Clinical Mental Health- Admission Essay

Question One

My desire to become a counselor stems from three main reasons. Firstly, my interest in helping others. I did not decide to pursue this course by chance; since my childhood, I have always wanted to assist people encountering challenges they cannot control. It hurts me when I see someone suffering without the community striving to assist them in any way. Due to this, I decided I want to pursue a counseling course to learn more about helping people deal with their problems. For instance, some drug addicts desire to stop taking drugs; but it becomes difficult to control because they lack guidance from professional counselors. The course will help me learn other things such as approaches, ethics, communication, and many others. My main aim is to help people who are entangled in problems and wish to get out of those problems.

Another reason why I want to become a counselor is to drive positive change. While there are many counselors out there who may not have an impact, I want to be a different counselor. Many of such counselors have not gone through counseling lessons. Therefore, to be different and make a positive change, I will need to go through counseling classes because those who teach are well conversant in the field. Hence, pursuing this course will be crucial for me as I will gain the necessary skills necessary to drive change in society. My ultimate goal is to change the world positively through my skills in counseling.

The third reason is I want to find purpose and fulfillment in my life. I strongly feel that my purpose in life is to become a counselor. I would not pursue any other course; I would rather do the right things rather than do things right. In this case, I feel counseling people is the right thing to do. By becoming a counselor, I am searching for a sense of the meaning of life that other careers cannot offer. Hence, I am strongly connected to counseling, and I cannot deviate from it. After pursuing the course and ensuring I am competent in the field, I plan to seek a certificate as a licensed professional counselor and work as a psychotherapist and counselor.

Question Two

During my high school time, I had an Indian friend who we schooled together until we completed. He was from a completely different culture from me; nevertheless, our relationship was one of the best, and we were recognized as peacemakers at one time by the school dean. My friend had I had four cultural differences that existed between us. One of them is language; even though students are expected to speak one language, there are some instances outside the school where they freely speak any language. We were from different countries speaking different cultural languages. However, this did not stop us from interacting. We countered the difference by speaking English. We even had sessions of teaching each other a cultural language that each of us was well conversant in.

The second cultural difference is religion; he was a Hindu, and I was a Christian. Hinduism and Christianity are two different religions with different beliefs. However, I valued the difference and viewed the religion just like my own. In many instances, we prayed together and believed together. Even though it is difficult to change one’s religion, we managed to stay in peace. One thing I was careful about is discussing religious matters. I avoided it entirely because I knew how such discussions raise chaos. The third difference that existed between us is dressing. Culturally, Indians do not dress in tight clothes. They wear long gowns, and so my friend was.

On the other hand, I dressed according to our culture, just a t-shirt and a trouser. However, I actually found his dressing mode very decent and beautiful, and he also used to compliment me in my dressing mode. In general, instead of being ethnocentric as many people do, I admitted that there is no culture, including my own that is superior to others. Therefore, I had to respect his culture as well as mine because, after all, every culture makes sense to its believer.

Question Three

Interpersonal relations are a crucial segment of human life. Due to this, I have six ways that help develop effective interpersonal relationships with others. The first one is by having a positive attitude. By showing a positive attitude, I am showing respect to others that help foster the relationship. Also, portraying a positive attitude reflects I am a cheerful person, smiling with them, which makes people associate with me more. Secondly, being a problem solver. I have an easy and fast way of solving my problems and those of others. For instance, negotiations, issuing gifts are some of the techniques I find helpful in solving problems. This, in turn, makes me stick to a relationship instead of leaving it. Hence, my relationship with others grows.

Thirdly, I have mastered good communication skills. I always watch and listen to speakers, especially on YouTube, who talks about the essence of having good communication skills. The skills are useful in how I relate with people, the language I use, how I listen and respond, and how I handle my non-verbal communication. This has seen me grow in friendships. The fourth way is by taking my responsibilities. I do not wait for other people to do what I am supposed to do. Thus, many people are impressed by my commitment because if, for instance, it is an agreement, I will not fail them. The value has helped me develop and maintain effective interpersonal relationships.

Number five, I form interpersonal relationships by avoiding complaining. This is a lesson I learned from Steven Covey in his book of seven habits every person should have. I realized that I could not control things like the weather, what people think about me, among other things. I do not have to complain about such things; instead, I should improve them like wearing heavy clothes if the weather is cold. Complaining always maintains social distancing, and due to this, I do refrain from complaining. This has seen me maintaining and forming new friendships. Lastly, becoming more appreciative is another way I form relationships. I always strive to compliment people and appreciating them when they do well. It is a crucial value that has helped me attract more friendships and maintain them because people love being appreciated.