T onight, 5-year-old Jonathan is a fretful, whiney and downright irritable child, and with good reason. He is sneezing, running a low-grade fever and has a runny nose, symptoms so easily recognized that even Jonathan can diagnose himself as having a cold. Five-year-old Greg is just as fretful, whiney and
Category: Member Insights
Articles written by members of the American Counseling Association
Are you a mental health counselor? If so, you may be only vaguely aware of the ways in which CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs)-only language in hiring, credentialing and reimbursement policies could impact your practice. As practicing mental health counselors and board members of the Maryland
Everyone who enters a graduate program in counseling daydreams at some point about his or her professional future. The ultimate goal for some is to start a private practice. For others it is to work in a certain setting or with clients who have specific issues or treatment needs. Many
Imagine two women standing in front of a mirror. The first one has the following thoughts: “I can’t stand the way I look. I’m so fat.” She feels anxious, insecure and depressed. The other woman says to herself, “I’ve gained a few pounds, but it’s not the end of the
Imagine a world filled with counselors who all shared the same beliefs, values and attitudes. For those counselors to effectively serve their clients, the clients should also share the same beliefs, values and attitudes as the counselors, right? Thank God I don’t live in that world. Counselors are as diverse
You may be thinking “it” will never happen to me and stop reading here. But, yes, “it” can happen to you, so keep reading! Consider the following very real possible scenarios: Vacation: You were a passenger on the Costa Concordia (January 2012). Disaster struck. Your body was lost at
On a daily basis, we see returning active military personnel being welcomed back from overseas duty. This is well-deserved recognition for each of those soldiers. Each day, military civilian personnel given overseas assignments also return home — but minus the fanfare and welcoming committees waiting for them at the airport.
Today’s college students face more than exams, adjustment issues and a tough job market. They also deal with a complex sexual and social landscape that is full of choices and pitfalls, often without the safety net provided by their families at home. A 2007 Campus Sexual Assault Study conducted with
When I first met Kurt, age 60, he appeared small despite possessing a lengthy frame that should have filled any space he occupied. He spent the first few sessions of therapy discussing the details of his son’s diagnosis with a rare and often untreatable disease. He talked about how the
After over 35 years of working as a licensed professional counselor, I have stopped seeing clients. This article speaks to what I have learned from them through the years. The inside story of being a counselor isn’t found in textbooks. It may be different for others, but for me, helping