Recently, I interviewed a Licensed Professional Counselor. She has been a counselor for many years and I wanted to discover more about her journey and what her life is like!
Name: Ruth Stitt
Where work: Own practice and teaching at the community college
Job title: Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S)
Length of time in the field: 21 years
Educational background: MS, University of Houston-Clear Lake, graduated 1992
Q:Why did you go into the field of counseling?
A: I saw that people needed help. I wanted training and credibility to be able to speak into people's lives and help them find healing. It was my calling.
Q: Is it all that you thought it would be?
A: yes!
Q: What do you like best?
A: it is never boring, challenging, variety, and engaging- which I love!
Q: What do you like least?
A: business aspect of it, all the paperwork and follow up with bills
Q: Would you recommend this field to someone else?
A: Only if they feel called to it, because it is work. They also need to be a good listener to others.
Q: What is it like each day- what do your days consist of?
A: My days don't really have a structure, which is one of the benefits of working on your own (not in a practice). If I am teaching a class that day, I will see about 2-6 clients. Otherwise, I will see perhaps 6-8 clients in a day. The first time I meet with a client, I will go over all the paperwork, credibility, payment plan, ect., to get it out of the way. Then I will listen and find out what is the problem they want to work on. I will also ask questions to find the deeper root of the problem. I really like to have those therapeutic conversations with people- I find it really helps them.
Q: Was it hard becoming a counselor?
A: Well, in the state of Texas, after you graduate with your master's degree, you feel ready to work after being in school for so long, but you are required to complete a 3,000 hours of internship in the field before becoming certified. At least 1,500 hours must be direct client contact along with being supervised by a Licensed Professional Counselor. You get a permit to be a LPCI (Licensed Professional Counselor Intern) and you have to find someone to supervise you.
Q: How did you know that you wanted to go into it?
A: I felt called. I had been reading some books by counselors/psychologists and was fascinated on how they could point out what was going on. I asked myself: "How do they know? How do they do that?" And so I wanted to do the same for others, so I went into that.
Q: What type of people do you see- is it just emotional or mental issues?
A: Well, if its mental, they need to see a doctor. Mostly what I see is people with depression and anxiety issues, military veterans, or problems in the home. Although, I have seen a wide variety of stuff, so that no matter what comes through that door, I am not shocked by it.
Q: What advice would you give to college students looking to pursue a degree in psychology or counseling?
A: Confidence is key, and it takes time to become a well-rounded good counselor which comes with experience. So be patient with yourself. Know what you are getting into- some students think it's going to be so amazing, but they forget about all the work that goes into it.
I found this interview to be very informing and enlightening about the field of counseling!
If you would like to contact Ruth Stitt, here is a link on more about her:
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