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1 Interview with Jonathan Ward Kathryn Smith School of Counseling and Human Services, Walden University 6100: Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Professor Latoya Smalls February 7, 2022

Interview with Jonathan Ward The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the knowledge and experience that I have gained from sitting down to interview a current mental health professional. I will also discuss what I have learned from the experience and compare and contrast this with what I have learned from the course in an effort to analyze both similarities and differences. Finally I will look at how this changed my perception and expectations of the mental health field and what this means for me as a future mental health counselor. In the following sections I will present a brief summary of my interview with Jonathan Ward. Narrative Summary of Interview I interviewed Jonathan Ward on 2/1/2021. Jonathan works as a LCPC and is a LADC in a small private office off the coast of Maine. He began answering my first question, what his motivation was for becoming a mental health profession by prefacing that it was first important I understand his philosophy behind counseling. He believes, “that in order to be an effective counselor that one must have the heart of a teacher and the best teachers are always learning” (J, Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). I believe this coincides with the American Counseling Association’s (ACA, 2017) definition that, “counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals” in that to teach is in part to empower. He was quite candid about his path to becoming a mental health counselor and although it was not always clear that that was where he was headed he says, he feels that he had always been a counselor. He feels the most important role of a counselor is to mentor, instruct and to teach his or her clients and that was the part of counseling that most appealed to him. 2

Jonathan describes the differences between helping professions similarly to our readings. He says that psychology centers more on diagnostic evaluations and an understanding of human behavior, while social work focuses on the individual within the social fabric of our society and their ability to function the resources given. He says counseling then places emphasis on an individual’s practical functioning. This seems to echo Erford (2018) who stated, “psychologists tend to focus more heavily on testing and assessment,…[social workers] on identifying systemic barriers to client success and identifying and accessing resources that will help clients overcome those barriers (p. 6). He clarified his previous statements by saying he understand these distinctions exist but that he believes they exist only to the degree to which we assign them importance. He continued by explaining he knew social workers who were great counselors and clinicians who are trained in psychological track who also make great counselors. According to Erford (2018), thus, in many ways these three behavioral health profession share common education and training standards, and also practice in similar manners (p. 6). Overall he explained that he believes it all comes down to one thing; the relationship between client and counselor. Johnathan said, “truthfully, that is much more about the knowledge of oneself as a counselor or ‘self-as-counselor’ than it is about schooling (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). This I felt was such a profound thought and I feel called me to question just how much we or I place emphasis on the distinctions in the helping professions. Jonathan is a licensed clinical professional counselor, licensed alcohol and drug counselor, and a certified clinical supervisor. In the state of Maine he explains you are required to obtain a master’s degree with a minimum of 60 credits, followed by two years of post- graduate supervised counseling normally at an agency for a total of 3000 hours, 100 of which are supervised and are given 24 months to complete the hours. (J. Ward, personal communication, 3

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February 1, 2022). This closely aligns with the ACA (2022) which similarly states those wishing to obtain licensure must have a master’s degree in counseling, 48-60 semester hours and are required to obtain 2000-3000 hours of supervised experience. In Maine these requirements change only depending upon if you are seeking to gain licensure as an LPC or LCPC, in addition the first only requires a passing score on the NCE, while the later requires a passing score on the NCE and NCMHCE. When asked about the current labor market for counselors, he said “in a word? Burgeoning’” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). He explains that he doesn’t know anyone, meaning other counselors and himself included that have any current openings and he usually gets at least one to two calls a week asking about his next opening. He believes the growing need or rather demand for competent counseling is due to the isolation and anxiety created by the pandemic. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021) mental health counselor jobs are to increase by 23% in the next ten years. For Maine, the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (2018) projected the demand for mental health counselors would more than double in the next 15 years and this report was pre-pandemic. Legal and Ethical Issues In response to what a normal day looks like for Jonathan he chuckled and explained that ‘normal’ has changed significantly since he pandemic and he adopted a more ‘unusual’ model for counseling (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). Prior to the pandemic he explains, he was completely office based and a typical day began at 7am with paperwork and then clients. Because of his proximity to his home he was able, on lunch breaks to accomplish small chores or errands and eat at home most days. Once the pandemic hit many of his colleagues made the transition to teletherapy. Jonathan himself who was already a moderator for 4

