Greetings, fellow counselors! As I prepare for the American Counseling Association Conference in Montréal (being held in partnership with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association) and reflect on what I was doing this time last year, I am amazed. What a tremendous year this continues to be. I feel such
Month: March 2016
You work hard, and the collective efforts of the counseling profession benefit millions of children, adolescents, adults, couples, families and communities each and every day. Although your work may not get reported on CNN or in The New York Times, the impact of professional counseling cannot be denied. You make
After 30 years in the counseling profession, I have arrived at the conclusion that we counselors are sometimes our own worst enemies. When a unified voice could be the key to advancing our profession — such as with current efforts to expand reimbursement for counselors’ services under Medicare, initiatives to standardize
Barely able to breathe, a young man battling a panic attack hesitantly enters the group room and makes his way to an empty chair. He and a dozen others “check in” and are then guided through a simple, calming breathing exercise. The lights are dimmed and the group members are
Andrew never knew his father. At age 4, he witnessed the death of his mother from an overdose. She was heroin dependent, and they were living in a car at the time. After her death, Andrew entered the foster care system. Between the ages of 4 and 15, he experienced more
This past December, a major pop culture event occurred for which millions of people had been waiting longer than three decades: Star Wars: Episode VII was released. Finally, the story from 1983’s Return of the Jedi was continuing. Many fans reserved tickets two months in advance, while others camped out
Often parentally micromanaged, pressured by high expectations, grappling with depression and anxiety, a bit socially awkward or just a little bit lost in a strange new world, today’s college students are seeking counseling in greater numbers than did previous generations, according to college counselors and other experts. Those who counsel students
When Inside Out, the latest Pixar movie, was announced this past summer, I was excited to see how the writers would represent complex human inner experiences in a fun and child-friendly way. As a counseling psychology graduate student, I often find myself trying to explain concepts about emotions to children
Most of us started our clinical careers not as managers but as line staff at local mental health programs, eventually working our way up to positions of more authority and responsibility. Some of us have worked very hard to learn the craft of nonprofit management, while others have simply transferred
For Gregory Moffatt, counseling and crime solving go hand in hand. Moffatt, a licensed professional counselor (LPC), runs a private practice in which he specializes in working with children who have experienced physical or sexual abuse. He is also a professor of counseling at Point University in West Point, Georgia.