20 Mar Essay – Personal Values in Counseling

Given that our values and core beliefs influence how we behave, its only natural that personal values can impact how a counselor theorizes and practices therapy. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is for students to examine the theoretical rationale for introspection and self-exploration into a counselors own values and beliefs, for the purpose of not “contaminating” the therapeutic treatment with a client. The following is a detailed checklist explaining this assignment and what is expected:

• Students will begin with a formal introduction paragraph which should introduce the topic and communicate what will be discussed in the body of the paper. 
• Using at least 3 peer-reviewed, academic sources on the topic of introspection and self-exploration on the part of a counselor, students will provide a brief literature review. Students should look for journal articles discussing research about the benefits of counselors knowing themselves and having high levels of self-awareness. No website citations are permitted. 
• Following the review of research literature, students will provide responses to the following questions:
  1. “My Values“: Briefly, what are 1-2 moral, religious, family, or professional values that you hold to quite closely?
  2. Potential Blindspots: Knowing that the field of counseling will lead you to encountering diverse populations, could there be potential “blindspots” associated with holding very tightly to one’s personal values within the profession of counseling? Please give examples. 
  3. Client Encounters: From what you know about yourself, what do you suppose it would be like for you to encounter a client who believes very similarly to you? What do you think it will be like to encounter a client who has significantly different beliefs and values from you? How would you proceed ethically? 
  4. Faith Perspective: What does scripture communicate about how to engage with people who are different from us? Please cite at least 1 biblical passage or stories that speaks to this concept. Please provide some interpretation about what these passages mean for our daily lives. 
• Required subheadings: Introduction; Literature Review; My Values; Potential Blindspots; Client Encounters; Faith Perspective.
• This essay should be 3-4 pages of text, plus a title page and reference page. No abstract needed.
• This assignment should be in APA format.
• Required: APA in-text citations for any information that you gather from outside sources. 
• Students are encouraged to closely review the APA publication manual prior to submission of the paper.