Why?

I have wanted to pursue counseling as a career ever since I knew it existed.

Data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found 51.8% of adults have at least one of ten selected diagnosed chronic conditions: arthritis, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, hypertension, stroke, or weak/failing kidneys (Boersma et al., 2020). Of those 51.8% of adults, studies find that roughly 8.1% will go on to develop a diagnosable mental health disorder; with older adults, women, and individuals with multiple chronic health conditions being especially at-risk (Boersma et al., 2020) (Jurisson et al., 2021). Researchers find psychological and social appraisals are strongly associated with well-being and have identified five important components of managing illness: acceptance, coping, self-management, integration, and adjustment (Ambroiso et al., 2015). My goal is to become an evidence-based counselor who can support adults with chronic illness through cognitive-behavioral interventions to increase both resilience and optimism, and focus on the five components of well-being.