The document discusses the author's career plan to become a substance abuse/behavioral disorder counselor. It provides details on three potential career paths - substance abuse counselor, correctional treatment specialist, and arbitrator/mediator. The author analyzes each career, including typical responsibilities, employment and salary statistics. The author expresses a passion for helping those struggling with addiction and shares how their own son's experience with drug court inspired this career choice. The document concludes with the author's reflection on the research process and commitment to continuing education to make an impact in the field.
No matter what type of client your Drug Court is serving, case management is one of the keystones to success. The learning objectives for this session are:
* Learn best practices in the filed of case management
* Learn how to best serve specific case management needs
A descriptive qualitative study_ exploring factors effecting quality of MH services in primary care level setting in Kabul, Afghanistan. Thesis Defense
Beyond Sanctions & Incentives in Mental Health CourtCADCP
Learning Objectives:
* Learn information about specific strategies and tactics used by operational Mental Health Courts that help motivate participants to engage in treatment and comply with court-supervised treatment plans
* Learn about factors that have been shown to improve or impair engagement in mental health treatment
No matter what type of client your Drug Court is serving, case management is one of the keystones to success. The learning objectives for this session are:
* Learn best practices in the filed of case management
* Learn how to best serve specific case management needs
A descriptive qualitative study_ exploring factors effecting quality of MH services in primary care level setting in Kabul, Afghanistan. Thesis Defense
Beyond Sanctions & Incentives in Mental Health CourtCADCP
Learning Objectives:
* Learn information about specific strategies and tactics used by operational Mental Health Courts that help motivate participants to engage in treatment and comply with court-supervised treatment plans
* Learn about factors that have been shown to improve or impair engagement in mental health treatment
On October 31, 1963 President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Community Mental Health Act (also known as the Mental Retardation and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963). It was the last piece of legislation JFK signed before his assassination. For millions of Americans, JFK's final legislation ended the nightmare of being warehoused in institutions and opened the door to a new era of hope and recovery—to a life in the community. The auspicious occasion of the 50th anniversary will appropriately parallel a sustained effort by the Heart and Soul of Change Project to reach those in public behavioral health (PBH). This is the first question of a series of Q and As about public behavioral health and implementation of PCOMS. Mary Haynes wrote this piece about PCOMS, medical necessity, and the "golden thread."
Review of brief Interventions which are useful in working with patients with addictions and/or co-occurring disorders. NBCC, NAADAC, CAADAC, and California Board of Behavioral Sciences approved Mental Health continuing education and addictions counselor training series. Narrated versions and CEUs available at http://www.allceus.com
Jennifer L. NaegeleDr. Daniel WestHAD - 517Jun.docxdonnajames55
Jennifer L. Naegele
Dr. Daniel West
HAD - 517
June 6, 2020
Week 6 Reflection
“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” - Unknown
Introduction
The essence of learning a course in schools is to apply the skills, knowledge, and theories in the day to day operations at home, in the workplace, and in other positions in life. the skills and knowledge acquired during learning are determined by reflecting the concept learned and figuring out how these concepts can be applied in future life. According to Socrates, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” The quote encourages individuals to reflect on the issue that one has passed and projects on how the future might look. In doing so, one is required to remain focus and avoid destructive issues such as fear. In life, to achieve success one should learn from the mistakes and live beyond the frustrations that come from these failures.
What I Learned This Week
This week's reading discusses the need for self-determination in life to achieve goals in life. Life is full of challenges and thus it's essential to remain dedicated and optimistic; being positive in life helps make one overcome the challenges of life. In life, without dedication and hope, individuals' potential starts declining, and this the beginning of failure. Life is characterized by two events – the ups and downs. In the time of down one should remain focused, positive, and determined; during the ups, one should be humble and careful to protect the good thing.
Amending My Behaviors
This week’s reading will play a significant role in amending my behavior; the learning will empower my sense of life and contribute positivity. The readings have helped me to restructure my mind to remain hopeful and continue anticipating the future. Hope plays a substantial role in making keep moving and this betters over livers as we keep pursuing the best (Ross, 2017). By remaining positive even when one is down, make one keep trying, and hence at the end of the day success is achieved. Thus, I will learn to create a positive mood, and this will equip me with the capacity to remain determined even when this is not getting in the right path.
