Part of being good clinician is the ability to self-assess and be aware of any personal triggers that may come up when working with clients.

Part of being good clinician is the ability to self-assess and be aware of any personal triggers that may come up when working with clients. It is normal to feel anxious or concerned about some aspects of becoming a new counselor and psychiatric provider. Use this assignment as an opportunity to explore any fears, anxiety, or concerns you have about your future role of advanced practice nurse psychotherapist. After you complete this inventory, answer the questions on page two, then upload the completed assignment to the Dropbox found in this week’s module. Self Assessment of Concerns Apply each statement to yourself, and determine to what degree this is a concern you face as you think about beginning to counsel others. Use the following scale: 1= This is rarely a concern of mine. 2= This is a concern I sometimes have. 3= This matter concerns me quite often. 4= This issue almost always concerns me. Question Rating 1. I am concerned that my anxiety will keep me immobilized, and that I will be very passive as a counselor, lest I make mistakes. 2. I fear that I will be so concerned about being appropriate that I will forget to be myself. 3. I might say too much about myself, and in doing so I will burden the client and also take the focus off of him or her and put it on myself. 4. I think that I should be pretty near perfect, and that if I blunder I could really mess up my client. 5. I wonder about how honest I should be with a client. 6. I will feel threatened during moments of silence, thinking that I am expected to do or say something. 7. It will be difficult for me to deal with demanding clients. 8. I will feel helpless with clients who are not committed to working or with involuntary clients. 9. I will probably demand instant results as a way of avoiding getting discouraged. 10. I have an expectation that I should be able to help every client. 11. I anticipate I will worry a lot about whether I am intervening appropriately. 12. I worry that I might over-identify with certain clients to the extent that I will take their problems on as my own. 13. I think that I might be inclined to give too much advice. 14. I can see myself trying to persuade clients to value what I value. 15. I have trouble in deciding how much responsibility is mine and how much is my client’s. 16. I have real doubts about my ability to help someone who is in a crisis. 17. I worry that I lack the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of clients from diverse cultures. 18. A concern of mine is that I will get burned out. 19. I am concerned about giving everything I have and then not getting any appreciation in return. 20. I wonder if I can do what I believe is important as a counselor and still work within the system. After you have rated each question. Please go back and circle the few items that you find are your greatest concerns. It could be useful to bring these concerns up with the class and compare your reactions with those of fellow students. 1. Do you have other concerns that were not mentioned above? If so, please write them down so you can begin thinking about them now. When the timing feels right, you may want to share these concerns with your peers or instructor, so you can process them. 2. How can you prepare yourself now so that you will be able to deal successfully with your concerns? 3. What aspects of your own personality, boundaries, and communication style do you imagine will be an asset and/or a setback in your future role as an advanced practice nurse psychotherapist?