A clinical counselling experience at The Caring Place

Abstract

This practicum report is a reflective review of my clinical placement as a University of Regina Master of Social Work student at The Caring Place, Regina, Saskatchewan. My learning goal was to gain foundational knowledge in counselling skills during a clinical practice focusing on narrative therapy and art therapy. The objectives of this clinical placement were to conduct a literature review of narrative therapy and art therapy as a form of counselling and link these connections to practice. My experiences that enhanced my learning from a practicum perspective included attending formal training on narrative therapy and then observing and practicing the techniques. The development of my learning objective is to gain knowledge in the method of art therapy consisting of observing and assisting in group practice, and using this form of therapy in private individual sessions. Other duties that helped to enhance my learning experience included facilitating a drop-in anxiety and depression support group and participating in staff and counsellor meetings. Overall, I acquired the majority of my experience through practicing counselling therapies, and managing a caseload of over thirty individual clients. The development of specific learning goals bridged with identified objectives guided my learning experience and exceeded my expectations by offering me several opportunities to practice and apply newly learned skills in a clinical counselling setting. This practicum placement has aided me to become a more experienced and resourceful counsellor by combining literature, theory and training with direct practice.