Running head: PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN ASSIGNMENT 1

Personal Growth Plan Assignment: Final Draft

Kayla Bell

Drake University
PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN ASSIGNMENT 2

Personal Growth Plan Assignment: Peer Review Draft

Personal Growth Plan Outline

Personal Vision Statement

After conducting interviews with professional counselors and other professionals that

collaborate with mental health professionals, I desire to be an advocate to the mental health

profession as well as a clinical mental health therapist. Although advocacy is an essential

component throughout the counseling profession, I will also establish a non-profit

organization for anti-bullying and suicide prevention in the Des Moines community. I want to

establish this organization to help students advocate for themselves on the issues of bullying

and suicide and provide a safe environment for students to express their concerns, through

peer counseling groups and activities to enhance their prosocial relationships with other

students. Even though bullying and suicide are two topics I am passionate about, I will also

be focused on trauma during my professional counseling career.

Through volunteering at an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) conference, I learned

about the relationship trauma has on the manifestation of psychiatric symptoms in children

and adolescents, especially in diverse communities. As a result, I want to bring mental health

services to communities that have less access to mental health care, such as impoverished

diverse communities, or be more available as a mental health counselor to these communities.

When I was a child, there was a stigma in my community towards seeking mental health

services, which is persistent in minority communities. According to J. Bell (personal

communication, November, 3, 2016), she refused to seek help for her mental health problems

because she was raised as a “strong, black woman.” She perceived help from a mental health

professional as a threat to her perception of strength due to the inherent stigma of mental

health services in minority communities. Therefore, it is essential to advocate for mental

PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN ASSIGNMENT 3

health services in these communities and further dialogue to help mitigate the stigmatization

toward individuals seeking mental health services.

In order to achieve the desires explained in the personal vision, it is essential to develop

goals and action steps to facilitate the vision. The development and achievement of these

goals will help me to be a successful and versatile professional counselor that specializes in

trauma counseling in child and adolescents in diverse communities. In addition, these goals

will help me to take steps toward the development of a non-profit organization for students

that desire to advocate for anti-bullying and suicide prevention or seek help from peer support

groups.

Goal 1. Have a focus in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for

children and adolescents.

Activity 1. Take a class and engage in training on trauma-focused CBT in children and

adolescents.

Evaluation of activity 1. Taking a class on trauma-focused CBT is essential in learning

how to work with children and adolescents that have experienced traumatic experiences.

Even though the counseling 215 course provides an abundance of information relating to

cognitive behavioral therapy, it is essential for me to continue my education through taking

online courses to learn more effective ways to work with clients that have experienced

trauma. Lastly, taking an online course would supplement the information gained in a training

on trauma-focused CBT because the training would provide further techniques that could

help when working with children and adolescents with traumatic experiences.

Activity 2. Attend and volunteer at ACEs conferences and events.

Evaluation of Activity 2. ACEs conferences are very valuable when learning about the

traumatic experiences in children and adolescents. ACEs focuses on identifying and

providing effective treatments for children and adolescents that have experienced any form of
PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN ASSIGNMENT 4

trauma. This is an important activity in helping me reach my goal because attending the

conferences will enhance my personal education on the issues of trauma and network with

current counselors that have personal experiences with clients that have been traumatized. In

addition to attending the conferences, volunteering at these conferences will also allow me to

network with professional counselors and ACEs board members, thus learning about more

continuing education opportunities to broaden my understanding of trauma in mental health

practices.

Activity 3. Interview and intern at mental health agencies or hospitals that focus on

trauma in childhood and adolescence.

Evaluation of Activity 3: Interviewing individuals that have first hand experience with

trauma is an intricate component that will help me reach my overall goal. Interviewing

professionals with experience in trauma will better prepare me of the types of cases and

problems I may experience when I become a professional counselor. Through learning about

trauma from these individuals, I will also learn about techniques and skills that are most

receptive to children and adolescents that have experienced trauma. For instance, I could

learn how to talk to a child about their trauma through projective techniques or mindfulness

activities best suited for children. In addition, interning at these facilities will help me gain

personal experiences and the skills to work with clients that have traumatic experiences.