Ideas I can Use at Work and In Relationships
Positive minds, attitudes, and emotions are essential even in the workplace. In the workplace, being positive will help me to influence my colleagues to work hard toward the organization's objectives (Ashkanasy, 2016). A positive person can work under various conditions even though they seem to be challenging. Working in all conditions helps one to earn recognition from their organization and management. As a result, when a promotion comes, I am more like to be considered based on these observations. Positivity helps to create exemplary working conditions that will be emulated by others for the good of the company.
How I will Advance Globalization and Promote Social Justice
The skills l.
RESPOND TO 4 STUDENTS.. There are 2 sets of responses needed totalin.docxpeggyd2
RESPOND TO 4 STUDENTS.. There are 2 sets of responses needed totaling 4 responses..
Guided Response: Due Day 7 (Monday). Respond to two of your peers with a substantive response of at least 100 words each that should either elaborate on a key point a peer has made or seek to gain additional information. Be sure to incorporate in-text citations and references for every outside source used. You are required to use scholarly resources. You may respond to either of the topics and are not restricted to the one you initially responded to.
Joanne's post:
As being a human service professional I am presented with a male patient age of 56 year named Sammy. The patient has problem with alcohol and that he’s been battling with bouts of depression for many years. He states that whenever he is presented with a problem, whether it be work or family related he turns to alcohol to cope with his problems. After reviewing my notes in Sammy’s case my observations, results of his Cage and MAST test, I have a challenging decision to make due to Sammy not just having a problem with alcohol but with depression also. I evaluated that Sammy suffers from Substance Abuse and Dysthymia. I based my decision on Sammy’s history of abuse of alcohol and its persistence; however, it is not severe enough to meet the criteria for substance dependence. Based upon the challenges faced by the patient I would utilize positive psychology approach such as psychological therapies and self-help groups such as Alcohol Anonymous. I do believe these options would be beneficial in helping Sammy maintain a healthier lifestyle. After encouraging the Sammy by suggesting that recovery is possible not just for a select few, the positive psychologist then begins to work with the addict to re-envision life and begin a process of self-discovery in which the patient comes to know what activities and relationships are most important to him (Seligman, 2004). As being human service professional, I would follow codes of ethics that focus broadly on standards of practice that are inseparable from the behaviors and ideas that workers bring to the profession. The National Organization for Human Services crafted its Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals to consider ethics in terms of the responsibilities human service workers have to clients, the community and society, colleagues, employers, the profession and the workers’ selves. Under these ethical standards I will do everything possible to safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of Sammy information. Aside from direct service with this patient I would have an ethical responsibility to advocate for client, community empowerment, and to protest social injustice NOHS. (n.d.).
References
NOHS. (n.d.). Ethical Standards for HS Professionals. Retrieved from http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals (Links to an external site.)
Seligman, M. (2004, February). Martin Seligman: The new era of positive .
Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care Across the LifespanIBetseyCalderon89
Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care Across the Lifespan
In your role as a PMHNP, you will regularly encounter situations that require your ability to make sound judgments and practice decisions for the safety and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. There may not be a clear-cut answer of how to address the issue, but your ethical decision making must be based on evidence-based practice and what is good, right, and beneficial for patients. You will encounter patients who do not hold your values, but you must remain professional and unbiased in the care you provide to all patients regardless of their background or worldview. You must be prepared to critically analyze ethical situations and develop an appropriate plan of action.
· Analyze salient ethical and legal issues in psychiatric-mental health practice
· Analyze the impact of cultural considerations on ethical/legal decision making in advanced practice nursing
· Evaluate mastery of nurse practitioner knowledge in preparation for the nurse practitioner national certification examination*Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care
Advanced practice nursing in all specialties is guided by codes of ethics that put the care, rights, duty, health, and safety of the patient first and foremost. PMHNP practice is also guided by ethical codes specifically for psychiatry. These ethical codes are
frameworks to guide clinical decision making; they are generally not prescriptive. They also represent the aspirational ideals for the profession. Laws, on the other hand, dictate the requirements that must be followed. In this way, legal codes may be thought to represent the minimum standards of care, and ethics represent the highest goals for care.
