COUC 604- Counselor Wellness and Understanding Professional Risks Assignment

WELLNESS 1

Wellness Plan Assignment

Allison V. Hobaugh

School of Behavioral Science, Liberty University

WELLNESS 2

Wellness Plan Assignment

Wellness Assessments

Physical Wellness

The physical aspect of wellness is the most obvious to me. If I do not take care of my

physical body, then I do not have the energy to take care of other aspects of my wellbeing.

Overall, I rated my physical wellness as a 2 and noted that it could use improvement. The areas

of improvement that are most needed are eating more healthy foods, getting more exercise,

and eating regularly. I tend to get hyper focused on a task and work straight through my body’s

needs for food and a break.

Emotional Wellness

I rated this section as an overall 2 with needs for improvement. I am a hard worker and I

love my current job at a thrift store. The proceeds of the thrift store support the ministry of my

church. I do not normally take sick days and the only days I ask off for are those days that I have

other obligations. I do participate in a fair number of hobbies which allow me to decompress

and fill my cup after a long day. I listen to audiobooks while doing puzzles, coloring or diamond

dot painting. Going on vacations is an area that I reported as a 1. I’m not sure if that is feasible

to improve at this point because of financial reasons. Overall, I have good emotional wellness.

Social Wellness

In recent months, I have been more cognizant of developing relationships past the level

of the superficial. I talk to my mom and my sister once a week. I belong to a book club and have

at least two good friends from that circle. Overall, I am happy with my social life.

WELLNESS 3

Spiritual Wellness

I start each more in prayer and mediation using a devotional. This devotional also

incorporates my hobby of coloring. It has color pages of the verses of the week. I attend church

and if I am unable to make it in person, I will usually try to find the online recording of the

service. I am part of the 40 days for Life campaign at my church. It has a special meaning to me

to be a part of that.

Professional Wellness

There is a lot to do in my job at the thrift store. I take small breaks to come out from the

processing room and talk with my coworkers. I also take a few minutes to eat lunch. I have a

system that makes sense only to me and I find that I can work swiftly if I listen to audiobooks. I

am always trying to find better ways to organize the donations. Order is my “happy place” and

this job fulfills my need for order among chaos.

Personal Reflection

The topics in crisis counseling were challenging for me. Not just the topics themselves

but how, as a counselor, I should address them. Before this class, all my knowledge seemed

distant and theory based. I understood that I needed to learn the foundations of counseling and

where it came from. On another level, this class brought all that knowledge to the forefront. I

began to realize that I would soon be released into the wild so to speak and I would have to

apply this knowledge. This course has given me the tools to make these scenarios real to me

and I know more about the reality of crisis across differing populations. I never knew that

natural disaster crisis management fell into the scope of counseling. I usually thought it was a

lay person who volunteered with the Red Cross. Living in an area that is impacted by late season

hurricanes, I can use the things that I learned during the chapters on crisis management to help

clients process grief, loss and anxiety brought on by natural disasters.

WELLNESS 4

I learned more about SMART goals and treatment plans in this class than I had in

previous classes. I believe that it was due to the application to more realistic scenarios. It has

been drilled into me from the beginning of this journey to implement a self-care plan. This is the

final building block that I feel I need to make a solid plan for my self-care as I enter the field. I

know I need to improve greatly on my physical wellness on a logical scale. I am having difficulty

putting it into action. I understand that if I do not improve this area of my wellness, other areas

may decline and that could affect my performance as a counselor.

Treatment Plan

Problem 1 (mental): I experience anxiety when faced with graduating and being a good

counselor.

Goal 1: I will alleviate my anxiety by the end of 12 weeks.

Objective 1: I will discuss my anxieties with others who have finished this

program with success. I will journal and make specific lists on the things that need to be

accomplished prior to graduation.

Problem 2 (physical): I need significant improvement in my eating and exercise habits.

Goal 1: By the end of 12 weeks, I will have planned and adhered to a high protein diet

and regular exercise of strength and cardiovascular using the resources I have in my community.

Objective 1: I will commit to a 75 Day Soft regime and use the daily motivators

to see progress. This will allow me to have more confidence to keep going.

Problem 3 (emotional):Although balanced, this aspect of my well-being should stay at the

present level or higher while working on the other aspects.

Goal 1: I will prevent the decline of other wellness aspects while maintaining the balance

of this one.

Objective 1: I will continue participating in my current hobbies or reading,

WELLNESS 5

coloring, puzzles, and diamond dot painting without adding too many others to maintain the

current balance.

Problem 4 (social): At present, I am satisfied with the status of this category. No problems to

report.

Goal 1: I will keep the same balance without the decline of the other categories.

Objective 1: I will continue to have weekly calls with my mother and sister. I will

continue my various volunteer, social obligations and activities. I will make note of when I need

a break from social get togethers so that I can recharge.

Problem 5 (spiritual): Overall health of this category is good. I need to improve my time spent in

reflection.

Goal 1: I would like to spend at least 30 minutes each morning in reflection, prayer, and

daily devotional.

Objective 1: I will set my alarm 30 minutes earlier than my normal time. I will use this

time to go straight upstairs to my library and spend time with God

COUC 604- Counselor Wellness and Understanding Professional Risks Assignment Counselor Wellness and Understanding Professional Risks Counselors are crucial in helping people to overcome emotional, psychological, and spiritual distress. When not managed adequately, witnessing human suffering can also have an impact on their well-being, which is why counselor wellness becomes a personal and professional concern. The […]