Mental Health Counselor Career Essay Sample
As a Latina who grew up in a lower-income neighborhood, I witnessed the public school system failing to educate its youth on the dangers of mental illness plaguing our community of Newark. I faced various economic and emotional hardships along with my family but it was all those hardships that strengthened my mentality and pushed me to attend Towson University and earn a bachelor's degree in psychology.
To begin, when I was eight years old mental illness had crept into my household, my father was diagnosed with bipolar disorder changing our lives forever. In a Hispanic household, there is a stigma held about males and that is they are seen as the prominent figure, the ones who can't show any signs of weakness. At a young age, I remember the strain my father's diagnosis caused him, how it consumed his mind with denial and triggered several manic episodes. This was the moment that sparked my interest in human behavior and I wanted a deeper understanding of the human mind. It is unfortunate to know the ignorance that is buried deep within my culture. I have high ambitions to pursue a master's degree at Rowan University in clinical mental health counseling and return to my community of Newark and become a resource to assist those battling with their Mental health or illness.
As a clinical mental health counselor, I want to specialize in working with overlooked populations, specifically minority families dealing with severe traumas or mental health crises. Being bilingual also allows me to reach out to these underserved populations and to provide services in communities lacking them. My ultimate goal is to obtain my master's degree from your university and then go on to pursue a Ph.D. and conduct research on the effects of socioeconomic disparities and child abuse to be able to apply the research to communities facing these issues.
When I was pursuing my undergraduate degree I was simultaneously working three jobs and was not able to perform at my best due to the economic stress of funding my education. My transcripts show a letter grade but they do not show the countless nights I stayed awake with my residents while I was a residential assistant at my university handling mental health emergencies. Nonetheless, I repeated any course I did not succeed in and made sure to fully master the concept as education is the key to success.
Since graduating with my bachelor's degree I have learned the importance of self-care and time management because that was my weakness in my undergraduate education. I no longer overwhelm myself with taking on every single issue in the world. I focus on small victories and helping those immediately in reach.
My passion for counseling led me to secure a job working in the field right out of college with a great company called Volunteers of America. I jumped right into the workforce as a Mental Health Counselor in the middle of a pandemic because I knew now more than ever people would need help and I was ready to provide that help. I also currently work part-time in my community through a great organization, Integrity House and I am a Drug and Alcohol Counselor Intern working with the Latinx community in my hometown of Newark, New Jersey.
Being accepted to Rowan university would allow me to get the world-class education and experience I need to become the great mental health professional I aspire to be. The mental health field is constantly changing with every year that passes but there is one thing that remains the same and that is the need for counselors who are empathetic, driven, patient, and passionate about the field. Eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness in the entire Latino population is not a small task but with a master's degree, I can take the steps necessary to make even a small impact in my community. 8% of mental health professionals are Hispanic or Latino, that number needs to change. There are not enough people like me in this field and I am determined to work hard and add to that 8% in hopes that one day it will no longer be a single digit.
