[humanser] Clinical Counseling

[Hooper, Robert M.]

Hello List:

It was recommended to me to join the Human Services list as an additional resource. Some of you are no-doubt concurrently subscribed to the Social Sciences List. Anyway, the below message is one that I just sent to the Social Sciences List. If anyone has any input, I would be forever grateful.

Hello List:

Because I post with exquisite rarity on this particular list, let me preface my inquiry with a brief introduction. My name is Robert Hooper, and I am beginning my fifth undergraduate year at the Ohio State University, with matriculation expected next spring. I am a psychology and neuroscience student, however I plan to apply to graduate school to be a professional clinical counselor. Ideally, I would like to study here at OSU for that as well, in the Counselor Education program under the College of Education and Human Ecology. My population interest is early childhood through adolescence.
I am writing to find out if anyone on this list has experience as a mental health professional, and specifically how blindness affects any aspect of the job. For example, here are some questions to guide any responses, although any information would be helpful, as obviously I can't think of every relevant detail of this varied profession.


1.       I am noticing that a lot of the tools that mental health professionals use are increasingly electronic-for example, I am currently participating in counseling myself, and the intake interview and subsequent assessments were all done electronically. Overall, I believe that this holds great promise for blind counselors, but that doesn't mean the tools in their current state are accessible. Does anyone have experience with computerized counseling tools-testing, assessment, etc. and are they largely accessible? If not, are their accessible alternatives? As a blind counselor, how have you managed the task of administering psychological tests and assessments?

2.        How do clients react to having a visually impaired counselor? Has this impacted-whether positively or negatively-the way you interact with clients? If so, explain, especially if you have experience working with children in this setting.

3.       Do you believe that blindness affected your employment prospects in this area?

4.       Is there anything else you'd like to mention about mental health counseling and related fields-the coursework, internship, state and national exams, or job itself?

Of course, I recognize that many will have helpful input, even if they are not doing exactly what I am, so I am open to input from anyone. Also, I am open to recommendations for books, articles, videos, etc. I would appreciate any information anyone has to offer-seriously. I want to hear the good and the bad. I look forward to what will hopefully be an enlightening discussion.
Cordially,
Robert Hooper, Undergraduate Research Assistant, HDFS Early Childhood Development Lab
Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu<mailto:Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology; Department of Neuroscience
166H Campbell Hall
1787 Neil Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Cell: (740) 856-8195