a google group for local counselors however took a step back from online due to what he said was. “an exponential rise in fear-based chatter about the pandemic” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). Once lockdowns began across the state, he and another colleague spoke about their concerns for their clients and concluded that forcing them to comply with teletherpay or not meet at all was a form of client abandonment (ACA, 2014 A.12). After considering this along with client confidentiality and the mandates (masks, 6ft apart) that went into effect he approached his clients with the idea of meeting outdoors. He explains having been an avid hiker himself he introduced the idea of walking or hiking to clients and have been doing this with about 80% of them since first introducing this new method of counseling. You can tell a great deal of thought went into how to still support his clients as well as adhere to a new and changing world. He added that he believed if asked his clients would agree the added benefit of moving and being outdoors with fresh air while counseling was a positive one. (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). I wonder if the outdoor settings chosen would always be an ideal setting to discuss private information and weather confidentiality would be compromised and also if the counseling relationship would be able to remain professional. According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2014) these concerns would be addressed under the following categories; A.6.b (extending counseling boundaries), A.6.c, (documenting boundary extensions), B.1.c (respect for confidentiality), and B.3.c (confidential settings). When asked about what legal and ethical issues he had to keep in mind on a daily basis he simply stated “many” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). Because of his past work as a counseling supervisor he says thinking in a supervisory role is now second nature to him – which of course includes being mindful of our code of ethics as counselors. This 5

‘supervisor track’ acts as a little voice in his head always running parallel to client interactions and helps him to monitor his reactions, thoughts, facial expressions, and keeps him cognizant of his biases, emotional reactions and triggers. Multicultural Issues When asked how his understanding and respect of multiculturalism helped him as a counselor he gave me an unexpected response. He said ‘multiculturalism’, “was a buzzword for counselors in training and once he’s heard for many years” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). He said to his surprise when researching ‘multiculturalism’ he found that it was only something that was referenced of referred to in the U.S. His personal and professional take on this was that because professional counselors are trained to practice within their scope and encouraged to deepen their knowledge when presented with areas outside their scope all while remaining ethically aware of their limits that multiculturalism is already something that all professionals take into consideration. Erford (2018) says, “All counseling is multicultural counseling” is an oft-repeated phrase echoed in counseling classrooms around the world, and it is clear that the systemic/multicultural paradigm has truly earned a place among the forces of counseling” (p. 20). Advocacy When asked how he had engaged in advocacy for his clients and/or the profession he replied that there were several types of advocacy that he takes an active role in; the first being what he called ‘direct advocacy’ which involves trying to intervene for clients with insurance companies; the second, ‘legislative advocacy’ which involves educating lawmakers about potential and anticipated needs in the counseling industry; the third being, ‘social advocacy’ referring to social justice (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). Out of the three 6

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of these the last one is what is what he is most engaged with – he says there is always a number of clients who are financially limited and do not qualify for any type of insurance. He says rather than volunteer his time at a mental health clinic he takes on clients such as these pro bono and feels this type of advocacy means the most to him. He says, “it is quiet, confidential. And I know I am making a difference for the individual people who would not otherwise be able to afford therapy” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). According to the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (Ratts et al., 2015), Jonathan appears to be working under several counseling advocacy competencies. Namely, intrapersonal by in some ways advocating for the systemic change and inequalities presented by insurance companies. Interpersonal and intuitional by providing marginalized clients with counseling they need and also educating about the inequalities of the healthcare system. Self-Care and Wellness When asked about what he did to maintain self-care and wellness he said that, “they are two extraordinarily critical components of being an effective counselor” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). He goes on to explain that although you might be able to get away with neglecting your own personal well-being for a little while that inevitably in the end it catches up with you and your clients will notice, “the thing to keep in mind is as a counselor, you have to attend to your own mental health” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). It is evident that he takes self-care and wellness very seriously and delves into a cautionary tale of what it was like to watch serval colleagues neglect their own personal care. He goes on to say that having access to your own counselor as well as having activities outside of your main vocation are key to maintaining your wellness. These same sentiments are echoed by Myers 7

