Running head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE

Current Web Presence Analysis Leslie Lopez TWC 301 Professor Rochelle Rodrigo Arizona State University 4/25/2012

2 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE Table of Contents Executive Summary3 The Future, Professional Me...4 The Current Me...6 Conclusions- Bridging the Gap...7 Appendix A.8 Appendix B..9 Appendix C.10

3 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE Executive Summary I plan to become a counselor at a rehabilitation center for substance abuse when I am older. My motivation for this is because I grew up with a father who unfortunately suffered from drug and alcohol abuse. After analyzing job advertisements, I found three positions that really caught my attention. Most of these positions require a Bachelors degree, certification in alcohol and drug abuse counseling, and experience dealing with substance abuse and addiction. When I was looking through LinkedIn profiles I found the qualities that professionals in this field possess are being motivated, empathetic, detail oriented and problem solvers. When I searched my identity on the internet, I found that only my LinkedIn profile came out in the search results. However, I do have a Facebook but the information is not public. In order to bridge the gap I realized that two of my strengths are that I possess the soft skills needed which are being detail oriented and motivated. However, two of my weaknesses are that I do not have a certification and no prior experience to working with those who suffer from substance or alcohol abuse except for personal experience with my father.

4 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE The Future Professional Me When I grow up, I want to work as a counselor at a rehabilitation center. Unfortunately when I was younger, my father suffered from an alcohol and drug problem. This led to the separation between my parents and me moving to Arizona. Being a witness to my fathers problem really inspired me to want to major in the field of psychology. More specifically, I would like to major in Counseling Psychology. However, right now I am striving for my Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology. Recently I gave birth to my first child and this became somewhat of an obstacle to overcome in order to achieve my dreams. I planned on continuing on to graduate school after achieving my Bachelors but this plan will now have to wait. However, my ultimate goal is to work at a rehab center and help patients achieve a successful recovery. Addiction counselors help former addicts find jobs or they work at halfway houses and outpatient clinics. They may also work in hospitals or treatment centers. These counselors talk with addicts about and help them cope with and understand their addiction. The qualities that individuals should possess in order to be hired as an addiction counselor are a high school diploma, certification and training as a substance abuse counselor, and some positions require a Bachelors degree in psychology, sociology or any other related field. Those who are looking to work as an addiction counselor should enjoy working closely to other people and helping others (Substance Abuse Counselor Job Description, 2012). In order to really get an idea of what employers look for in order to be hired as an addiction counselor, I analyzed three job advertisements. The first job advertisement I found was one in Oklahoma. The company that is hiring is called the Mental Health Services of Southern Oklahoma. They are looking for a certified addiction counselor who possesses a Bachelors

5 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE degree in a mental health related field and also a certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor or eligibility for certification. It is a fulltime, entry level position (Certified Addiction Counselor job). What was interesting about this position is that a Bachelors degree was required as well as a certification. If I would want to apply for this job, all I would need is to obtain my certification. Unfortunately, there was no information about the types of benefits that this job position offered. The second job advertisement I found was one for a substance abuse counselor working at an addiction treatment facility in Prescott, AZ. The individual who is hired is expected to lead workshops, one on one therapy sessions, updating files on the clients, and providing the clients family with information on how they are progressing. A Masters degree in a behavioral health field and an Arizona license are required. They are also looking for an individual with strong organizational, time management, and communication skills. Experience working with alcohol and drug addiction is required, as well as experience in an in-patient setting (Substance Abuse Counselor Wanted). This position seems very interesting to me and it would be one that I would like to apply for. However, I would have to work on gaining the experience in an in-patient environment and also acquiring my Arizona license. Finally, the third job advertisement I analyzed was one for a substance abuse counselor needed at a Mission Treatment clinic location in Scottsdale, AZ. They are a clinic that specializes in opiate addiction. The position is an early morning, full time shift. They have great benefits, vacation, and sick time. The individual that is hired will receive all Sundays and the nine major holidays off (Substance Abuse Counselor Needed). Looking at profiles on LinkedIn was very helpful. I found that individuals interested in this position should have good interpersonal skills and be empathetic. Having a good sense of humor is also helpful. Majority of those who work as addiction counselors are motivated, detail

