Over a five-year period, my colleagues and I have conducted a series of studies to explore the psychology of racial dialogues or “race talk” in the training of counselors and other mental health professionals. As we become an increasingly diverse society, it is impossible for counselors not to encounter clients
Category: Knowledge Share
“Follow your heart but take your brain with you.” Relationship science has come a long way since Alfred Adler shared those words of wisdom, but they remain just as applicable today as when he wrote them in the 1920s. Modern scientific studies, ranging from smelling T-shirts (seriously) to connecting couples
Licensed professional counselors are increasingly becoming involved in court proceedings relative to their work with families involved in high-conflict divorce, separation and custody litigation. Counseling professionals can serve in a variety of roles when working with families embroiled in divorce litigation. For example, a counselor might develop a therapeutic relationship
The mental health workforce in the United States is a leader in mental health and substance abuse treatment innovation. Currently, the vast majority of treatment focus is on the relatively small portion of the population that is substance dependent, but those with an “at-risk” level of use may go untreated.
Tanisha is a master’s student in the middle of her internship. She has just left supervision with her site supervisor and says to herself, “Will I ever know enough?” Chuck is a first-semester counseling student in a skills class. He hears a lot of feedback from his faculty member and
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), developed by Marsha Linehan, is one of the few evidence-based treatments for borderline personality disorder. However, since its origination 20 years ago, DBT has been implemented with populations in various settings with positive results. DBT is intensive and involves many techniques, including cognitive behavioral skills training,
The Pew Research Center’s 2014 survey on the landscape of religion in the United States showed a drastic change in the way people relate to religion and spirituality. Those who identified with the categories of “unaffiliated” or “nothing in particular” reached 38.6 percent of the population, suggesting a crack in
How do you determine your level of effectiveness in your work with clients? In everyday practice, counselors typically rely on clinical judgment and their own assumptions about the therapeutic alliance and client progress. Few would argue against the importance of good clinical judgment, but there is persistent evidence that counselors’
I was raised with my mother telling me that the three things you were not supposed to discuss in polite company were religion, politics and money. Historically, counselors have also been hesitant to talk about religion or religious issues. This hesitancy is grounded in the profession’s belief in the separation of
The Mandala Assessment Research Instrument (MARI) is a Jungian instrument based on symbols and colors that are chosen intuitively. When displayed on the developmental template of the Great Round, these symbols and colors reveal a visual picture of one’s psyche. Joan Kellogg developed MARI as an art therapy tool in