Photo Credit: [Hero Images]/[Hero Images]/Getty Images
For this Discussion, you select a topic that has both legal and ethical implications for PMHNP practice and then perform a literature review on the topic. Your goal will be to identify the most salient legal and ethical facets of the issue for PMHNP practice, and also how these facets differ in the care of adult patients versus children.
Keep in mind as you research your issue, that laws differ by state and your clinical practice will be dictated by the laws that govern your state.To Prepare
·
Select one of the following ethical/legal topics:
· Autonomy
· Beneficence
· Justice
· Fidelity
· Veracity
· Involuntary hospitalization and due process of civil commitment
· Informed assent/consent and capacity
· Duty to warn
· Restraints
· HIPPA
· Child and elder abuse reporting
· Tort law
· Negligence/malpractice
·
locate a total of four scholarly, professional, or legal resources related to this topic. One should address ethical considerations related to this topic for adults, one should be on ethical considerations related to this topic for children/adolescents, one should be on legal considerations related to this ...
6 PEER RESPONSES DUE IN 6 HOURS.. EACH SET OF 2 HAS ITS OWN INSTRUCT.docxpriestmanmable
6 PEER RESPONSES DUE IN 6 HOURS.. EACH SET OF 2 HAS ITS OWN INSTRUCTIONS
Respond to at least two of your classmates
KORIE'S POST:
I am going to be using my current job as a scenario. I currently work with an orthopedic, neurologist, and Interventional pain management doctor. We do send our patients out if our doctors can not fully treat the patient to there full capacity.
I have a patient that had gotten into a horrible car accident that she and her husband were hospitalized for a month from. They were driving back to FL from TX and another car went to switch lanes and he saw the car and with a quick reaction he switched lanes and with that they got dragged 10 feet under a semi truck. They had lots of neck and back pains, but mostly PTSD really badly.
I go in and I get the history and vitals and go over a bunch of things with the patient before the Dr goes in. I will present the case to the Dr and then they go in to see the patient. Once, the Dr comes out he will tell me what the plan is with the patient so then I can get them set up with all orders. When I had presented this case with the Dr, I told them all that they will need to see a Physc due to the severity of the PTSD.
The Dr did come out of the room and did tell me that he is going to be sending the patients to see a Physc as even with his neurologist skills this PTSD is out of his hands. Our, office does not do deep PTSD as this patient does need to have. We also sent the patient to see a counselor as well to have someone else to speak to regarding this accident. Some people once they are in an accident they do get very freaked out and very gittery to drive again, some have such issues that they get panic attacks or black out when in the car just as a passenger.
We had to send this patient out as our office does not handle such cases as deep with PTSD as this case was.
BROOKE'S POST:
The organization I work for now has many different departments. While we all work in public health, we all do different things. We all serve the same population but we all target different individuals in that population. I currently work in the education department which means, I cannot help an individual that comes in and needs help in the health insurance department. What I can do is refer that person out to the person in charge of that. My current workplace may not fit into this scenario as much as mental health and/or health professionals.
Scenario:
Adult male comes in to the VA clinic for his weekly marriage counseling appoint with his clinical social worker. Husband and Wife have been attending weekly cognitive behavior therapy marriage counseling for the last 4 months with no notable change in marriage or attitudes in regards to marriage. The couple has 3 children, a mix of yours, mine, and ours. Wife moved out of the couples home with the children for the last 9 months. The first appointment the couple had was separate appointments for each. It is clear t.