(2015) who mentions, “ma intaining professional boundaries, seeking supervision and support from colleagues, drawing a clear line between home and office, participating consistently in activities and hobbies”. For Jonathan this includes being a volunteer firefighter for over 30 years now, being an EMS, and being an officer in his local search and rescue as well as serval hobbies one of which being hiking. He says, “I’m a human first and a counselor second and keeping that perspective has been invaluable in maintaining my own balance and mental health in the [counseling] profession” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). Final Thoughts When asked what the best piece of advice he could give to a counselor in training he said was to be true to yourself. In line with his personal philosophy on counseling, he said, “think of yourself as a teacher and a mentor, and never stop learning” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). He talked at great length about the years that a new counselor will spend probably in some agency and the absorbent amount of paperwork that will follow. He said it was important to remain open minded and embrace the challenges and learning opportunities that will present themselves. He says one of the most important things you can do to evaluate yourself and your suitability for the different avenues one can take with counseling is to train yourself to embrace good practices, the most important being to maintain an ethical compass. This aligns with what Myers (2015) says “[that] having realistic career expectations might help newer counselors to prepare for some of the job’s stresses, but even established counselors need to understand the signs of impending burnout and the steps they can take to avoid it.” He lists off serval ways to accomplish this such as regular peer reviews, consulting with supervisors and lastly, he said, he believes it important to regularly review disciplinary actions taken against counselors in order to help one avoid the same errors and pitfalls. I think the most valuable piece 8

of advice he gave to me was, “maintaining professional detachment is one thing, but being aloof from the human experience is quite another – this is not an easy balance to navigate, but if you’re true to yourself and you have other in the profession with whom you can consult, you’ll set yourself up for success” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). When he was asked about ‘burnout’ and whether there was a time that he thought he might quit he replied that he felt he has been fortunate in that he never seriously considered quitting – he attributes this to being able to work for himself and finding great professional and personal pleasure in this. He again talks about the importance of self-care and adds that it’s important to check in with yourself regularly so that when you begin missing appointments forgetting paperwork and/or “checking-out” that you remember to utilize your self-care outlets. When asked what he believed to be the biggest obstacle in obtaining licensure in the counseling field his response was surprising. He said, “it appears that many masters programs don’t put an emphasis on passing the necessary exams for licensure; perhaps because in most programs they are not taken until the program is completed – this leaves the student on his/her own to study for the exam” (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). Personal Reflection Overall I felt that having the opportunity to sit down with a professional in private practice was helpful in that it gave me an optimistic view of how I might incorporate my own hobbies into my work – it also allowed me to meet someone who seems to have balance their personal and professional life while still remaining passionately dedicated to their clients well- being. Self-care and burnout are real concerns of mine and although he took them seriously as well he doesn’t let them control his life. Reflection on Spark Discussion 9

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In considering my vision for counseling at the beginning of the quarter I don’t feel it has changed that much during this past 11 weeks or after this interview. What I do think is that I was given a different perspective of how I might accomplish my own personal goals with counseling. I think because I am mindful and quite self-aware I worry about self-disclosure, vicarious trauma, burn out and self-care and in speaking with a counselor wo has been in the field for quite some time it was helpful to discuss these fears and to talk best and worst case scenarios to demystify some of them. For me the only real thing that has changed overall was that I am considering new and different applications to the type of counseling I want to do and ways in which I might be able to accomplish this including a renewed dedication to my self-care plan. Similarities and Differences I would say what I learned from the interview that I would not have been able to learn from the coarse was the intimate details on the path to study for and take both the NCE’s and the NCMHCE. I think that hearing about the challenges he faced and steps he took to overcome them and prepare himself for these exams so that he could set himself up for the best possible outcome was helpful. I think what really resonated with me as being different than what we are taught is his thoughts on multiculturalism. Overall when referencing our readings and the book I did find that they were in support of his sentiments but I did feel that his thoughts on the subject overall were different than what we are being taught in school. I have to say that as a self-proclaimed ‘little white girl’ I do have awareness about the things in life that come easier to me and unfairly so than to others of a different race, color, ethnicity etc. but I am not sure I agree with Helms (1995) white racial identity development model. I think it complicates an issue that I feel is similar to the idea Jonathan was getting at when he considered that in order to be an ethical clinical 10

