Interview Reflection Paper PDF

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Paper on interview conducted with someone in the counseling profession....

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November 1, 2018 CLED 501 – Kozachuk Interview Reflection Paper For the interview assignment, I spoke with Mia Liadis, a health educator at the Wellness Resource Center. Prior to interviewing Mia, I visited the Wellness Resource Center to inquire whether I could interview someone at the Well about their career and its relation to the counseling field. I initially spoke to Kaylin Tingle about interviewing someone and she referred me to Mia. I have interviewed two professionals for assignments for different courses before and usually I feel nervous about speaking with these people, but this time I actually looked forward to meeting with Mia and learning about her career. I believe this may have to do with the fact that the two previous interviews were over the phone and this one was in-person, which makes sense because I function better when I am speaking with someone face-to-face. When I met with Mia and sat down, I first asked her what exactly her job at the Well is and what that job entailed. As a health educator at the Well, she promotes proper mental and sexual health and does so by giving presentations on campus about the necessity of the Well and what exactly it does for the university. While Mia is not a counselor per say, she did receive her master’s degree in counselor education and incorporates counseling techniques into her interactions and meetings with students who are seeking guidance and education in the mental and sexual health area. Learning that Mia chose to take a unique route when it came to deciding what career path to take after receiving her bachelor’s degree in psychology was enlightening for me because while she was gearing toward a career that a psychology student traditionally gravitates to after graduating, she took on a job that is not just counseling, but is about educating on important topics as well. As someone who is not sure what to do after receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology, it was interesting to hear that there is another way to work in the psychology field without holding a traditional job and that there a lot of options for me to entertain.

After hearing about her being a health educator and how she got to that point, I was wondering what were some of the things she enjoyed about her job and what were some of the things she disliked. Mia stated that working with the college students at VCU is the best thing about her job and she loves being able to meet and talk with such a diverse group of people who come from such different backgrounds. Hearing how much Mia values the population she works and sees them as a highlight of her career made me very happy. Having the subject of population being brought up, I also thought about what population I want to work with and while I have a general idea, this interview made me want to delve into that thought process more. As for her dislikes, Mia said that she honestly could not think of anything that she did not like about her job, which makes hopeful for the future and that I will be able to find a career that I could not possibly think ill of. I often ponder what an average day will look like when I begin my first job after receiving either my bachelor’s degree or my master’s degree, the later of which I still considering whether I should receive immediately after getting my bachelor’s degree or a little bit later in life. As a health educator, Mia said that her day never looks the same. Sometimes she has meetings all day, sometimes she is going out and giving presentations and meeting individually with students, and sometimes it is a bit of both. For example, that day, which was Halloween, Mia met with her colleagues to discuss the event they would be holding later that day in light of the holiday and how they would be promoting the idea of responsible alcohol consumption and sexual health. While I have known for a while that I need to have a job that allows me to not just sit in the same place all day doing the same thing, which is something I learned when I started working at my first job this past summer, it was validating to hear that

there exists a job in the psychology field that lets someone get up and do different things throughout the work day. Again, while Mia is not a counselor, she uses counseling techniques as part of her occupation and as for the theoretical orientation that she tends to follow, she uses a personcentered mindset with a feminist lens and sometimes employs the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy procedures. I had predicted that Mia would say that she used person-centered, but I had not realized how important it was to have a feminist lens in the line of work she is in and it does make sense. Hearing her mention this encouraged me to search for a career where this orientation is vital to have because it is something I know I am interested in. After the interview, I felt that it went really well and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mia and learning about her career. Overall, knowing about this specific job motivated me to search for an occupation that is a bit different than the norm, but helps people all the same. I also loved hearing how passionate Mia is about being a health educator at the Well and I hope to see a similar passion in my future. Questions – 1. What is your job title and can you describe the job you do? 2. What previous jobs have you held and how did those jobs lead you to your current occupation? 3. What are some of the highlights/challenges that you encounter? 4. What does an average day at work look like for you? 5. What theoretical orientation do you tend to follow when you meet with a student?

Works Cited Liadis, Mia. (2018, October 31). Personal interview....