Learning from skilled professionals will help with the knowledge I would need to better

understand trauma, but practicing through an internship will gain me even more experience

and enhance my abilities to work with these clients.

Evaluation of Goal 1. The activities identified for this section are appropriate for my

future aspirations and align well with my desired outcome. Through taking a course on TF-

CBT, volunteering with agencies and organizations that focus primarily on trauma, and

interning to gain personal experience in the field, I believe my goal will be tangible by
PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN ASSIGNMENT 5

graduation. My passion is to be a counselor that specializes in trauma and the

accomplishment of this goal would prepare me to work with clients that have experienced

trauma. Even though participating in these activities will help prepare me for work with this

specialization, this goal is simply the beginning for my professional career and will set the

foundation for my future in trauma work with children and adolescents.

Goal 2. Design a plan to start a non-profit anti-bullying and suicide prevention

organization for children and adolescents.

Activity 1. Network and communicate with school counselors in the Des Moines

community that perceive bullying and suicide as an issue in their community.

Evaluation of Activity 1. Networking is a significant step in creating a non-profit

organization, especially one that addresses issues impacting the school community. School

counselors would be an important group to collaborate with because they witness the daily

effects of bullying and often understand the problems within the school that facilitate

bullying. In addition, school counselors often establish strategies to mitigate the issues of

bullying and suicide, therefore their suggestions and reports may help me in the development

of an organization that works with school counselors to enhance their efforts toward anti-

bullying. Lastly, collaborating with school counselors is essential because they can also

promote the organization to their students, thus increasing the number of students that will

participate in the organization. This is important because the collaboration would result in a

larger group of students committed to seeking help and advocating for anti-bullying and

suicide prevention, thus further changes to the school environment.

Activity 2. Interview individuals in the community on their perceptions of bullying and

suicide in children and adolescents. In addition, advocate to the community about the

importance of addressing these issues.

PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN ASSIGNMENT 6

Evaluation of Activity 2. This activity is one of the most important activities in

establishing a concrete and successful nonprofit anti-bullying and suicide prevention

organization. Often times, the community does not utilize their voice or understand the

impact it could have on issues of bullying and suicide in children and adolescents. The

community is an important factor to include when working with children and adolescents

because community members directly influence the values of the youth. Through

collaborating with the community, I would also gain information on the types of support they

desire to help address these issues, which would influence the design of the organization.

Activity 3: Interview children and adolescents that are currently being or have been

affected by bullying and suicide.

Evaluation of Activity 3. One of the most important factors when implementing a

problem that facilitates social justice, is to interview the individuals currently being impacted

by the issue. This activity would be most successful in helping facilitate a program that is

effective for mitigating bullying and implementing suicide prevention in children and

adolescents. Through these interviews I would learn about the strengths and weaknesses of

current programs designed to mitigate these issues. In addition, I would gather a

phenomological perspective towards the issues of bullying, which would help me see the

perspective of the issue.

Evaluation of Goal 2. I understand that this will be one my most difficult goals in my

future as a professional counselor due to the social-cultural factors that facilitate the bullying

culture. On the other hand, the first step that I can begin in accomplishing this goal is through

collaboration with school counselors and administrators in the school system. I would be able

to collaborate through interviews and data collection, enhancing my ability to understand the

areas that need to be addressed most, such as perceptions of support, cliques and power

dynamics, and violence, which are key contributors to bullying and suicide. In addition to
PERSONAL GROWTH PLAN ASSIGNMENT 7

collaborating with school counselors, collaborating with the community would also positive

impact the effectiveness of the nonprofit organization. The community would also be helpful

in identifying specific areas or neighborhoods that would benefit most from the program,

which would help me establish the most effective location for the organization. The

community would be helpful in providing suggestions for anti-bullying and suicide

prevention strategies and a more diverse perspective of the issues surrounding bullying and

suicide and the perceived support the community has. Lastly, through working with students I

would gather information essential to developing a program that can facilitate change at the

heart of the issue. The development of this organization involves taking a systemic approach

and perspective of the issue, then the implementation effective strategies, gathered from the

community, counselors, and students.