Reason why pursuing a degree in counseling

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Reason why pursuing a degree in counseling
Jimmy Dean an American singer, actor, and a flamboyant business person, once quoted that one cannot alter the wind’s direction by to reach their target point the adjustment of their sails is vital. A Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, suggested that people are what they do and not what they say they will do. I have served at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where I served in the department of mental health that handled children and families with HIV for ten years as an administrative assistant. Working as an administrative assistant sometimes due to a shortage of workforce, I would help the nurses in handling patients. The interaction with patients has accelerated the need for me to become a mental health counselor. Administrative assistance duty is to provide administrative support to diverse workforce within an organization as shown in (Reese 313). Which mean I was doing more than I was required although, I never complained. For instance people with HIV present with more than one mental health issue and sometimes it requires more than professional knowledge to restore hope to such people and promote resilience in their lives. My passion is to help them made me a good listener, and naturally I get the right words to calm them down. One nurse told me that I have a talent for listening, understanding and giving the right information to the right person and time. She said the words after I calmed one patient who constantly made noise in the facility to the rest of the patient when she was awake.

She was complaining about how she have lost everything since she was an HIV victim due to her promiscuity and would die soon as a single mother and her two little boys would suffer. I gave her the hope she needed, on how to start over and secure the future of her children instead of constantly lamenting. From that day, she was calm and took her ARVs as she laid strategy to help her children. The nurses were impressed since I had helped solve that puzzle, they no longer needed to use sleeping pills on her to keep her asleep.
Before I starting working with the New York Presbyterian hospital, I volunteered to work alongside those who promoted healthy eating behaviors at a workshop. In the workshop, I also worked as an interpreter since I am bilingual. I speak English and Spanish, which made me a good link between the two speakers. During the workshop, I met the most challenging moment of my life but still it made me become what I am today character wise. I was not an outgoing person, and I was relatively shy especially when talking before many people and new faces. They asked for a person who was good at Spanish to help translate the message, and I was the only one they could find. I was briefed on relaxation techniques to avoid appearing nervous. The techniques would boost my courage. The listeners gave me confidence since they were steadily appreciating the effort I was putting towards passing them a message in their native language. Later I was assigned to manage some groups that required services in Spanish and through all these encounter for some months, I perfected my Spanish and discovered the most important and driving aspect in my current social and work life. I become more concerned and compassionate to the need of other people, a good listener and a leader who knows how to act as a role model and capable of delegating duties. Only a few conservative Spanish speakers who labelled me “an imitator” never appreciated me but since they were of negligible proportion I was focused on the significant number who enjoyed my devoted service. I have learnt to be patient and with all those experiences combined with the degree as a mental health counselor, I would able to serve humanity in a great capacity. I have realized that I possess a talent in serving people and derive satisfaction from it. A chance for the scholarship in your institution would enable me to realize my dreams and aspirations.
Growing up I have always had the passion for the subjects of art and communication and languages. I love traveling, swimming, and reading. Being bilingual have enabled me to reach many communities from the two languages. I have had the passions to become a mental health counselor as in most of my encounters I have found myself required to give a word of advice for guidance to the people around me. During my service at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, I improved my skills in serving at triage. In triage, one works in emergency or crises situation with many patient or casualties with wounds and injuries and the healthcare provider is expected to help make priorities of which casualties should be given what degree of medical attention first as shown in (Robertson-Steel 153). Being successful in my field will push me closer to the goals I need to achieve before I consider myself a self-actualized person. A mental health counselor is involved in the diagnosis of mental health cases and offers treatment measure as indicated in (Blonna, Janice, and Dan Walter 12). For instance, diagnose of anxiety or any form of personality disorders and offer appropriate treatment. I have volunteered in a geriatric center where I was involved in choosing healthy foods for patients. In a geriatric center, the elderly are cared for as they get age specific form of treatment (VanSwearingen, and Jennifer S. Brach 1240). My part in this center was, for instance, to determine an appropriate diet for an elderly person and a very elderly person. People in this age are experiencing gerontological diseases like osteoporosis and weakening of connective tissue, and the diets would be directed to restoring those systems and structure to promote their health.
In conclusion, all the experiences that I have been through socially, academically, and work related have always been preparing me for this moment. Obtaining this degree will be the ultimate fulfillment of the desire I have for becoming a mental health counselor. For stance at the geriatric center, I got more knowledge on the type of food for a person to eat to relieve stress as a natural remedy like avocado, grapes, and garlic. At the administrative assistant position, the best leadership skills were instilled in me. I was the kind of an administrator who would become part of workforce instead of purely delegating. I have passion in what I do, and once I am admitted, I guarantee to get good grades and uplift the name of the institution once I am ready for practice. During my practice, I would be happy to be a counselor for public and private schools. Due to many cases of drug problems and increased rate of school drop outs due to mental health issues like peer pressure and stress related to school work.
Work cited
Blonna, Richard, Janice Loschiavo, and Dan Watter. Health counseling: A microskills approach for counselors, educators, and school nurses. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2011.
Reese, Charles D. Industrial safety and health for administrative services. CRC Press, 2008.
Robertson-Steel, Iain. “Evolution of triage systems.” Emergency Medicine Journal 23.2 (2006): 154-155.
VanSwearingen, Jessie M., and Jennifer S. Brach. “Making geriatric assessment work: selecting useful measures.” Physical Therapy 81.6 (2001): 1233-1252.