Periodic Self-Assessment Essay -- Psychology

As an aspiring clinical health psychologist, I realize increasingly the value of self-analysis. Conducting periodic self-assessment is a healthy activity as I evaluate my current state and where I want to be. Clinical health psychologists expend emotional and physical energy as they help others. Sometimes the daily strain of the job and stress that accompany the job can exhaust the clinical health psychologist both mentally and physically. Professionals cannot provide for clients if their own needs are not being met. Counselors of all theoretical orientations identify their own engagement in personal therapy with another professional as one of the most critical components to maintain their own professional balance and effectiveness (Orlinsky, Schofield, Schroder, & Kazantzis, 2011). The personal dispositions and behaviors that affect my mental and physical health are obvious. First, I have a tendency to be task oriented. This is a great quality when I am working on a doctorate, but is not always good for relaxing and enjoying time with my family. Second, my mind never seems to turn off. Sometimes, I become very engaged with difficult clients as I attempt to help them work through their difficulties and solve their problems. While my level of engagement is not inappropriate and I do not feel as though I have to fix the client, the level of expended emotional energy may not be appropriate outside of a session. Both of these personal attributes can create stress in my professional and private life. Additionally, my husband and I have six children. The oldest has mental health issues and although she lives alone, there are daily phone calls and regular emergency room visits when the medication levels are unbalanced. My youngest i... ... discuss my policy with them. To me, the questions I ask when considering any kinds of self-disclosure are (1) does this help my client, (2) can this harm my client, and (3) what are the negative repercussions that could come from disclosure? Because self-disclosure is rarely beneficial to a client, the answer to these three questions is usually â€Å"no.† References Orlinsky, D. E., Schofield, M. J., Schroder, T., & Kazantzis, N. (2011). Utilization of personal therapy by psychotherapists: a practice-friendly review and a new study. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 67(8), 828-842. doi:10.1002/jclp.20821 Taylor, L., McMinn, M. R., Bufford, R. K., & Chang, K. T. (2010). Psychologists’ attitudes and ethical concerns regarding the use of social networking web sites. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 41(2), 153-159. doi:10.1037/a0017996