On October 31, 1963 President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Community Mental Health Act (also known as the Mental Retardation and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963). It was the last piece of legislation JFK signed before his assassination. For millions of Americans, JFK's final legislation ended the nightmare of being warehoused in institutions and opened the door to a new era of hope and recovery—to a life in the community. The auspicious occasion of the 50th anniversary will appropriately parallel a sustained effort by the Heart and Soul of Change Project to reach those in public behavioral health (PBH). This is the first question of a series of Q and As about public behavioral health and implementation of PCOMS. Mary Haynes wrote this piece about PCOMS, medical necessity, and the "golden thread."
Review of brief Interventions which are useful in working with patients with addictions and/or co-occurring disorders. NBCC, NAADAC, CAADAC, and California Board of Behavioral Sciences approved Mental Health continuing education and addictions counselor training series. Narrated versions and CEUs available at http://www.allceus.com
Jennifer L. NaegeleDr. Daniel WestHAD - 517Jun.docxdonnajames55
Jennifer L. Naegele
Dr. Daniel West
HAD - 517
June 6, 2020
Week 6 Reflection
“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” - Unknown
Introduction
The essence of learning a course in schools is to apply the skills, knowledge, and theories in the day to day operations at home, in the workplace, and in other positions in life. the skills and knowledge acquired during learning are determined by reflecting the concept learned and figuring out how these concepts can be applied in future life. According to Socrates, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” The quote encourages individuals to reflect on the issue that one has passed and projects on how the future might look. In doing so, one is required to remain focus and avoid destructive issues such as fear. In life, to achieve success one should learn from the mistakes and live beyond the frustrations that come from these failures.
What I Learned This Week
This week's reading discusses the need for self-determination in life to achieve goals in life. Life is full of challenges and thus it's essential to remain dedicated and optimistic; being positive in life helps make one overcome the challenges of life. In life, without dedication and hope, individuals' potential starts declining, and this the beginning of failure. Life is characterized by two events – the ups and downs. In the time of down one should remain focused, positive, and determined; during the ups, one should be humble and careful to protect the good thing.
Amending My Behaviors
This week’s reading will play a significant role in amending my behavior; the learning will empower my sense of life and contribute positivity. The readings have helped me to restructure my mind to remain hopeful and continue anticipating the future. Hope plays a substantial role in making keep moving and this betters over livers as we keep pursuing the best (Ross, 2017). By remaining positive even when one is down, make one keep trying, and hence at the end of the day success is achieved. Thus, I will learn to create a positive mood, and this will equip me with the capacity to remain determined even when this is not getting in the right path.
Ideas I can Use at Work and In Relationships
Positive minds, attitudes, and emotions are essential even in the workplace. In the workplace, being positive will help me to influence my colleagues to work hard toward the organization's objectives (Ashkanasy, 2016). A positive person can work under various conditions even though they seem to be challenging. Working in all conditions helps one to earn recognition from their organization and management. As a result, when a promotion comes, I am more like to be considered based on these observations. Positivity helps to create exemplary working conditions that will be emulated by others for the good of the company.
How I will Advance Globalization and Promote Social Justice
The skills l.
RESPOND TO 4 STUDENTS.. There are 2 sets of responses needed totalin.docxpeggyd2
RESPOND TO 4 STUDENTS.. There are 2 sets of responses needed totaling 4 responses..
Guided Response: Due Day 7 (Monday). Respond to two of your peers with a substantive response of at least 100 words each that should either elaborate on a key point a peer has made or seek to gain additional information. Be sure to incorporate in-text citations and references for every outside source used. You are required to use scholarly resources. You may respond to either of the topics and are not restricted to the one you initially responded to.
