I have always been the type of person who wants to help those around me. I only understood how to achieve this by following in my family’s footsteps and devoting my life to the medical field. For the past couple of years, I have made progress toward these goals by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and working as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). Working in the field as an EMT has significantly changed my outlook on my future career and has shown me that mental health is my true passion. My experiences as an EMT have shown me that many people in our community silently struggle with mental health crises and feel unable to ask for help due to societal stigmas, limited availability/resources, financial burdens, or other deterring obstacles. …show more content…
I have witnessed several communities that lack adequate resources for mental health services. I have noticed that our homeless communities struggle with mental health issues and receive limited care due to financial requirements, along with the inability to establish consistent follow-up care, resulting in the negation of any progress toward treatment. Furthermore, I have seen limited opportunities for LGBT+ youth to receive access to mental health resources due to societal stigmas and the requirement for parental authorization. Having the opportunity to give back to a community that I identify with would be an invaluable experience for …show more content…
The first is fostering appropriate counseling practices for people with diverse backgrounds and upbringings. Our local community has shown significant growth in recent years, and I believe utilizing proper counseling skills with a diverse clientele is crucial. Furthermore, I recognize the importance of intersectionality within the counseling profession, as individuals deserve to receive specific and personalized care. Correspondingly, I would appreciate the opportunity to work with Dr. Kenneth M. Coll and his devotion to counseling practices with youth populations who experience limited access to mental health resources due to economic disparities, rural isolation, etc. I am also interested in studying counseling practices regarding addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery. In my opinion, I believe that Nevadan residents have a challenging task of avoiding addiction due to the vast availability of alcohol consumption, gambling, nicotine usage, and other drug use within the area. Furthermore, I am interested in training under Professor Adrienne Renwick to study the intricacies of counseling techniques toward addiction. Lastly, the ability to contribute to the Downing Clinic to offer low-cost mental health services to underserved communities would be an invaluable