MID-IOWA FAMILY THERAPY CLINIC MISSION
Mid-Iowa Family Therapy Clinic, Inc. strives to facilitate measurable, positive outcomes for families utilizing a holistic, community-based continuum of care, which respects each client's unique background.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA MISSION
The mission of the Counseling Program at the University of South Dakota is to graduate competent and ethical professional counselors. Master’s and doctoral graduates serve diverse populations and the profession locally, nationally, and internationally as counselors, counselor educators, and clinical supervisors. The doctoral program prepares graduates to become the profession’s next generation of leaders. Located in the city of Vermillion, the Counseling Program is housed within the School of Education and maintains a special commitment to preparing professional counselors to work in rural settings.
The Counseling Program is designed to graduate counselors who see themselves first and foremost as professional counselors, regardless of chosen specialization or degree program. Thus, graduate students are expected to demonstrate a commitment to professional and personal development. Moreover, graduate students demonstrate leadership by advocating for the profession, embracing diversity, and offering service to others. Graduate students will be engaged learners who meet and aspire to exceed the CACREP-based professional competencies and performance standards.
As role models, Counseling Program faculty members dedicate themselves to excellence and ethical practice in teaching, research, scholarship, clinical practice, leadership, and service. The curriculum adheres to a reflective decision-making model of training. Professional and personal growth are interrelated and encouraged through experiences that promote awareness of self and one’s impact on others. The curriculum underscores the importance of supervised clinical experiences. To ensure excellence throughout the curriculum and our identity as professional counselors, the program maintains CACREP accreditation.
MY MISSION STATEMENT/STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Determination, Motivation, Empowerment and Success!
There are several interpersonal as well as intrapersonal struggles I have faced in my life. Each of them taught me choose to be the exception, as the exception will not choose me. Following this motto has led me down the path of counseling and psychology. My academic career started with a major in Psychology where my passion for helping others began. As a Resident Assistant in the Residential Halls at the University of South Dakota I experienced many “firsts.”
My interests narrowed to children and adolescents while pursuing my second Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice, more specifically children who have been adjudicated. As a result of this interest, I was granted the opportunity for employment at The Boys and Girls Home. Here my desire to work with children and adolescents grew, narrowing my specialty to Community/Agency Counseling. In the process of pursuing my Masters Degree I was able to narrow my specialization further to work with a diverse population of children and adolescents in a residential treatment setting.
Through the Community/Agency Counseling professors and curriculum I grew an interest in research related to attachment, systems theory, stress and anxiety. In February of 2005 I was offered a position as a Case Manager at Mid-Iowa Family Therapy Clinic working with children in families referred through The Department of Human Services. I work with families from a wide range of cultural, racial, and ethnic groups in order to connect them with resources in the community. The resources I connect families with are responsive to the long-term needs of the family. I focus on prevention, parenting, stress and coping skills. Recently, I have been working with members in the community through a Community Partnership and Resource gathering project.
The reasons for pursuing an education in Counseling Psychology rely heavily on my personal and professional goals. I am dedicated to the success of children and adolescents in residential treatment facilities and the environment they are returned to after graduating a program. Although I do not work in a residential setting now, I do work with the families which have children in placement.
Interests
My academic interests focus mainly on the counseling profession and counseling education. As an active member of Psi Chi in my undergraduate studies and Chi Sigma Iota as a Masters student I believe in the promotion of research, professionalism and excellence in counseling. My research interests are reflected in my academic and professional experiences. Through the Counseling program at The University of South Dakota, I am afforded the education necessary to work with a diverse population as well as a strong theoretical background on which to base my services to clients. Mid-Iowa Family Therapy Clinic allows me to work with a diverse population in a multitude of mental health situations. I wish to focus on the mental health issues of children in residential treatment facilities and the attitudes and assessments of families with children in treatment.
My professional interests stem out of the experiences I have had in working with children at The Boys and Girls home, and with families at Mid-Iowa Family Therapy Clinic. I am interested in establishing a relationship with community members and educators in order to benefit children and to develop partnerships, which will enable me to work with the diverse population of children and adolescents in treatment facilities as well as the home environment children go back to once completing a program.
Goals
My professional goal is to gain competencies in counseling, supervision, diagnostic methods, case management, research, and the administration of counseling services. A second goal is to develop a partnership with professors with multi-theoretical backgrounds and training who foster specialized preparation in developmental, preventive and therapeutic counseling.