Joanne's post:
As being a human service professional I am presented with a male patient age of 56 year named Sammy. The patient has problem with alcohol and that he’s been battling with bouts of depression for many years. He states that whenever he is presented with a problem, whether it be work or family related he turns to alcohol to cope with his problems. After reviewing my notes in Sammy’s case my observations, results of his Cage and MAST test, I have a challenging decision to make due to Sammy not just having a problem with alcohol but with depression also. I evaluated that Sammy suffers from Substance Abuse and Dysthymia. I based my decision on Sammy’s history of abuse of alcohol and its persistence; however, it is not severe enough to meet the criteria for substance dependence. Based upon the challenges faced by the patient I would utilize positive psychology approach such as psychological therapies and self-help groups such as Alcohol Anonymous. I do believe these options would be beneficial in helping Sammy maintain a healthier lifestyle. After encouraging the Sammy by suggesting that recovery is possible not just for a select few, the positive psychologist then begins to work with the addict to re-envision life and begin a process of self-discovery in which the patient comes to know what activities and relationships are most important to him (Seligman, 2004). As being human service professional, I would follow codes of ethics that focus broadly on standards of practice that are inseparable from the behaviors and ideas that workers bring to the profession. The National Organization for Human Services crafted its Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals to consider ethics in terms of the responsibilities human service workers have to clients, the community and society, colleagues, employers, the profession and the workers’ selves. Under these ethical standards I will do everything possible to safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of Sammy information. Aside from direct service with this patient I would have an ethical responsibility to advocate for client, community empowerment, and to protest social injustice NOHS. (n.d.).
References
NOHS. (n.d.). Ethical Standards for HS Professionals. Retrieved from http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals (Links to an external site.)
Seligman, M. (2004, February). Martin Seligman: The new era of positive .
Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care Across the LifespanIBetseyCalderon89
Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care Across the Lifespan
In your role as a PMHNP, you will regularly encounter situations that require your ability to make sound judgments and practice decisions for the safety and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. There may not be a clear-cut answer of how to address the issue, but your ethical decision making must be based on evidence-based practice and what is good, right, and beneficial for patients. You will encounter patients who do not hold your values, but you must remain professional and unbiased in the care you provide to all patients regardless of their background or worldview. You must be prepared to critically analyze ethical situations and develop an appropriate plan of action.
· Analyze salient ethical and legal issues in psychiatric-mental health practice
· Analyze the impact of cultural considerations on ethical/legal decision making in advanced practice nursing
· Evaluate mastery of nurse practitioner knowledge in preparation for the nurse practitioner national certification examination*Discussion: Ethical and Legal Foundations of PMHNP Care
Advanced practice nursing in all specialties is guided by codes of ethics that put the care, rights, duty, health, and safety of the patient first and foremost. PMHNP practice is also guided by ethical codes specifically for psychiatry. These ethical codes are
frameworks to guide clinical decision making; they are generally not prescriptive. They also represent the aspirational ideals for the profession. Laws, on the other hand, dictate the requirements that must be followed. In this way, legal codes may be thought to represent the minimum standards of care, and ethics represent the highest goals for care.
Photo Credit: [Hero Images]/[Hero Images]/Getty Images
For this Discussion, you select a topic that has both legal and ethical implications for PMHNP practice and then perform a literature review on the topic. Your goal will be to identify the most salient legal and ethical facets of the issue for PMHNP practice, and also how these facets differ in the care of adult patients versus children.
Keep in mind as you research your issue, that laws differ by state and your clinical practice will be dictated by the laws that govern your state.To Prepare
·
Select one of the following ethical/legal topics:
· Autonomy
· Beneficence
· Justice
· Fidelity
· Veracity
· Involuntary hospitalization and due process of civil commitment
· Informed assent/consent and capacity
· Duty to warn
· Restraints
· HIPPA
· Child and elder abuse reporting
· Tort law
· Negligence/malpractice
·
locate a total of four scholarly, professional, or legal resources related to this topic. One should address ethical considerations related to this topic for adults, one should be on ethical considerations related to this topic for children/adolescents, one should be on legal considerations related to this ...
6 PEER RESPONSES DUE IN 6 HOURS.. EACH SET OF 2 HAS ITS OWN INSTRUCT.docxpriestmanmable
6 PEER RESPONSES DUE IN 6 HOURS.. EACH SET OF 2 HAS ITS OWN INSTRUCTIONS
Respond to at least two of your classmates
KORIE'S POST:
I am going to be using my current job as a scenario. I currently work with an orthopedic, neurologist, and Interventional pain management doctor. We do send our patients out if our doctors can not fully treat the patient to there full capacity.
