Authentic Appearance

I had a CMHC graduate student ask my opinion on having tattoos showing and fashion colored hair when working with clients. For me personally, I don’t even think about covering up anymore. Honestly, I don’t want to work somewhere that makes me completely cover up to be considered professional. I told her that my hair color and tattoos allow me to connect with people. I want people to feel comfortable being themselves and expressing themselves and want to lead by example. I was lucky that at the last school I worked at that the principal didn’t care about those things as long as we did our job well. I think more places are starting to adopt that mindset, but there are definitely professions that are still strict. I personally think that counselors being a little more true to themselves through their outward appearance helps build rapport with their clients. Overall, I think people will gravitate toward the right counselor for them.