Cutting. Burning. Headbanging. Embedding. Self-hitting. Pinpricking. Thinking about people intentionally hurting themselves in these ways can be difficult but, sometimes, counselors don’t have a choice. When a client struggling with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) appears in a counselor’s office, the counselor’s task is to help — and the perhaps natural reaction
Category: Counseling Today
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in counseling continues to be a topic of much confusion and curiosity among professional counselors, clinical supervisors and counselor educators, mainly because the concept of animal-assisted mental health is only marginally understood. For many who have experienced the power of the human–animal connection, the rationale behind incorporating a
The American Counseling Association Governing Council recently approved two new interest networks: the Sexual Wellness in Counseling Interest Network and the Integrated Care Counseling Interest Network. ACA interest networks offer members a chance to join together to explore areas of common interest or concern. Counseling Today spoke with Teresa Jacobson, a
The American Counseling Association Governing Council recently approved two new interest networks: the Sexual Wellness in Counseling Interest Network and the Integrated Care Counseling Interest Network. ACA interest networks offer members a chance to join together to explore areas of common interest or concern. Counseling Today spoke with Wynn Dupkoski
American Counseling Association members are invited to review and submit their comments on the first draft of the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics (COE), the latest revision in nearly a decade. The draft was officially announced at the ACA 2013 Conference & Expo in Cincinnati at a town hall meeting
An ecological perspective to counseling involves using interventions that move beyond exclusive focus on the individual.
As the release of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) draws near, counselors can listen to two American Counseling Association-recorded podcasts featuring members who have been involved with the revision process. Rebecca Daniel-Burke, ACA’s director of professional projects and staff liaison to ACA’s DSM-5 Task
The Department of Defense (DoD) has clarified aspects of its interim final rule (IFR) establishing certification criteria for licensed mental health counselors participating in the TRICARE program, in response to a request submitted by ACA. In a letter to ACA Executive Director Richard Yep, Assistant Deputy Director Mary Kaye Justis
Attendees of next month’s 2013 American Counseling Association Conference & Expo in Cincinnati will be treated to a new series of conference sessions aimed at shedding light on research by ACA members on topics that uniquely benefit clients. Called the Client-Focused Research Series, these 30-minute presentations aim to increase awareness of
This year alone, 13 million kids in the United States will be bullied. Three million will be absent from school at some point each month because they feel unsafe there. Those numbers are courtesy of the website for Bully, a 2011 documentary from award-winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch that comes out