April Blog Post

          This month was definitely more productive than the last. Realizing that independent component 2's due date was coming up, I had to make sure I had enough hours before the deadline. I really enjoyed doing hours for this component this time because I gave myself something to work on individually and still gain content to benefit my project

          I started a small amount of hours in March but invested a lot of my time this month to the component. In the last few weeks of March and all of this month I began a new book called It's Kind of a Funny Story by Nic Vizzini. It's a story about a teenage boy named Craig who is depressed. It's definitely given me a relatable outlook on a mental issue from a teenage perspective.
          I've also been investing my time in watching a lot of counseling related movies such as Good Will Humting. Along with movies, I've watched videos of personal stories regarding mental dysfunctions and it has given me a loop hole in confidentiality laws from my mentorship. Doing reviews and debriefing allows me to asses the issue and individual on my own and learn as well as gain useful notes.

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

  (a)      I, Anais Bolden, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 32 hours and 45 minutes of work.

(b) Several videos I watched were from the site TED.com 

(c) to view independent component 2 hours click the Senior Project Hours link

(d) - Besides continuing to do some mentorship hours which tends to be dealing with a lot of client's paperwork and filing; for this component I took time to watch several videos regarding people dealing with depression or surviving suicide attempts. Some videos were just about the extremity of these topics and how to address them. These videos are done through what's known as TED talks. I also watched a few movies involving counseling to show how it's implemented today. I took the time to review these after watching them. At school, I've been using my ssr time to read a book called It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini.

- Taking this much amount of time watching videos regarding counseling has definitely benefited me in answering my essential question and my senior project in general because it has given me insight and opened a door to what I couldn't always get at mentorship. People's personal stories are confidential and harder to obtain while watching people willingly share through the Internet is sort of a loop hole. These people have lots of courage with being upfront about their struggle; with the research I've done prior and information passed down through my mentor I was able to take these resources and techniques into account when reviewing these videos. Reading It's Kind of a Funny Story is a book about a teen suffering with depression and I appreciate this book because it's relatable and understandable coming from a teen like myself. My essential question is "What is the most effective way for a therapist to support a struggling client?" The TED talks videos have individuals speaking openly about what they'd like to see in counseling and what best comforts them and what worked. For that reason I believe investing my independent component 2 hours in these activities benefited me in answering my essential question.

Some of the TED talks videos I've watched

    

                     

Fourth Interview Questions

1. What is important in a therapist - counselor relationship?
2. How do you maintain the relationship?
3. How do you ensure consistent sessions with clients?
4. How can you ensure your client is telling the truth or  is keeping information when being assessed?
5. How important is it for the therapist to be involved in how the client is receiving the right meds?
6. How do you ensure a client is taking their medications, if any?
7. What are benefits to family support in a client’s struggle?
8. How involved do you keep families in the client’s situation?
9. When it comes to families, how much do you keep confidential?
10. What do you do if a client has no family to go to or get support from?
11. What are some guidelines when assessing a client?
12. What is expected from you as a therapist during a session?
13. Is communicating with your client outside of therapy appropriate?
14. In what situations is communication with a client appropriate or necessary?
15. How do you get a patient to self -realization of their issue if they are facing denial or are unaware?
16. What are some methods that usually work when trying to retrieve information from a client or getting them to open up comfortably?
17. What methods are risky or tend to not work?
18. How do you benefit from the counseling?
19. Does counseling ever take a toll on you as a therapist?
20. What methods or forms of counseling work best for a client?

March Blog Post

          This month wasn't very productive towards my senior project to be honest. I had some trouble with my third interview and was focusing on trying to contact my mentor and get a different person to interview, which didn't necessarily happen.


          Although, I did work on my independent component and watch a few films that are involved in counseling. I also have kept up with my articles to further my research.  I plan on continuing my independent component hours and going to mentorship soon.