Mental Health Counselor Goals

I’ve never been the type of person who’s always wanted to be one thing; have one dream job from childhood until now. I hear about jobs and that’s what I want to do, then I hear about another job and my mind changes. One thing that’s stayed consistent is the drive and want to help other people. I genuinely enjoy getting to know other people. I like hearing about their struggles, where they’ve come from, and their goals for themselves. All of these things combined point me in the direction of counseling. My personal interest is in juveniles who have committed a crime; specifically drug use/abuse and sex offenders. I currently work with this population, and seeing them change from when they enter the facility to the day they are released is motivating.

To me, a Clinical Mental Health Counselor is a job where you put others first and their needs on the forefront. I believe everyone can benefit from seeing a counselor, everyone has struggles that they could use help overcoming. I want to become a Clinical Mental Health Counselor because even if I can’t help everyone, my efforts may still guide them in the future. If there was more emphasis on helping those who have committed a crime instead of locking them up the world would be a better place. If “criminals” received help instead of punishment maybe there wouldn’t be as much crime and maybe the funding spent on incarceration would decrease and put more money into schools. If children get in trouble with the law, they should be guided to the right path because obviously something has happened in the past where they learned this behavior is okay. I want to see that change, I want to help that change take place. I know one person cannot change the world but becoming a Clinical Mental Health Counselor puts me in the position to try my

Everything someone’s gone through has shaped them in some way or another. It’s like growing up with alcohol in your house; it’s normal to some children, and when they go somewhere there’s not alcohol, it’s different. I know this first hand. Alcohol was always in my house growing up and I thought nothing of it, I thought it was normal. Seeing the adults in my life drink daily was normal; it’s how they relieved stress after a long day at work. This doesn’t mean that every child of alcoholics will become one too but it has an impression on them. I later learned it’s not an appropriate coping mechanism, there are other ways to relieve stress or have fun. I apply this phenomenon to drug users and sex offenders especially. Maybe they didn’t see it through their parents but somehow were pre-disposed to the information which could impact them at an early age. My passion is with juveniles who have committed crimes because they have learned somewhere that their behavior is ‘okay’ or appropriate. I want to show them that maybe it’s not the best option and some things are not okay or allowed by society. Currently, I work at the Juvenile Residential Center of NorthWest Ohio (JRC). At my job I interact with juvenile felony offenders the entire day. I teach them skills to deal with anger, problem solving, decision making, and many other daily tasks. I give these residents consequences for their anti-social