I had the pleasure of interviewing Alvita Davis, a Qualified Mental Health Professional who works with Family Behavioral Health & Healing at the Therapeutic Day Treatment program. Alvita, Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) has provided services to at risk youth ages (5-18) in the Hampton Roads area for over ten years, counseling them inside the home as well as in a community setting. Her field of experience covers but is not limited to: anger management, grief/loss, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), oppositional defiance, Mood disorders and low-self-esteem.
Although I have known Alvita for years, the thought of sitting down with her to conduct an interview gave me butterflies in my stomach. To ensure we would have the privacy …show more content…
So when I asked Alvita to share insight of how she incorporates spirituality in the process. Without hesitation, she said first and foremost it is imperative for counselor to remain neutral and unbiased, especially when the client’s beliefs are different from yours. Then she stated that she initiates her day by praying and reading the bible. Therefore, she believes that if her clients welcome spirituality then it would natural for her to address or apply spirituality in the process. Alvita said I know you have heard this before, but let me say it anyways, “even in sharing the word we must remain unbiased since everyone does not share our spiritual beliefs and views about Christianity. This is when counselors must implement their training and experience to exercise good judgment as it relates to merging spirituality and counseling.”
Although I have done limited research on how spirituality affects a child’s behavior, I definitely plan to include in my research paper how Alvita sees a different in her clients who are connected in some form to God, whether it be prayer, fasting or meditation. She noted that often times they show a little more improvement versus those who are totally spiritually disconnected. So, whether clients improve gradually or drastically varies depending on the spiritual back-ground of the family, she
Although I have known Alvita for years, the thought of sitting down with her to conduct an interview gave me butterflies in my stomach. To ensure we would have the privacy …show more content…
So when I asked Alvita to share insight of how she incorporates spirituality in the process. Without hesitation, she said first and foremost it is imperative for counselor to remain neutral and unbiased, especially when the client’s beliefs are different from yours. Then she stated that she initiates her day by praying and reading the bible. Therefore, she believes that if her clients welcome spirituality then it would natural for her to address or apply spirituality in the process. Alvita said I know you have heard this before, but let me say it anyways, “even in sharing the word we must remain unbiased since everyone does not share our spiritual beliefs and views about Christianity. This is when counselors must implement their training and experience to exercise good judgment as it relates to merging spirituality and counseling.”
Although I have done limited research on how spirituality affects a child’s behavior, I definitely plan to include in my research paper how Alvita sees a different in her clients who are connected in some form to God, whether it be prayer, fasting or meditation. She noted that often times they show a little more improvement versus those who are totally spiritually disconnected. So, whether clients improve gradually or drastically varies depending on the spiritual back-ground of the family, she