counselor you will already have it ingrained in you to be aware of, appreciate, respect and embrace the differences and all the challenges that come with all shapes and sizes of our clients. Personal Impact I feel being a clinical mental health counselor will impact me both negatively and positively. I think that entering into a helping profession usually suggests that you are a caring human being and in being so that it is going to be a challenge to find the balance of personal and professional. I think that my work will at times life me up and at other times it will crush me and my only hope is that going into with the mindset that what I am doing matters and that there will be both good and bad days will help me ultimately to overcome any negative impact that this profession will have – especially if I practice my elf care. Conclusion Overall the opportunity to interview a mental health counselor currently in the profession in private practice in my rural state of Maine was very rewarding. This was not the first time that I’ve had the opportunity to interview a professional counselor but I think it was the first time that I felt truly inspired by one. I realize that part of this process is to help prepare us for what to expect and give us a realistic understanding of what to expect once we enter into the profession. What was especially refreshing with Jonathan was that although he did express the importance of hard work, dedication and patience he also remained very positive, creative and excited about the work he is doing as a professional counselor. For me it interviewing Jonathan gave me a renewed sense of purpose and got me excited again about all the reasons why I was ever interested in this particular helping profession to begin with. Jonathans background as an EMS, volunteer firefighter and his outdoor hobbies have allowed him to say grounded and run a successful private practice as a clinical mental health 11

counselor. He embraced the challenges of the pandemic and its impact on the mental health community by relying on his teaching approach to counseling and combined that with his love of the outdoors. He utilized this and found renewed dedication to his clients and continued meeting in person by conducting counseling sessions outdoors hiking and walking with clients and even he says, by snowshoeing all while following CDC guidelines for safe distance and mask mandates. What was most impressive about Jonathan was his attitude towards self-care and philosophy towards counseling which is not to take yourself or the profession so serious that you stop living and that he is a human first and a counselor second. (J. Ward, personal communication, February 1, 2022). 12

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References 2014 code of Ethics - American Counseling Association . (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf Erford, B. T. (Ed.). (2018). Orientation to the counselling profession: Advocacy, ethics. And essential professional foundations (3 rd ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson Education Helms, J. E. (1995). An update of Helms’ white and people of color racial identity. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 181–198). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hennessey, M. L., Erford, Bradley T.. Orientation to the Counseling Profession (Merrill Counseling) (p. 561). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition. How to become a counselor in Maine . Online Counseling Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://onlinecounselingprograms.com/counseling-licensure/how-to-become- a-counselor-in-maine/#:~:text=Maine%20requires%20aspiring%20LPCs%20to,every %2030%20hours%20of%20experience. Myers, L. (2015, February 23). Stumbling blocks to counselor self-care . Counseling Today. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://ct.counseling.org/2015/02/stumbling-blocks-to- counselor-self-care/ National Center for Health Workforce Analysis - Bhw.hrsa.gov . (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/data-research/ occupational-physical-therapy.pdf Ratts, M. J., Singh, A. A., Nassar-McMillan, S., Butler, S. K., & McCullough, J. R. (2015). Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies. Retrieved from http://www.counseling. org/docs/default-source/competencies/ multicultural-and-social- justice-counselingcompetencies.pdf?sfvrsn=20 Erford, Bradley T.. Orientation to the Counseling Profession (Merrill Counseling) (p. 569). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition. State licensing of professional counselors . ACA (WEBusage). (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/licensure-requirements/ overview-of-state-licensing-of-professional-counselors U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021, December 13). Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and Mental Health Counselors: Occupational Outlook Handbook . U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and- social-service/substance-abuse-behavioral-disorder-and-mental-health-counselors.htm 13

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