Professional Portfolio

Supervison Professional Disclosure Statement

Theoretical Lens

My theoretical lens encompasses a humanistic theoretial orientation and more specifically, Carl Rogers' Person-Centered Theory. The Humanistic approach to counseling holds that people have within themselves all the resources they need to live healthy and functional lives, and problems occur as a result of restricted or unavailable problem solving resources.

• Counseling/Clinical Modalities: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Trauma Focused Cognitive-Behavioral, Motivational Interviewing, and Art/Experiential Therapy and Play Therapy

• Supervision -- Cognitive-Behavioral, Integrated Developmental Model, Solution-Focused

• During the supervision experience, I will take on different roles referred to as the discrimination model of supervision, which includes teacher, consultant, counselor, and evaluator.

• Cultural Implications: One's cultural background and ethnicity as well as other factors supersede happiness as a goal of counseling within the context of holistic health (body, mind, and spirit). Counseling as reflected in person-centered counseling focuses on the humanistic principles, holistic health, positive psychology, personal growth, and the client's intentional choice-making in life.

References:

Harper, F. D., Guilbault, M., Tucker, T., & Austin, T. (2007) Happiness as a goal of counseling. Cross-cultural implications. International journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 29(2), 123-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-007-9030-0

Purswell, K. E. (2019). Humanistic Learning Theory in Counselor Education. Professional Counselor, 9(4), 358-368.

Philosophy of Teaching & Learning

My developing pedagogical identity and philosphy of teaching and learning encompasses experintialism philosophy, tactile, and kinesthetics. According to Arthur and Achenbach (2002), experiential learning can be used to raise awareness about critical issues that challenge students' personal beliefs or personal frameworks and help them develop empathy; it is not intended to emulate another but to engage awareness and accuracy about the viewpoints of others. This is so vital to my personal philosophy because I want to engage my students to be critical thinkers and to challenge their personal biases. This is especially helpful when addressing and or teaching multicultural competencies.

I want ot accommodate a variety of learning styles to include visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic learners. I believe to do this I must provide an array of assignments and activities that will include everyone. For example, for visual learners, it would be beneficial to show YouTube clips or assign a movie to watch for homework. For those that are auditory learners, lectures and audio books, but those who are kinesthetic learners, I'd allow them to listen to the audio books while exercising or moving.

My favorite though, is tactile activities where students can have hands-on activities that assist them in understanding the materials. Addressing each of these learning styles and helping them to become familiar with their own learning style will not only be beneficial for myself as an educator but also for my students. Helping them recognize how best they learn will allow them to have much more productive study habits. This will translate into online learning as well by encouraging my students to make these discoveries in the class café and offering suggestions to modify the assignments and activities to accommodate everyone. 

References:

Arthur, N., & Achenbach, K. (2002). Developing Multicultural Counseling Competencies Through Experiential Learning. Counselor Education & Supervision, 42(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2002.tb01299.x

Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2009). Teaching in counselor education: Personal philosophy and identity [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.