Philosophy of Teaching

My Philosophy on Teaching in Counselor Education
Erica Rhoads, MA, NCC
Doctoral Student, Liberty University

General Identify Information

As a counselor educator, I would like to inspire my students to invest in their own learning. I hope to share with students a passion to journey through their academic adventure side by side. Finding in me a secure base where they feel free to explore, as well as offer a welcoming return to a safe harbor if they feel uncertain or need further input and encouragement.

Pedagogy Description

In order to do this, I will need to take into consideration the different student variables that account for learning such as developmental stage, learning style, attachment style, and life experiences. Because there will most certainly be diversity among my students, I would take an active teaching approach in a culturally sensitive way that includes presenting materials didactically, experientially, and through assigned research involvement to apply what they are learning. Additionally, encouraging students to dig deeper on their own to follow interests, then share with the class and interact not only with me as the instructor but with their fellow students as well.

Practical Evaluation

As I plan the courses for my students, I will keep in mind the end goal as well as seek out what their personal goals for the course might be. I would work to use the CACREP standards to design a course that will fulfill the requirements for the degree and reference the dispositions outlined by Liberty University to ensure appropriate professional development as well. The use of appropriate test materials and assignments will be chosen for not only ease of administration, but for accuracy in interpreting the students’ comprehension and ability to apply the learned materials. In addition, for evaluation of student learning, offering clear expectations and rubrics at the start of the class should help students focus on the skills needed. While each subject area is important for the students to master, I hope that my students master the ability to direct their own learning and take responsibility for ensuring their understanding of the material. I would like to see my students gain mastery of research as well as clarity in their writing to be able to demonstrate their ability to display what they learn. I would then take this one step further and challenge them to demonstrate what they have learned.

As with any endeavor, seeking feedback from both students and peers is important to continue to improve and remain relevant. To dig deeper into feedback, I would offer opportunities for my students to meet with me one on one to discuss their learning experience, how I could be more helpful to them and what areas they felt were presented well and which areas need improvement. With this information, I can work to hone my teaching to be engaging and evolving with the needs of my students.

Connecting with Students

In the past, I have had many varied classroom teaching experiences starting over 30 years ago as a middle school substitute teacher. To survive this environment, I learned very quickly to get to know the names of each of my students. This lesson has stuck with me over the years and has served me well, as I meet new people and students. When a student knows that you know their name there is a better connection and an aspect of respect. Further, I would like to learn more about my students’ dreams and desires for their future as counselors. Then I can help them on their journey, walking beside them as they take their next steps toward that dream.

What students have to say about Erica Rhoads as an Instructor

What are her strengths?

Insightfulness, empathetic, knowledgeable, connecting with students…

Accessible, approachable, kind, generous, informative, and knowledgable…

Empathetic, Relational, and strongly passionate about caring for others…

Very good at facilitating conversations among students…

Professor Rhoads is warm and caring. In all of my interactions with her, I felt of her kindness and compassion. There was an instance where I met with her and our co-instructor, and I was feeling very anxious and emotional. Professor Rhoads figuratively took my hand and helped me feel like a was a part of a sisterhood of care and compassion. She strikes an excellent balance between professionalism, and being her warm, genuine, authentic self. There was another instance where she was leading class, and it was a tough day for her. She did an excellent job of being transparent, so the class could adequately support and stand by her. In all that she does, she is respectful to her co-instructor. You can tell they have a strong bond. She is compassionate and caring of the students. She is professional, and smart, while also appearing as a real authentic human. She puts you at ease, she utilizes appropriate self-disclosure, and again, she is both personable and professional. You couldn’t gain a better teacher than Professor Rhoads. She is a diamond in this very rough world. I would strongly recommend her to any classmate, or university.

Empathy, understanding, mindful, supportive…

Encouraging, friendly, vulnerable, supportive…

She was kind, patient, and understanding when working with our class…

That she was understanding and had empathy…

I found that Professor Rhoads was not only helpful but also super comfortable when I had questions. I never felt that my questions were not answered. She engaged with us frequently and worked alongside her co-instructor.

Do you feel that this intern helped you to develop as a counselor? If so, how? If not, how could they have contributed more to your development as a counselor?

Yes, she provided feedback that taught me my strengths and weaknesses in counseling.

Yes, because it showed me what I need to do when I go for my internship.