I have a patient that had gotten into a horrible car accident that she and her husband were hospitalized for a month from. They were driving back to FL from TX and another car went to switch lanes and he saw the car and with a quick reaction he switched lanes and with that they got dragged 10 feet under a semi truck. They had lots of neck and back pains, but mostly PTSD really badly.
I go in and I get the history and vitals and go over a bunch of things with the patient before the Dr goes in. I will present the case to the Dr and then they go in to see the patient. Once, the Dr comes out he will tell me what the plan is with the patient so then I can get them set up with all orders. When I had presented this case with the Dr, I told them all that they will need to see a Physc due to the severity of the PTSD.
The Dr did come out of the room and did tell me that he is going to be sending the patients to see a Physc as even with his neurologist skills this PTSD is out of his hands. Our, office does not do deep PTSD as this patient does need to have. We also sent the patient to see a counselor as well to have someone else to speak to regarding this accident. Some people once they are in an accident they do get very freaked out and very gittery to drive again, some have such issues that they get panic attacks or black out when in the car just as a passenger.
We had to send this patient out as our office does not handle such cases as deep with PTSD as this case was.
BROOKE'S POST:
The organization I work for now has many different departments. While we all work in public health, we all do different things. We all serve the same population but we all target different individuals in that population. I currently work in the education department which means, I cannot help an individual that comes in and needs help in the health insurance department. What I can do is refer that person out to the person in charge of that. My current workplace may not fit into this scenario as much as mental health and/or health professionals.
Scenario:
Adult male comes in to the VA clinic for his weekly marriage counseling appoint with his clinical social worker. Husband and Wife have been attending weekly cognitive behavior therapy marriage counseling for the last 4 months with no notable change in marriage or attitudes in regards to marriage. The couple has 3 children, a mix of yours, mine, and ours. Wife moved out of the couples home with the children for the last 9 months. The first appointment the couple had was separate appointments for each. It is clear t.
Running head: PROFESSIONAL GOALS 1
PROFESSIONAL GOALS 2
Professional Goals
Janeika Barnes
Walden University
NURS 6565 Synthesis in Advanced Practice Care of Complex Patients in Primary Care Settings
Professor: Amy Hamlin
March 3,2018
Professional Goals
Short-term goals and their impact
The short-term goals that I will set include; becoming a certified board member, choosing the patient population to serve as well as evaluating potential employers carefully. Becoming a certified board member will help me become more confident as a nursing practitioner, as well as boost my marketability in the competitive industry. In an effort to ensure that I become a certified board member in record time, I will undertake to apply for the exams before I leave RN and ensure that I am able to sit for them within three or four months after application.
The selection of the patient population encompasses the finding of the perfect position from which I will be able to grow and I will thus have to decide on a specific population that I will serve such as cardiac or the old age people. This will help ensure I am able to easily network within that given specialty area. The third goal that I will set is critical evaluation of the potential employers in which I will undertake to ask about job expectations, such as work hours, patients to be served as well as growth opportunities such as training programs. This will help ensure I land an employer that offers growth opportunities as well as an enabling environment to hone my skills as a nursing practitioner (Masters, 2017).
Long-term Goals and Their Impact
These goals include; get my name out there, engaging in research as well as advancing my qualifications. In an effort to increase my marketability, I will ensure that I stay in touch with the various individuals that I completed my practice with and who are likely to help with recommendations in the event I decide to advance career-wise. I will also ensure that I engage other nursing practitioners who are in the field whether older or even younger and who might help in giving advice as well as recommending career opportunities that might help in my growth. The engagement in research will help advance my understanding of contemporary issues and nursing topics while also giving me the chance to increase my marketability (Masters, 2017). This will add more value on my portfolio and thus increases my chances of advancing in the field. Academic qualifications will play a crucial role in ensuring I continuously hone my skills as well as improve my employability standings; it will also help me improve my leadership skills thus prepare me for a role as a nursing leader.
Strategic Plan
In an effort to ensure that I am able to achieve these goals I will set in place a strategic plan that will address the short-term as well as the long-term goals. In an effort to ensure that I mee ...
