Richburg described the specific demands of PACT clients, who are not treated in traditional, standard clinic formats. Counselors like Richburg work with psychiatrists and with registered nurses to best serve the needs of their mental health clients. PACT professionals actively work with their clients in the community, and are often required to visit clients' homes.
The skills and character traits that are most conducive for success as a counselor include empathy, trustworthiness, listening skills, and enough self-awareness to overcome biases. The interview subject emphasized the immense personal satisfaction that derives from helping clients who others had deemed non-functional. The greatest rewards from the clinical counseling professions are gleaned from helping those clients who were in most need of professional assistance and care.
Sources of dissatisfaction with the job include time constraints and issues related to poor scheduling or logistics. For example, case loads that are too large prevent proper care for clients. Moreover, counselors' duties occasionally include offering transportation services to clients without access to public transportation. Stressors associated with the position do not significantly detract from the rewards of helping others. Richburg also noted the benefits from working in an active position rather than in a more passive desk job.
Because mental health services are state-supported, the professional benefits can be substantial. Salaries start at $35,000 per year for Masters-level supervisory positions. Richburg claimed that counselors in possession of a Master's degree have nearly unlimited avenues for career development because of the great need for qualified professionals in all areas of the mental health fields. Finally, the interview subject advised the student to seek out internship opportunities with the Department of Mental Health in order to further his career.
Conclusion
Based on the results of the field interview with Mental Health Counselor III Jackee Richburg, the student has in fact enhanced his interest in the counseling field. Knowing that financial reward is not the primary motivation of counselors underscores the need to be committed to helping others and serving the community.
Through the interview, the student learned about specific job stressors and will therefore be better prepared to handle the challenges related to the counseling professions. The field interview offered immense insight into the day-to-day operations of the professional clinical counselor, insight that could not have been gained through reading textbooks or attending class lectures alone. As such, the interview adds to the hands-on experience gained through internship and other professional opportunities. Therefore, all three of the initial research hypotheses were fulfilled. First, the student learned that supervisory-level counseling positions involve a relatively high degree of stress, disappointment, and dissatisfaction that some prospective counselors might not be prepared to deal with. Being already familiar with the stressors alluded to by Richburg in the field interview, the student-interviewer remains undeterred. Second, and following from the first conclusion, the student has already worked in a clinical counseling setting with the interview subject. Therefore, he is already somewhat prepared to meet the unique challenges of a supervisory position such as Richburg's. Finally, having learned more fully what will be required of a Masters- or Doctorate-level counselor, the student-interviewer remains unwaveringly committed to fulfilling his career goals, preferably in a supervisory position in the field of mental health counseling.
