Amanda C. La Guardia PhD LPCC-S Counseling professional                       

Teaching

As a counselor educator, I try to incorporate key aspects of the counseling philosophy and feminist values when instructing students. I do this as a means to model professional behavior as well as to create an atmosphere in which students can learn, grow, and excel. Through my instructional style, I attempt to engage students in the material so that they can gain an understanding of the content through their own framework. In order to do this, I take time to get to know the students in the classes I am instructing; for instance, determining their professional goals and reasons for entering the counseling field. With this information, I can help shape the content to meet the needs of the class.

My role is not only to present material, but to exemplify what it is to be a counselor. I am a collaborator, someone who is willing to encourage students, empower them, and challenge them to meet their potential. Within this framework, I also want to provide a safe space for students to explore their own biases, strengths, and areas for growth. I think it is important for students to feel empowered to voice their opinion and enter into respectful, collaborative discussion with their educator(s) and peers and therefore, I foster this process in my classes. Critical thinking is also important, as I think it is necessary for practitioners to be able to skeptically review current literature and research with regard to treatment interventions and outcome studies.

In developing a collaborative learning environment, I typically try to draw upon multiple instructional techniques consistent with a feminist/constructivist approach. My philosophy towards teaching is informed by such scholars and theorists as bell hooks (teaching to transgress), John Dewey and applications of constructivist teaching as developed by Brooks and Brooks (1993). Students are urged to become active participants in their own learning process and to apply their newly formed knowledge to activities and scholarship outside of the classroom.

Issues of intersectionality related to cultural experience, bias and counseling content material are frequently discussed and highlighted. Group work and discussion, experiential activities and some student-centered teacher facilitated discussions are employed to help involve students in the material.

Different forms of educational media and technological tools are frequently integrated into my teaching methodology. Students are expected to reflect on their own process in relation to their learning and integrate awareness and theory into their future practice as professional counselors. Activities are geared towards the academic expectations and developmental level of the students.