Continued Learning as a Professional
First
I want to begin by saying that I hope no one views me as an expert in the field
even after I have achieved traveling the road to authenticity by having a few
more years of experience and continuing education.
I
believe it is paramount that counselors always strive to improve their skills, knowledge
and techniques. There are many ways a counselor can achieve these things. I
plan to Technology today allows Webinars, Pod Casts, and Web Blogs to be viewed
and allows the real time interaction of counselors on a global scale. Many counselors can collaborate and share
information in a manner that was not possible only a few years ago. I also
believe that through blogging information from our peers that could only have
been conducted through email or in person only 15 years ago. Through technology communication has become a
powerful tool to further knowledge and understanding in a very affordable
manner. Attending workshops and seminars are also important, but with budget
cuts across the nation it is not cost effective in many school systems to send
professionals across country to attend these venues in person in today’s
economy. I am therefore very fortunate that I live in the techno-world that I
do, because it makes my plan for continuing education seem very realistic. Below are a few topic examples that are free
to ACA members.
Assessment and Treatment of
Insomnia in Adults: A Guide...
Insomnia in Adults: A Guide...
Ethics and Legal Issues for
Group Work
Group Work
Counseling Multiple Heritage
Couples and Families
Couples and Families
Preparation, Action, Recovery:
A Conceptual Framework for...
A Conceptual Framework for...
Assessment of Core Issues and
the Nature of the Client's...
the Nature of the Client's...
I
believe that cyber bullying is a good example of how technology that I
discussed above is a two edged sword. People today both young and old use sites
like face book and twitter to carry on arguments and vendettas against people
they want to victimize. Airing out other people’s dirty laundry in a public
forum is nothing less than bullying. Young people especially are all too happy
to attack other students with humiliating statements and threats. Cyber
bullying is no different than sitting in the back of the room making degrading
remarks, the effects of cyber bullying are not so exclusive and can literally be
done in an audience a thousand times larger than a classroom Cyber bullying is
a problem big problem for this and several other reasons. On the up side of cyber bullying, many times
there are no witnesses and it comes down to he said she said, however with
cyber bullying, many times it is
traceable on a computer hard drive, as well as apps like SMS importer that can
print text messages on cell phones and captures the phone number and time as
well as the message. This gives counselors and parents some ammunition that
they have a hard time coming up with in many bullying cases. Being able to confront the bully with proof of
what actually was said such as threats or comments changes the game quite a bit
for those in the role of authority.
I plan to join ACA. I think that it will be a great asset in moving into the counseling field. Also, in regards to the bullying. It is a huge problem at the school I work. Especially with the anonymous sites such as Topix. Then it also becomes a problem in the area of discipline. If it is affecting students at school even though it occured during out of school hours should it be dealt with in a discipline form at school?
ReplyDeleteTina, I thought it was pretty clear when I stated that the ability to have access to the information and knowing what tups of threats and statements were made gave the counselors and parents the ammunition they need to confront the Bully. It doesn't matter when or where it took place, it causes stress at school and should also be punishable at school.
ReplyDeleteI worked with a student who was being bullied on Facebook and Twitter by another student. The statements were posted after school hours. The district has the ability to print off the statements. In this particular case, the statements were printed, the bully was called to a meeting with administrators and the counselor present, and the bully was told that criminal charges could be filed. We have a deputy sheriff who works in our school. Sometimes he is called to talk to students about issues that can result in criminal charges being filed. In this case, the bully backed down and immediately deleted the comments. Bullies back down when there is the threat of going to jail.
ReplyDeleteChecked out these links and I think they will be useful for me as a counselor. I agree with you that online counseling blogs and forums are the way to go. With educational budget cuts, many districts are cutting back on travel expenses to conferences. I have learned alot by searching for counseling information online.
ReplyDelete