Professional Portfolio

Arielle is a Maryland Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Army Veteran, and Ph.D. Student. Arielle earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Delaware State University and her Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, which she hopes to complete by 2023. Arielle has been working in the mental health field for over six years. She has experience with various mental health disorders specializing in providing EMDR for trauma clients. 

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Before private practice, Arielle worked with active-duty military soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Adult Outpatient Behavioral Health, Substance abuse patients at Crossroads treatment Centers of Danville VA, Suffolk VA, and Winchester VA. Arielle is also currently working at Trauma Specialists of Maryland. Over the last 6+ years, Arielle has gained experience in the mental health field, providing individual counseling to substance abuse clients, facilitating Child/teen self-esteem groups, working as a family interventionist, therapeutic support, marriage therapy, and trauma therapy for adults. 

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Beyond her clinical work, Arielle has been a public speaker at:

Youth Empowerment Seminar- Winchester VA- Topic: Boundaries and self-esteem

Creating Community Conversations- Frederick, Maryland- Topic: Black Women's Mental Health

Lupus Walk for Delaware State University-Topic: Empowerment after Complicated Grief. 

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Counseling Lens

Arielle's approach to counseling and supervision is very Humanistic: Person-Centered. The primary technique involved in person-centered therapy is reflection. She believes there are four primary goals a person will achieve in successful person-centered treatment. They will become open to new experiences, learn to trust themselves, develop an internal evaluation of themselves, and be willing to continue growing throughout their lifetime.

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Humanistic: Humanistic counseling theories hold that people have within themselves all the resources they need to live healthy and functional lives and that problems occur due to limited or unavailable problem-solving resources.

 

Humanistic counselors see their role not as directing clients on how to address their concerns but rather as helping clients to discover and access within themselves the restricted resources they need to solve problems on their own. Some currently preferred humanistic counseling therapies include person-centered, existential, emotion-focused, Gestalt, and positive psychology.

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Teaching Philosophy

Arielle's philosophy on teaching is an engaged pedagogy. As Educational Philosopher Bell Hooks talks about in Teaching to Transgress (1994), teaching in a manner that respects and cares for the soul of students is essential to successful outcomes. Arielle incorporates lectures, seminars, and experiential learning, where the students can learn the skills and competencies of becoming a counselor educator. She nurtures the growth of both parties, creating an atmosphere of trust and commitment that is always present when genuine learning happens.

 

Arielle says, "As a counselor educator, my role is to teach students to become the best counselors they can be. To achieve this goal, we will integrate the knowledge we already have with new knowledge using group discussions, whether online or in person. I believe that each student has unique expertise and experiences to share that will help the group learn from different perspectives".

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Malcolm Knowles's theory of andragogy is what Arielle believes about adult learners. They take responsibility for their learning, which is her experience as a learner. As a counselor educator, based on her understanding of theory and subjective lens, She believes that adults are capable of self-directed learning and benefit from it because of adulthood's busyness. It allows the adult to be in control of their success. Arielle will take the role of facilitator and be present to offer guidance along the way.

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Supervision Philosophy

In Arielle's supervision philosophy, she likes to use Bernard's Discrimination Model, which compliments her humanistic lens. Arielle uses narrative techniques to help reduce supervisee anxiety, promote creativity, and explore and solidify personal and vocational values. Like Arielle's therapy approach, her response is always specific to the supervisee's needs, meeting them where they are. The supervisees can get what they need, whether teacher, counselor, or consultant. Arielle would like to provide supervision to clinicians who treat trauma. She will integrate a trauma-sensitive approach focused on assessing for and addressing vicarious trauma, cultural competency, countertransference, and burnout.

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Supervision Experience:

Walden University- Summer 2021, Fall 2021 Pre Practicum I & II 

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Leadership & Advocacy 

Arielle's leadership and advocacy project will benefit counselor education and the counseling profession by providing a three (3) hour course providing an overview of Microaggressions and their role in therapy. Participants will be exposed to different types of microaggressions, how to avoid or combat them, explain why microaggressions can be harmful in therapy, and review the history of systemic racism to understand better how microaggressions developed. Participants will be expected to integrate their learning by evaluating examples and discussion questions. Upon completion of this course, students are expected to have an understanding of Microaggression and Cultural Awareness.

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ACA Code of Ethics Important to the Microaggression Training Project
C.5. Nondiscrimination

 Counselors do not condone or engage in discrimination against prospective or current clients, students, employees, supervisees, or research participants based on age, culture, disability, ethnicity, race, religion/spirituality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital/ partnership status, language preference, socioeconomic status, immigration status, or any basis proscribed by law. 

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E.5.b. Cultural Sensitivity

Counselors recognize that culture affects how clients' problems are defined and experienced. Clients' socioeconomic and cultural experiences are considered when diagnosing mental disorders.

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CACREP Standards Important to the Microaggression Training Project

1. Current counseling-related research is infused into the curriculum

2. The role and process of the professional counselor advocating on behalf of the profession

3. Advocacy processes must address institutional and social barriers that impede client access, equity, and success

4. Ethical standards of professional counseling organizations and credentialing bodies and applications of ethical and legal considerations in professional counseling

5. Strategies for personal and professional self-evaluation and implications for practice

6. Multicultural counseling competencies

7. The impact of heritage, attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and acculturative experiences on an individual's views of others

8. The effects of power and privilege on counselors and clients

9. Strategies for identifying and eliminating barriers, prejudices, and processes of intentional and unintentional oppression and discrimination