1. Running head: PROFESSIONAL PLAN 1
Professional Plan
April D Rowley
Bryant & Stratton College
COMM150: Introduction to Information Literacy and Research
Mr. Pase
July 24, 2014
2. PROFESSIONAL PLAN 2
My major in criminal justice will enable me to work with troubled teens and adults, and
get them back on the right track of being a productive part of society. I have researched three
different careers to give myself an idea of where I would like to go in this field. I have a nursing
degree and have 20 years of experience in this field, coupled with an associate degree in criminal
justice, the possibility of reaching my goal is in sight.
Substance Abuse/ Behavioral Disorder Counselor:
Responsibilities and tasks for this career include: drug testing, problem solving, counseling,
teaching life skills and being a good listener. I will have to confer with other professionals to set
up care plans for clients. A typical day would be meeting with clients in and out of facilities to
assess their needs for treatment. I would also meet with families to discuss follow up care after
release from these facilities, whether it is a jail or a treatment facility. Being organized and able
to maintain accurate records are important attributes to have.
There are not enough counselors in the justice system in my personal opinion. However,
during my research I found that there is a projected growth trend of 31% increase between 2012-
2022 (Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], 2014c, Job Outlook section, para.1). There were over
89,000 employed in this field in 2012 (BLS, 2014c, Summary section, para.1). The highest and
lowest 10% of annual salary is $25-60K (BLS, 2014c, Pay section, para.1). The lifelong learning
opportunities include getting a master’s in psychology and studying the relationship between
substance abuse and crime. I was surprised to find out that 23% of substance abuse counselors
only have a high school diploma, and 28% have a bachelor’s degree (BLS, 2014c, Education
section, para. 1). I am drawn to this career because I have worked with people with addiction as a
nurse and find it to be very fulfilling. When someone with a drug addiction starts off they are lost
and fight you at every step of the way. With careful guidance, encouragement, and hope they
3. PROFESSIONAL PLAN 3
soon stop fighting and participate in their recovery. Being a part of seeing another human being
“reborn” is a priceless feeling.
This graph shows the employment and earnings ratio for substance abuse/ behavioral
counselors in five different states (BLS, 2013b, para. 5).
Correctional Treatment Specialist:
Responsibilities and tasks in this field are to work with inmates on a pre/post arrest and
or conviction. Interviewing and evaluation clients and making recommendations for services will
be a major part of the day. There will be times when I would need to administer drug tests as
well. A typical day would consist of meeting in my office, a client’s home, or a facility to discuss
problems and develop answers to these problems. Conducting pre/post sentencing investigations,
arranging medical/mental and drug treatment as well as keeping detailed records is a key
component to this career. This particular career is much like being a substance/behavioral
counselor, as I will be using many problem solving, and listening to clients’ problems. One
major difference is this would be fully within the justice system.
There is little to no change being seen in this career during the period 2012-2022,
according to Occupational Outlook Handbook (2014-2015ed.). The median annual salary is
$48K, with the top 10% earning over $83K (BLS, 2014b, Pay section, para1). There were 90,300
Pennsylvania California New York Florida Texas
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
Employment/AnnualSalary
Employment Salary
4. PROFESSIONAL PLAN 4
people employed in this field in 2012(BLS, 2014b, Summary section, para. 1). Lifelong learning
opportunities include getting a grasp of the psychological and sociological affects that crime has
on people and their families. About 80% of people in this career have a bachelor degree with
little to none having some college or masters (BLS, 2014b, Education section, para. 1). I would
have to go on in my education to get a job in this field after graduating from Bryant & Stratton.
The graph below shows you the employment and salary ratio for correctional treatment specialist
in five different states (BLS, 2013a, para. 5).
