This month, I am having one of those proverbial “milestone” birthdays. These events can provide a pause in life to reflect, celebrate or mourn(!) the passage of time and the realization that there really are fewer years ahead than behind. When I look back, I know I have been blessed
Month: July 2016
Dear Counseling Colleagues, The heat of August is upon us. Some families are preparing for back-to-school events, while others are still enjoying well-deserved vacations. Still others may be participating in career or business opportunities that inform career development. I have always loved the end of summer, when the light is
During my first internship as a master’s student, I provided in-home family counseling and quickly became overwhelmed by the needs I thought I saw in my clients’ lives. Most of my clients had low incomes, and some lived in subsidized housing. With excellent supervision, I did my best to provide
“T here is no excuse for our society’s not putting scientific knowledge into practical use. … We must remember — the first few months of life are not a rehearsal. This is the real show.” — Irving B. Harris A casual conversation on any given day: “Oh, you’re a
“When you catch yourself slipping into a pool of negativity, notice how it derives from nothing other than resistance to the current situation.” ― Donna Quesada, Buddha in the Classroom: Zen Wisdom to Inspire Teachers I recently took on several home improvement projects. With a contractor hired, my home
As professional counselors, we enter this field with a desire to understand and help others. There comes a time in every counselor’s career, however, when intellectual understanding is overpowered by the need for empathic understanding. This is particularly true when counselors work with clients who intentionally cut, burn, scratch, hit or otherwise
One meaning of intuition is “something that is known or understood without proof or evidence.” Given that definition, it’s not surprising that objectively studying and measuring a counselor’s intuition can be challenging. But that hasn’t stopped Jesse Fox from trying. In 2013, as part of research Fox was doing for
The stereotypical image of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the raucous little boy who can’t sit still in the classroom and is a discipline problem at home. But counselors who commonly work with ADHD know that it can also manifest as a young girl who is seemingly always in her own
“Catalina” (pseudonym used to protect the identity of the individual being interviewed) is not your typical medical student. Young, Dominicana and the first generation of her family born in the United States, she shoves her clothes into a washing machine in her apartment complex. Graciously, she answers questions about an
If you are reading this article, you are most likely a licensed mental health professional. So imagine these two scenarios. The first: You’ve just been offered your dream job. You can start tomorrow, without giving notice at your current job, correct? The second: What if you are not happy at