Personal counseling was my choice for my PDAs for a couple of reasons but the main
reason being to learn more about me so that I can better serve my clients when the time comes.
Before I started COUN 610 me and my therapist would check in about grad school and she
would give me little tips of how to apply it. Once this class started, I asked if it was okay if we
tried out a couple of assessments to help me with some of my goals that I had set at the
beginning of my therapy journey. She had me try several assessments, but we did a deep dive on
one assessment, and we talked about it and what I thought my results meant. We discussed how
when I was younger, I had to take multiple tests for them to diagnosis me in school and how my
mom disagreed because of the misdiagnosing of Black people. What I took away from using
these assessments so far is that assessments sometimes help better categorize parts of someone’s
life. I have found them to be helpful in my journey by providing a benchmark for progress. I can
think I have made progress or changes, but I could be wrong. After I took the assessment, we
would talk about next steps on how I think I can improve.
When we briefly discussed the results, we went over how I would I apply it if I had a
client. I found this extremely helpful because sometimes it is hard for things to make sense for
me if I can’t use it in an example. I also learned a little bit about how to use the assessment for
my students and how to assess myself. One thing we have been talking about is oppression and
how the theories of counseling have been slightly oppressive over the years. I am always amazed
how we are still learning theories that white cis gender males have come up with. I often
question if my therapist wasn’t Black how some of our conversations would go. Would she try to
use theories without being culturally sensitive? I think going to therapy is power if done
correctly. This journey has been a very eye opening one and I am forever grateful for my
therapist. I think having an unbiased opinion to talk to and figure out your thoughts is important
to better understanding yourself and how you occupy this world.