Transformational Learning Experiences: A Conversation with Counselors About Their Personal and Professional Developmental Journeys

Embarking on a journey to become a counselor does more than prepare a person for a new and rewarding career. Relational, training and life experiences all contribute to transformational encounters that change who the person is and who he or she will be as a future counselor. Each counselor’s journey is unique, as is each counselor. The authors presented here allowed themselves to be vulnerable as they shared their own unique journeys and experiences that led them to be the counselor they are today, in the hopes that they may inspire others on their own unique journeys towards becoming a counselor who transforms lives.

Table of Contents:
Preface Section One: Transformation in Life Experiences Transformational Cultural, Religious, and Spiritual Experiences by Ria BakerPerceptions of New Mothers and New Professors in Academia: Stories from the Front Lines by Laura Dawson-Fend and Leigh GreenMeaningful Turning Points: A Narrative Exploration of How I Became a Counselor Educator by Tamara Hinojosa History Impacts Reality: How Parental Divorce Affected My Beliefs about Commited Relationships, and What I Decided to Do About It by Veronica I. JohnsonLife’s BIG Decisions: Should I Start a Family While Pursuing an Advanced Degree by Angie SmithSection Two: Transformation in Relational Experiences (Self and Others) Critical Moments in Personal and Professional Development: Searching for a Sense of Belonging by Charles C. EdwardsFrom the Inside Out: Dealing Effectively with Client Anger by Kevin A. FallBecoming a Puerto Rican Counselor: How my Twins Served as My Ethnic Mirrors by Anna Flores LockeConfronting the Impostor: Addressing Anxiety and Self-Doubt as a Counselor by Shaywanna HarrisIn My Skin by Jacqueline S. HodesThe Invitation of a Dying Man by Drew KrafcikEmbracing the Dark by Laura ThompsonCrossing Borders: Understanding the Muslim Experience from a Non-Muslim Perspective by Cheryl P. WolfIntegrating the Dark With the Light: Learning From a Professional Sanction by Jane A WarrenSection Three: Transformation in Training Experiences The Laws of Aerodynamics Don’t Pertain to Bumble Bees by Nicole ArcuriPlanting Seeds, Blossoming Careers, and Birkenstocks by Angela ColistraSchool Counselors and Illness-Related Trauma: Personal Reflections from an African Outreach Experience by Eric DavisCreative Arts in Clinical Supervision by Kelly Dunbar DavisonResearch Mentoring: An Empowering Process for the Protégé and Mentor by Jessica Headley and Varunee Faii SangganjanavanichBetter Together: A Personal Exploration of a Co-Counselor Relationship by Christy W. Land and Lauren J. MossMy Process and Development through Group Process by Greg MeyerCounselor, Know Thyself by Sudha NagarajanLearning Not to Work Harder Than Your Clients by Alyson Pompeo-FargnoliTo Walk in Humility: Lesson Learned in Indian Country by John YasenchakAbout the Authors

About the Author :
Dr. Michelle Kelley Shuler is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Texas A&M University-Central Texas in Killeen TX. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. Dr. Shuler’s counseling practice is focused on the use of mindfulness and the treatment of addictive behaviors. Dr. Elizabeth Keller-Dupree is an Associate Professor of Psychology & Counseling at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and owns a private practice and consulting business in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. Keller-Dupree's research has led to state, national, and international presentations on topics concerning wellness and wellbeing practices, prosocial development, and experiential counselor training. Dr. Katrina Cook is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Health & Kinesiology at Texas A&M University – San Antonio. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, and a certified school counselor who also provides supervision for counseling interns and marriage and family therapy associates. She is interested in facilitating professional identity development of student counselors.

Review :
It is a rare experience in today's saturated literature market to read something that both inspires and transforms one's soul. Drs. Shuler, Keller-Dupree, and Cook have managed to do both by creating a text that speaks to our human desire to cognitively consume information, while affectively experiencing it in relationship with others. This book is truly a transformational masterpiece. Bringing personal and professional growth together in an innovative manner, the reflective narratives speak to the transformational yearnings in all of us. Transformational Learning Experiences: A Conversation With Counselors About Their Personal and Professional Developmental Journeys offers inspiration for all counselors, counselor educators and counselors-in-training. This book is about growth. It is about transformation. And it is about courage and awareness. In this book, readers are given a bird’s eye view into the transformational journeys of counselors, trainers, and supervisors navigating life and the relationships that promote their growth. Just as reflection is a vital quality in personal development, the sharing of one’s story has the potential to promote the growth of reader and author alike. This book is a heartfelt compilation of stories designed to promote awareness of each person’s humanity and the transcendental power of human connection.