Counseling

Preparing for an MSW: Why I Am Developing My Counseling Skills With AmeriCorps

Preparing for an MSW: Why I Am Developing My Counseling Skills With AmeriCorps
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Clark Bray profile
Clark Bray September 16, 2020

Considering a career in social work? I am too, by serving a year with AmeriCorps

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I am a full time AmeriCorps member working in partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation of New England. AmeriCorps is a federally supported civil society program that engages adults in nonprofit work across the country. The Epilepsy Foundation is the nonprofit where I serve.

My job is to provide a virtual counseling space for epilepsy patients in my region. Working with my nearest hospital, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, I am apart of a team working to expand available resources for our clients. Be they services provided by the hospital or by the community, our goal is to improve their quality of life.

I am not a licensed social worker but I am working towards becoming one. My work with the Epilepsy Foundation gives me the opportunity to develop my counseling skills. Since I want to be a medical social worker in a hospital, the chance to work with my local hospital is an exciting way to preview what I will be able to do once professionally certified.

My goal is to foster engaging and therapeutic relationships with the clients I work with. I hope to improve their quality of life, and to help them navigate the healthcare system. I bring my experience with recovering from ulcerative colitis at Dartmouth-Hitchcock to the table, as I have a patient's perspective of how the hospital functions.

I intend to document how my goals come to fruition. I think serving with AmeriCorps is an excellent way to prepare for my master's degree, and I believe serving could do the same for you if you are interested in social work. Check in throughout the year to see my journey unfolds!

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