April is Counseling Awareness Month. While this month is dedicated to understanding the importance of counseling, it is equally important to advocate for the profession and its available services all year round. As I think about myself nine months ago before I began the Counselor Education program, I often asked myself what the point of counseling was. Between the normal banter of first-time meetings when someone would ask what I was going to school for, I was often faced with a blank stare or a puzzled look. No one I talked to knew the program existed and if they did, they had no idea what it was for. So through my words and the statements of the American Counseling Association, the public can be made more aware of what the profession is and what it has to offer.
What is counseling? The ACA answers the question: Professional counselors help clients identify goals and potential solutions to problems which cause emotional turmoil; seek to improve communication and coping skills; strengthen self-esteem; and promote behavior change and optimal mental health (ACA, 1997). More simply put, it is a partnership characterized by cooperation between two people to meet a certain goal. Most people have an idea of what counseling is and what it means to go to counseling, but a powerful notion surrounding the whole situation is that all people can benefit from an outside opinion from time to time. Seeking counseling does not mean that something is wrong; it is merely an admittance that we are human.
The purpose of Counseling Awareness month is to educate the public on the role of counselors in helping individuals to live healthier
happier and more productive lives (ACA, 1997). Counselors are present in so many arenas of our lives, ranging from the schools, rehabilitation centers and chemical dependency agencies, all the way to the stereotypical clinical setting. As individuals in the profession, it is our duty to advocate what we do and who we are, as well as to make the public aware of our presence and desire to help. The Athens area also offers a great deal of resources for individuals seeking counseling services. During the remainder of the month, the Southeastern Ohio Counseling Association, a division of The Ohio Counseling Association, will be staffing an information table in the lobby of McCracken Hall. The Counseling and Psychological Services, located in Hudson Health Center, offers a wide array of services available to students, faculty, and parents. Other area institutions that offer community counseling services in the Athens area include Tri-County Mental Health, My Sister's Place, Appalachian Behavior Health Care, Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, Rural Women's Recovery Program and Bassett House. These are all listed in the phone book and links can be found through Ohio University's Web site for counseling and psychological services at www.ohio.edu/counseling/. Additionally, Health Recovery Services, www.healthrecserv.org/, is an agency that offers counseling services on a sliding scale and can be reached directly at (740) 592-6720. The aforementioned possibilities are only an abbreviated list, but hopefully it demonstrates that there are options available and individuals exist that wish to lend a hand.Boni Probasco is a graduate student studying counselor education. 17
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