The Professional Counselor | Volume 14, Issue 1 117 However, I believe all service should first start on the local level. The analogy of putting your oxygen mask on first applies here. First give oxygen to your local stakeholders. I actively volunteer where gaps have been identified in my microsystem and work to fill these breaches to better serve clients and students. I then move onto service in the macrosystem. I strive to be strategic with the opportunities. We cannot be everything to everyone. Throughout my career, I have said no to roles because I knew that I did not have the bandwidth to do them competently. Service, to me, means making sure that I am only taking on those roles for which I have the time and energy to do well. I have been honored to be appointed and elected to leadership roles in state and national organizations, serve on several editorial boards, and be selected to present at numerous national and international conferences. I value these opportunities and appreciate these roles and opportunities to provide service to the profession. However, I believe the most impactful service I have done relates to service that has no recognition by a title or line of my curriculum vitae (e.g., pro bono counseling, supervision for licensure, and workshops; consultation; mentorship). This also connects back to advocacy and leaving people with more than what they had, which are core values for me and how I hope to always operate as a counselor educator. 6. What three challenges to the counseling profession as it exists today concern you most? Counselors-in-training, professional counselors, and counselor educators not doing their own counseling work. I see the concept of the wounded healer being manifested more and more in our profession. In my opinion, this is strongly related to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pressure counselors, clinical supervisors, and educators had on them to immediately adjust to the new norm of telecounseling, online education, and the increase in individuals seeking service caused a perfect storm. In connection with the above is the predatory use of pre-licensed counselors. Given the jurisdictional differences related to the scope of practice and insurance companies’ view of prelicensed counselors, the ability to bill or bill under a supervisor varies widely. This can lead to some agencies and practices over-scheduling pre-licensed counselors or bringing in too many supervisees to be supervised and, thus, supervision quality is compromised. The financial costs of a graduate education and the need to get those required hours results in many students and those working on their hours toward licensure being in a vulnerable position with little recourse to do anything regarding these situations. Lastly, there seems to be a lack of focus on evidence-based practices and research being conducted with clients. In the academic world, we have access to the latest peerreviewed articles, and there is a research culture that motivates and encourages us to research and add to the literature. However, in the practice world, there may not be as much encouragement of counselor research engagement, consumption, and production. Therefore, there is a need to continue to find ways to bridge the research-to-practice gap and promote more counselors conducting research and gathering data with clients. 7. What needs to change in the counseling profession for these three concerns to be successfully resolved or addressed? As educators and supervisors, we need to do better with talking about going to counseling. I still do tune-ups with my counselor. We need to acknowledge what we do is difficult and that it is important that we continue our own self-care and our own work. I think we talk the talk about self-care; however, how often do we walk the walk? Are we providing space for our students and supervisees? Are we providing space for ourselves? Professional counselors, whether in training or
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