in counselor education, ethics in counseling practice, theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy, and group work. Following my interests and doing what seemed most personally meaningful has been my best guide in charting my professional course.

Becoming the professional you aspire to be is a process that will evolve and change over time. Here are some ideas for you to consider as you actively create your personal and professional journey:

• Reflect on all that you can do rather than on what you cannot do.
• Listen to your inner voice, and strive to trust your intuitions.
• Do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it. You cannot do everything by yourself.
• Cultivate meaningful relationships with friends, colleagues, and family members who can offer you encouragement.
• Find at least one mentor to help guide you in creating your professional path.
• Talk with a number of professionals in the field you wish to pursue. Ask what they do, how they decided on their career, the pros and cons of what they are doing, and advice they may want to offer about entering the counseling profession.
• Participate in volunteer work as well as in employment or internships in the field you hope to pursue. Gaining direct experience can help you sample potential career pathways.
• Explore and take risks by trying different kinds of professional activities or working with different populations. You may discover new interests that had not previously occurred to you.
• Realize that who you are as a person has a key impact on the professional you are becoming.
• Invest in taking care of yourself in mind, body, and spirit. Realize that your ability to care for others is contingent upon you taking care of yourself.
• Be willing to obtain supervision and consultation, regardless of the stage of your career.
• Keep in touch with those people who are significant in your life.
• Learn more about how your own culture is an important part of you, and cultivate an interest in learning about people from cultures different from your own.
• Do your best to be genuine, and never lose yourself when putting on a professional demeanor.
• Put forth your best efforts, set high standards for yourself, and at the same time be kind to yourself and accept your limitations.
• Avoid burdening yourself with trying to be perfect and never making mistakes. Have the courage to be imperfect, and treat your mistakes as valuable lessons and opportunities for growth.
• Acquire and nurture a sense of humor. Avoid taking yourself too seriously, and laugh at your foibles.
• Consider how you can make a significant difference in the lives of others.
• Become a member of at least one professional organization, attend conferences, and consider presenting at conferences.
• Engage in self-reflection, and keep a personal journal.
• Envision what you would like your legacy to be.

As you review these ideas, which seem most helpful to you? Which suggestions would be most difficult for you to put into action? Which ideas are you willing to put into action right away?

One of my former students pursued a social work career, and I recently received an email from him telling me that he had accepted my challenge to take risks and how following this advice has been central in creating his professional journey. Here is part of what he shared with me.

Recently an opportunity presented itself and I went for it. The Directorship for the Mental Health Department of an urban school district became available, I applied, and I got the position. The department consists of a large workforce of school-based mental health providers (mainly LCSWs and a few psychiatrists). There are moments when the weight of the job wakes me up in the middle of the night. However, there are more moments (at least right now) where I find the inspiration and drive to positively impact the social-emotional and mental well-being of all the students enrolled in this district . . . that’s not even counting their parents/caregivers and staff!

You have been in my thoughts recently. I hope all is well with you. I want you to know that I often think back on how you challenged me and how by leaning into those challenges I am the person that I am now. Thank you!

For a personal presentation on beginning your professional path, see Surviving and Thriving in Your Counseling Program (Austin & Austin, 2020).

How can providing service and giving back to others be a crucial part of my career?

Inspiring others has been a motivating force throughout my entire career. It gives me immense satisfaction to be a source of encouragement to my students, to provide support, and to nudge them into finding and following their passions. Providing service to others is not a completely altruistic endeavor; I am well aware of the personal satisfaction I derive from being in a position to make a difference in the lives of students and mentees. I appreciate my students’ deep commitments to social justice work and to doing what they can to better their community and the world. Although this may seem ambitious and unrealistic, I am convinced that we can bring about change in the world through our desire to give back to others what we have been given. We each have unique talents, and putting these talents into action is a vital part of striving toward self-actualization.

Making small ripples has a cumulative impact that expands your influence. Many of you may have initially gravitated toward the counseling profession because of the profound impact teachers, counselors, and family members had on you, and now you want to pay it forward. Even as graduate students, many of you have already derived satisfaction and fulfillment from assisting people in navigating their struggles. Caring about others is certainly a worthy ideal, and it is essential to take care of yourself so you can sustain your efforts in providing service to others.

What blocks the effectiveness of new clinicians most at the beginning of their career?

One thing that gets in the way of the effectiveness of new professionals is trying too hard and expecting to be perfect in whatever they do. When beginning to see clients in a graduate program, students often focus on what technique to use, what to say next, and how they are being perceived by the client. It is difficult to be present with an individual client when your mind is distracted in this way. Work to put these thoughts aside and concentrate on listening to the person before you. Our task is to listen carefully and deeply to our clients and to let them lead the way. If we are able to even minimally enter the world of our clients, we increase ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Chapter 1: Creating Your Professional Path
• Chapter 2: Glimpses From My Career
• Chapter 3: Mentoring Students
• Chapter 4: Graduate School and Beyond
• Chapter 5: The Counseling Profession
• Chapter 6: The Counselor as a Person
• Chapter 7: Personal Therapy
• Chapter 8: Self-Care and Wellness
• Chapter 9: Theorizing About Theories
• Chapter 10: The Practice of Group Counseling
• Chapter 11: Becoming an Ethical Counselor
• Chapter 12: Boundary Issues in Counseling
• Chapter 13: Values in Counseling
• Chapter 14: Multicultural Issues in Counseling
• Chapter 15: Self-Doubt and Learning From Mistakes
• Chapter 16: Self-Disclosure
• Chapter 17: Dealing With Difficult Clients
• Chapter 18: Supervision and Internships
• Chapter 19: Writing and Becoming a Writer
• Chapter 20: Special Topics in Counseling
• Epilogue
• References and Recommended Readings
• Technical Support
• End User License Agreement