I believe she encouraged me to be the best version of myself, so that I can be the best counselor in the future. Her relational character really helped to build an understanding of what genuine connection and trust looked like.

Yes, I feel Prof. Rhodes brought a level of realness to the class with expressed empathy and compassion for us as students since she is also still a student. This helped by providing me with a sense of patience and understanding with myself as she often eased expectations and pressures of being a student and real life.

She taught me that 1) It’s okay if friends get put on hold during school 2) not all areas of life have to be equally balanced all the time 3) the importance of self-monitoring and regulation 4) that it’s okay to be human 5) that it’s okay to make mistakes 6) it’s okay to be transparent 7) we can be both professional and authentic … and so many other things I’ve learned much from the kind and nurturing spirit of Professor Rhoads.

Yes, she showed us immediacy and the tools we needed to be successful within the course and outside of the course.

Yes, she gave me great feedback and I felt was able to highlight my strengths and weaknesses in a way that encouraged me

I believe she has shown me that counselors still are people that have feelings.

Yes, helped me understand that we are all learning and to be kind to ourselves.

Yes, she was vulnerable, supportive, and gave good advice.

Yes, I learned a lot in class when she was the one presenting.

Teaching CACREP Doctoral Competencies (2016):

a. Roles and responsibilities related to educating counselors
b. Pedagogy and teaching methods relevant to counselor education
c. Models of adult development and learning
d. Instructional and curriculum design, delivery, and evaluation methods relevant to counselor
education
e. Effective approaches for online instruction
f. Screening, remediation, and gatekeeping functions relevant to teaching
g. Assessment of learning
h. Ethical and culturally relevant strategies used in counselor preparation
i. The role of mentoring in counselor education

Supporting Artifacts

Created during COUC 747 Instruction in Counselor Education

This course explores contemporary andragogy, course design, adult learning theory, course delivery, and evaluation methods in the field of counselor education. This exploration is both applied in focus and grounded in empirical research on these subjects. Students synthesize their own philosophy of teaching and incorporate it practically in residential and online instructional contexts. Cultural, ethical, historical, and legal aspects of counseling instruction are examined. Teaching Christian spirituality as a subspecialty area in a counseling program is also considered.

Beginning with a reflective journal, Artifact 16 begins the support of evidence of mastery in identifying the (a.) roles and responsibilities related to educating counselors. This artifact also supports mastery in (b.) pedagogy and teaching methods relevant to counselor education. Further, after thinking through and exploring the roles, responsibilities, pedagogy, and teaching methods, Artifact 16 provides an overview of the importance of each area and how it can be applied. Additionally, developing a syllabus such as Artifact 17 demonstrates evidence of mastery of (b.) pedagogy and teaching methods relevant to counselor education, as well as (c.) models of adult development and learning. This artifact also shows evidence of mastery as it details (d.) instructional and curriculum design, delivery, and evaluation methods relevant to counselor
education and (e.) effective approaches for online instruction. Artifact 18 and Artifact 19 are examples of lesson plans demonstrating competency of (b.) pedagogy and teaching methods relevant to counselor education, (c.) models of adult development and learning, (d.) instructional and curriculum design, delivery, and evaluation methods relevant to counselor education and (e.) effective approaches for online instruction as they demonstrates lessons plans incorporating each of these competencies. Within Artifacts 18 & 19 are opportunities for evaluating students which covers mastery of (f.) screening, remediation, and gatekeeping functions relevant to teaching and (g. ) assessment of learning.

As a reflection of an interview with a senior professor, Artifact 20 offers a demonstration of competency in (a.) roles and responsibilities related to educating counselors, (b.) pedagogy and teaching methods relevant to counselor education, (c.) models of adult development and learning, (d.) instructional and curriculum design, delivery, and evaluation methods relevant to counselor education and (e.) effective approaches for online instruction. This reflection touches on what was learned about (f.) screening, remediation, and gatekeeping functions relevant to teaching as well. Additionally, each of these competencies were further highlighted in Artifact 21, as a proposal for ACES providing information on the topic of developing safety and connections in the classroom. This proposal also highlights competency in (h.) ethical and culturally relevant strategies used in counselor preparation and (i.) the role of mentoring in counselor education as each of these is important for students to feel safe and connected.

