Specializing in Rehabilitation, Counseling, Behavior and Cognitive treatments
Rehabilitation Counseling
The theoretical approach for rehabilitation counseling treatments I chose is the counseling theoretical approach to counsel disabled veterans because of my limitations of being a licensed counselor and not a licensed therapist that specialized in rehabilitation treatments to directly formulate medical treatment plans for their ailments.
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I counsel eligible disabled veterans enrolled in the vocational rehabilitation program that have emotional and physical disabilities about the resources the VBA offers, while I work with the other Veterans Benefits Association(VBA) licensed therapist that specialize in clinical rehabilitation for their treatment plans to address each need. Due to the volume of many applicants for vocational rehabilitation benefits, I often conduct group counseling seminars for disabled veterans that usually discusses the resources the VBA offers to assist disabled veterans. I also conduct private counseling sessions for the veterans who do not feel comfortable with group sessions or for the ones that have issues with access to VBA resources. For example, a veteran may need counseling about assisted living, care givers services, or they might not feel comfortable with their medical treatment plans for their condition and afraid to discuss the issue with their clinician. I work with licensed clinical social workers to help address these issues.
I usually go above and beyond to work as part of the team with my colleagues to help disabled veterans that have emotional and physical disabilities so that they are able to live more independently.
General Counseling
As a vocational rehabilitation licensed counselor, I provide education and career counseling in private sessions and group sessions. In these sessions I usually utilize various assessment and aptitude testing tools such as the Myers Brigg personality assessment, the Big Five Personality test, the Enneagram personality test and the Strong Interest Inventory to help my clients find the best education and career fields based on their strong qualities. I also work with representatives from various colleges, apprenticeships, trades and licensure programs and employment agencies that will accommodate disabled veterans.
I work together with my other VBA colleagues to provide motivational group counseling seminars and private sessions for stress management, interpersonal relationships, financial management and personal /social adjustments especially for newly transitioned disabled veterans. These counseling sessions usually assist veterans to adjust to civilian education and employment. I also combine professional counseling and holistic life coaching sessions for the clients that prefer a more holistic approach to counseling.
Behavior & Cognitive Treatments
As a vocational rehabilitation licensed counselor, I work with my other colleagues that are Licensed Social Workers and Licensed Therapist to help provide Cognitive and behavioral treatments for disabled veterans. I conduct private counseling sessions for veterans that are disillusioned and jaded with their conditions and struggle with depression and anxiety. Some clients may be already on treatment plans with a therapist, psychiatrist that they may feel its not helping their issues so I will assist with helping them to find the appropriate treatments. Some may not know how to seek help or have knowledge of the resources available that can help which I will make sure they get the assistance they need as long as they are enrolled in vocational rehabilitation srvices.
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My counseling treatment approach usually consist of helping my clients to form a clear idea of their own thoughts, attitudes and expectations. The goal is to reveal and change false and distressing beliefs, because it is often not only the things and situations themselves that cause problems, but the importance that we attach to them too. For example, a dangerous thought pattern might be when a client immediately draws negative conclusions from an occurrence, generalizes them and applies them to similar situations. This generalized way of thinking is called “over-generalizing.” Another distressing error in reasoning is “catastrophizing”: If something disturbing happens, people immediately draw exaggerated conclusions about the scope of the supposed disaster ahead. Such thought patterns can sometimes develop into self-fulfilling prophecies and make life difficult for them. Another example is some clients may tend to developed depressive thoughts and will often tend to withdraw and give up their hobbies. As a result, they feel even more unhappy and isolated. I work with them to help identify this mechanism and find ways to become more active again
I conduct private and group counseling along with encouraging my clients to join certain cognitive and behavior issues support groups if they feel comfortable to do so. My counseling sessions have often helped many of my clients to learn how to replace certain negative thought patterns with more realistic and less harmful thoughts, to think more clearly and to control their own thoughts better.