Whether experienced as a counselor or new to the field, transference, anxiety and blows to one’s esteem are part of managing life as a professional counselor. Two therapists — Gregory K. Moffatt, a veteran counselor, and Simone Alexander, a recent graduate — discuss how specific experiences with clients ended up
Category: Member Insights
Articles written by members of the American Counseling Association
The past three decades can be described as a golden age in the history of the American Counseling Association. Licensure laws for professional counselors have been approved in all 50 states and several territories, helping to define the identity of the counseling profession. ACA publications, research, professional development activities and member
Imagine this scenario: A college senior enters the office of a counselor educator. “You see, it was suggested that I come to see you,” the student starts. “I’ll be graduating in May, and I’m thinking about graduate school. I guess I’ve always been interested in counseling at a mental health
A few years ago, I applied for the position as director of a student services department at the university where I am employed. I had worked in the department for several years and felt qualified for the position. I prepared for the interview; I had several ideas to enhance student
The 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling initiative calls on all counselors and counselor educators to recognize and consider changes necessary for the sustainability and growth of the counseling profession. As emerging counselor educators, we’d like to offer our perspective on the vision of 20/20 in the only
The economic crisis of 2008 is still with us. Jobs for mental health and school counselors have been – and continue to be – cut. We hear about the possibility of more terminations to come in the media. Among the rumors of downsizing are some that indicate the trend will
“This Southern Belle might have something scary inside,” my supervisor once said. It seemed my delicate, feminine appearance was working against my getting a coveted spot at the human rights organization where she worked, but that spark of something to be reckoned with shown through. In the months since, my
Working directly with parents can be either terribly frustrating or exceptionally gratifying. Many counselors initially feel both fear and frustration at the prospect of counseling parents. That was certainly the case for me. I not only felt intimidated, but I also held several negative beliefs about parents that adversely affected
Bioethics is the multidisciplinary field that applies knowledge of health care policy, law, philosophy, sociology and dispute mediation/resolution to solve moral dilemmas in clinical practice and research in medicine and allied professions. Human cloning and stem cell research, which are hotly debated in society, are examples of bioethical issues. Beginning
When I was younger, I often wondered how it was possible that elderly people weren’t consumed with fear of the inevitable. But Erik Erikson seemed to have a “good enough” theory to settle my inner turmoil. As an undergraduate back in the early 1970s, I surmised from Erikson’s theory that