Arbitrator, Mediator and Conciliator:
Responsibilities in this field are to help resolve conflicts outside of the court system by
facilitating negotiation and dialogue between disputing parties. Using mediation to diffuse a
volatile situation and hopefully reach an agreement without having to go to court is the main
objective. I would need to apply relevant law to these situations and conduct hearings to obtain
information from all concerned. At times I could even be the one to authorize payments on valid
claims. A typical day would be listening to all sides of the dispute and calmly trying to use
critical thinking and the law to reach an agreement that all parties are happy with. Using problem
solving and being a good listener will be helpful in this career as well. The power of persuasion
is another key skill to have.
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
Employment/AnnualSalary
Employment
Annual mean wage
5. PROFESSIONAL PLAN 5
There is about an average of 10% increase in employment opportunities projected for
2012-2022 (BLS, 2014a, Summary section, para. 1). The median annual wage is $61K with the
lowest 10% only making $34K and the highest 10% making over $137K (BLS, 2014a, Pay
section, para. 1). There is 24% with a bachelor degree, 20% with a post bachelor certificate and
16% with a master degree (BLS, 2014a, Education section, para. 1). Some places will even
require a Ph.D. in law to be an arbitrator, which is a lifelong learning opportunity for this career.
Although the pay is much higher in this career choice, there is also a lot more education needed.
My Career Choice is the substance abuse/behavioral disorder counselor
Having a nursing degree and specialized training in addictive medicine will help me to
get a good position in this field. There are too many people that fall through the cracks in the
justice system because they have drug addiction or mental diseases. The number of drug use
crimes is on the rise. We need to treat the addictions and behaviors before the crimes can be
stopped. I have a personal reason for choosing this career as well. My son was arrested and
charged with cocaine possession. This could have ruined his life if not for the development of
drug courts. After treatment and counseling he graduated from drug court and has been clean and
sober for over 2 years now.
The case loads can be taxing and be hard to keep up with when you work with offenders
in prison versus working in a community setting (Perkins & Oser, 2014, p. 1). Research has
shown that counselors with more experience suffer less burnout (Perkins & Oser, 2014, p. 4). For
those counselors who stay in their jobs while experiencing frustration or burnout, the
consequences can be detrimental to not only the counselor personally but also to their coworkers,
management, and clients (Perkins & Oser, 2014, p. 1). My opinion on this is that if you are in a
career you really love and are passionate about, this should not be the case. I have been a nurse
6. PROFESSIONAL PLAN 6
for over 20 years and have been working with substance abuse for the last 8 years. My degree in
criminal justice will allow me to speak up and advocate for those who have been punished
instead of helped with their addictions.
Content knowledge required for my career choice:
A high school diploma is basically all that is needed, but to make the impact that I want
to make, I will need to have a bachelor’s degree or better. I plan on continuing to get a master’s
degree. I am already drug and alcohol certified, so I can do these tests on my clients without
needing further education for that. This field is growing at a rapid pace; however, I feel there is
not enough people in this field that actually care about making a difference. To most this is a job,
but for me it is a career, a mission of mine to bring about reform in a system that has run its
course of effectiveness.
Reflection:
I would say it was difficult at first to get started. Once we were given an outline by Mr.
Pase, it became easier to do when that was coupled with the research paperwork provided by Mr.
Kani. Having structure and order is a necessity when trying to do this assignment. If I were to
give advice to future students doing this professional plan I would advise that they use the
outline, ask as many questions as needed, and never think that any question is stupid. Use
multiple resources: Google scholar, the virtual library, professors and people in the fields of
interest. The most important thing to remember to do is keep track of your resources and copy
and paste them to a document to be sure you have the proper information. You can always put
them in to the proper format as long as you have all the right information. I would not change
anything I did to prepare this plan; I am very passionate about my school work and above all my
career. As long as you focus and keep your eye on the prize, anything is possible.
7. PROFESSIONAL PLAN 7
In doing this project, I became more aware of the career I was pursuing. As I stated
previously, I was surprised to find that I didn’t need a degree in criminal justice, but I feel it will
be more helpful in the long run for me, as well as the clients I will be counseling. Once I have
this degree, I will go on to eventually get my master’s degree and be able to write papers and
hopefully start a much needed reform for the people suffering with addictions and mental
disease.