Respond to this post and share an insight about an age group from your colleague's post and describe how you think your colleague's identified school counselor role would make a positive impact in a school setting. Response should be substantive in nature and should be approximately 100 words in length at a minimum.

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Respond to this post:

I feel my professional goals have been consistent since the beginning of this course. I live in a smaller community where access to mental health, substance abuse treatment and juvenile services is limited. It is my desire to take my education and experience I am going to gain from Walden and use that to bring education and services to my community. I am hoping to work within the Juvenile population, both within the school setting and within a counseling agency. Outside of providing additional much needed services I would like to hold community educational forms on various mental health topics facing our community. I believe the more we can offer education and information on various topics the more proactive people can be in managing their mental health. I believe it is also important to have a working relationship within the law enforcement community. Fostering that relationship and offering free services to those officers who are in need can only benefit the community as a whole, as well as the officers. But my passion, my pet project if you will, would be to work within the juvenile justice system in my community to work on starting a restorative justice initiative. Working with the juvenile, the court personal, the probation officers and other community members to find ways of correcting and/or making amends to the community/victims without first going to legal proceedings. Finding alternative ways of educating, mentoring, attending treatments, classes, etc for these juveniles so that they may learn skills and not just correctional time.

Walden's vison and mission are to take what we learn at Walden and use that to better not only ourselves but to give back to our communities so that they can be bettered. One small change within our circle of the world can have a ripple effect throughout other communities. That is what I am hoping to take away from my Walden education. That is what I am hoping to bring to my community and those beyond.