As Jesus reminds His followers, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away” (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Matthew 25:29). Even in the face of systemic problems that feel overwhelming and well beyond our personal ability to resolve, we have a God-given role. When His disciples pointed out that the massive crowd was hungry and exhausted, Jesus answered, “You feed them,” giving them the responsibility to find and collect the available food, organize the crowd into smaller groups, and hand out the food He graciously multiplied (Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Mark 6:37-44). As a Christian counseling professional, part of strategic planning is being intentional about upholding my values and ethics, resisting temptation and submitting myself to God’s authority, which calls for more proactive engagement and advocacy (James 4:7)...
My personal philosophy of leadership and advocacy begins with a God-given calling and the practice of personal integrity that sets committed believers apart. In any leadership role I embrace, one of the most important factors will be upholding personal integrity and moral authority. Based on that, I know there will be continued temptations to compromise, settle, or take shortcuts to reach my vision (Stanley, 2005). Godly mentorship, collaboration, and accountability will be important safeguards for me as I move forward with this plan, one step at a time. Implementing an action plan for advocacy is rarely simple or linear (Chang, et al., 2021). It requires pressing through our fear and intimidation, making multiple revisions and adjustments, and celebrating our progress along the way (p. 91).
At this stage in my life and career, the biggest challenge before me is overcoming my own subtle cowardice and love of comfort, and wholeheartedly stepping into all that God has planned for me. I wish that were a one-time heroic decision, but I am learning that it happens one surrendered step at a time. As a professional counselor and future counselor educator and supervisor, I feel a sober understanding that my willingness to submit to God will impact every life I have the sacred privilege of influencing. Serving as a counseling leader and advocate will undoubtedly require courage and intentionality, and it will hold foreseen and unforeseen challenges. And what comes to mind as I reflect on that tonight is the quote from Coach Dugan in A League of Their Own, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard… is what makes it great” (Marshall, 1992).
Conclusion
This paper articulates my personal philosophy of leadership and advocacy, detailing a personal advocacy plan of action that aligns with my philosophy. I am confident that the finest counseling leaders are set apart through their God-given calling and personal integrity, embracing a growth mindset, inspiring positive change, and serving through advocacy. This philosophy is shaped by my theoretical orientation, supported by research literature and personal experience, and aligned with my future aspirations and Biblical values. This paper also examines how conditioned passivity and perceived inadequacy negatively impact counselor advocacy, detailing a practical action plan and proposing strategies to overcome conceivable obstacles. Our calling to serve as advocates can be thwarted by learned helplessness, emotional overwhelm, and apathy in the face of systemic problems and social injustice. We are limited and finite, but we are not helpless, and we serve an all-powerful God. Leadership and advocacy roles are vital for Christian counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors, and we must be bold and intentional about doing our part and trusting Jesus to multiply our efforts.
That's a small portion of the paper I wrote a couple weeks back.
Some good reminders for me today.
I very much want to live with a growth mindset. Not the safe and small life, but the adventurous, expanding one. That means when I feel like I'm not good at something, I focus on how I can learn and grow and improve (absolutely possible) rather than how quickly I can quit and retreat and change course. Stepping into a new identity is challenging, and counseling feels complicated and messy and hard right now, but God has given me enough little breaks and enough clear confirmations to stay the course. Even if circumstances change and I do not finish the LPC hours and/or the PhD program, my choices in this season will still count and MATTER to God (and to my self-respect and character). God wastes nothing, and I trust Him! And in the end, I believe it will be true that the hard is what makes it great.
❤ ❤ ❤
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