Created during COUC 970 Teaching Internship

The doctoral internships provide students with supervised experiences, activities of regularly employed professionally in the field of counselor education. Under the guidance of faculty, the primary focus of the Teaching Internship is to help doctoral students learn the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required for ethical and competent practice in their role of educating counselor trainees in the field of counselor education.

During Internship, lessons plans, powerpoints and self evaluations such as Artifacts 22, 23, & 24 of teaching listening skills, Artifacts 25 & 26 on teaching challenging & confrontation, and Artifacts 27, 28, & 29 which includes a presentation on spiritual integration and a self evaluation all highlight several competencies. The lessons includes features which demonstrate (a.) roles and responsibilities related to educating counselors. In planning out the lessons, mastery of (b.) pedagogy and teaching methods relevant to counselor education are demonstrated. The planning of the lessons also take into account and demonstrate mastery of (c.) models of adult development and learning. Finally, each lesson including the powerpoints and self evaluation demonstrate mastery in (d.) instructional and curriculum design, delivery, and evaluation methods relevant to counselor education along with (e.) effective approaches for online instruction.

Within these lesson plans and the presentation of the lessons, mastery of (f.) screening, remediation, and gatekeeping functions relevant to teaching were an integral part of the process, as well as, opporutinites for (g.) assessment of learning as assignments were grades based on the lesson rubrics. In addition, (h.) ethical and culturally relevant strategies used in counselor preparation and (i.) the role of mentoring in counselor education were other areas that were opportunites to demonstrate mastery as Artifacts 24 & 29 demonstrate.

Further evidence of mastery for teaching competencies are noted in the evaluations given by the students and supervisor in Artifacts 30 & 31.

Created for ACES Conference (Accepted for Fall Conference)

The final teaching Artifact 32 includes competencies in (h.) ethical and culturally relevant strategies used in counselor preparation and (i.) the role of mentoring in counselor education as each of these is important for students to feel safe and connected.

Teaching Experience

Liberty University 2021-Present

Adjunct Professor July 2024-Present

COUC 510 Theories of Counseling (Online, 3 credits) Fall 2024, Spring 2025
COUC 502 Human Growth and Development (Online, 3 credits) Fall 2024, Spring 2025

Doctoral Intern/Teaching Assistant

Group Counseling: Intensive Portion: Facilitating one morning session of group presentations, Co-Facilitation of group practice sessions (Spring 2023; Virtual Intensive).
COUC 698 Counseling Practicum; Co-Teaching weekly class (Summer 2022; Online, 3 credits)
COUC 512 Group Counseling: guest lecturer for intensive (Summer 2022; Online, 3 days)
COUC 505 Counseling Techniques & the Helping Relationship; Co-Teaching weekly classes (Spring 2022; Online, 3 credits)
COUC 504 Multicultural Counseling (Teaching Assistant, Online, 3 credits; Fall 2021)

Reflection of Teaching Competency

Teaching is one area in which I have had the most experience. While previous opportinities to teach were not at the graduate level, many of the strategies that I had learned in the past were certainly helpful to me. As I continue to develop my competency in this area, I am appreciative of the feedback from several of my professors and their suggestions to make my teaching better at this level. I believe that my leadership level has advanced as I have gained confidence in my teaching skills and as a presenter at conferences which in a way is another opportunity to teach. The impact on this experiences has been meaningful in my counselor educator identity. While before, I saw myself as having the gift of teaching, now I see myself as a counselor educator, ready to become a professor passing on the knowledge and building future counselors.
As mentioned, I have always believed that I have the gift of teaching. I am often able to put into words difficult concepts that help others to understand. As I have future opportunities, I hope that I can use this strength to bring clarity to areas that are difficult for students to grasp and help them to integrate those ideas into their practice as a counselor.
An area of growth would be to gain a deeper knowledge of the various counseling specialties. I have not had much experience with addictions or school counseling and feel that those areas I would need to deepen to be able to teach well. I believe that as I attend further ACES trainings and network with colleagues, I will be able to gain further skills in those and other areas.
My faith in Christ is certainly a foundation in this competency, as I believe that He is the one to equip me in this journey that He has called me to. I can see the ways in my life that have led me to this path and though many were not pleasant, I know that God has been shaping me to take this role.

Ski Instructor

Shawnee SkiWee (2014-2015)

Substitute Teacher

Faith Christian School (2014-2015)
Department of Defence Kitzingen Elementary School (1991-1992)