Mid Term Reflections- Late Blog

I was not as prepared for the midterm as I thought I was. It was hard. I reviewed all the different theories, took notes on them, studied the wiki and even took the provided quizzes. I still didn't do as well as I had hoped to. I guess I thought that the mid-term was going to be more about the content of the theory and less about application. I was wrong though, it was a lot of application. It makes me kind of nervous that at this point in the program I am not "good" at applying theories (in a testing situation, anyways).

With that being said I was very happy to learn that we would be able to retake the exam in a group setting. It was very helpful to work through the exam with other people. We were able to discuss and work through the questions as a group. I felt like I had a better understanding of the material after completing the exam for the second time. The group grade was also a lot better than my individual grade.

One thing that brought me “relief” is the case study question on the mid-term. I felt really good about my answer (on the individual exam). I knew the theory I selected well, and I felt like I applied it correctly (I think I did receive all the points for it). Solution-focused brief counselling was the selected theory. I am currently using this method of counseling in theory and practice one class so I felt very comfortable with applying it. As a group we selected this same theory and I felt that my input was helpful to the group. I also felt better because I actually understood how to apply a theory to a case.

I think I also noticed I might have a preference to narrative type theories. I love hearing a person’s story. I also think their story is important in understanding them, their situation, and the problem at hand. After all we are “the expert of our experience” as I have heard from Dr. Garner so many times. I think this theory can be useful my current job and in the future as a counselor. Currently as a program coordinator I need to help with a solution for my clients, weather that be job related, school related, or whatever else issue they may be having. I think as a counselor it will be helpful because we don’t always have tons of times to work with students.