6 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE oriented, and problem solvers (Substance Abuse Counselor at West Midtown Medical Group). They also provide counseling and treatment plans. When it comes to education, they are very knowledgeable of the Twelve Step program. Having licenses and certifications is also crucial. I found that most of them have a certification as an alcohol and drug abuse counselor (Counselor, Couch, ASR Clinician). Another quality that is important to have is to be able to motivate people in order to help them overcome their addiction (Mental Health Specialist). To evaluate people within this position, I would make sure that they have a Bachelors degree in Sociology, Psychology, or another related field. I also think that having a certification in drug and alcohol abuse counseling is important. Finally, the individuals would have to be motivated, empathetic, and problem solvers. The Current Me When I searched my name through Google I found a lot of results. I did not know that there were so many women named Leslie Lopez. After looking through the results, the first one that I found that pertained to me was my LinkedIn profile. I did not find any other results to pages that were actually me on Google. After using Bing.com, I did not find any results at all that were actually of my identity. I thought that I would at least see my LinkedIn profile on Bing as well. After searching myself on Yahoo, I obtained the same results as using Bing.com. One of my other online identities that I have is my Facebook page. All of the information that I have on my Facebook is private. My LinkedIn profile portrays me in a very positive, professional light. Since there is a link to my resume, people will be able to see my skills and qualities. On my LinkedIn profile you will also be able to see things such as my education level. This pertains to the criteria that I listed above which includes having a Bachelors degree. I am

7 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE not surprised that I did not have any other digital identities besides my LinkedIn profile and my Facebook. Bridging the Gap One of the strengths that I possess is that I am very detail oriented. This can most likely be seen in my school work and ethic. Another one of my strengths is that I am motivated. This can also be seen in my school work but also my personal life. I think that my online identity on my LinkedIn profile does a great job at portraying these qualities, especially because I include a resume in it. One of my weaknesses is that I still do not have my certification that is required for me to become an addiction counselor. Another weakness is that I need to gain experience working with patients that suffer from alcohol and drug abuse.

8 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE Appendix A Description of Substance Abuse Counselors http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/438/Substance-Abuse-Counselor.html Certified Addiction Counselor Job- http://jobview.monster.com/Certified-AddictionCounselor-Job-Ardmore-OK-108578000.aspx Substance Abuse Counselor Wanted- http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/hea/2954914620.html Substance Abuse Counselor Needed- http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/hea/2950252550.html

9 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE Appendix B LinkedIn Profile- Substance Abuse Counselor at West Midtown Medical Group: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=46800067&authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&authT oken=KzFj&locale=en_US&srchid=8c12126f-3a11-4ab3-b4da-f9ffa03b90ba0&srchindex=1&srchtotal=19530&goback=.fps_PBCK_substance+abuse+counselor_*1_*1_*1 _*1_*1_*1_*2_*1_Y_*1_*1_*1_false_1_R_*1_*51_*1_*51_true_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2 _*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&pvs=ps&trk=pp_profile_name_link LinkedIn Profile- Counselor, ASR Clinician: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=17377949&authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&authT oken=uTtH&locale=en_US&srchid=8c12126f-3a11-4ab3-b4da-f9ffa03b90ba0&srchindex=7&srchtotal=19530&goback=.fps_PBCK_substance+abuse+counselor_*1_*1_*1 _*1_*1_*1_*2_*1_Y_*1_*1_*1_false_1_R_*1_*51_*1_*51_true_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2 _*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&pvs=ps&trk=pp_profile_name_link LinkedIn Profile- Mental Health Specialist: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=17377949&authType=OUT_OF_NETWORK&authT oken=uTtH&locale=en_US&srchid=8c12126f-3a11-4ab3-b4da-f9ffa03b90ba0&srchindex=7&srchtotal=19530&goback=.fps_PBCK_substance+abuse+counselor_*1_*1_*1 _*1_*1_*1_*2_*1_Y_*1_*1_*1_false_1_R_*1_*51_*1_*51_true_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2 _*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&pvs=ps&trk=pp_profile_name_link

10 Running Head: CURRENT WEB PRESENCE Appendix C LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/leslie-lopez/50/350/727 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000136756620