Although the episode took place many years ago, R. Jane Williams still gets a lump in her throat when she thinks about the nine months she spent counseling a young mother dying of breast cancer. The client’s wrenching story of her husband’s initial denial of her illness would have pained any
Category: Features
Five years ago, Matthew Carlson responded to the call of a house fire. It was a relatively routine part of his job. A certified firefighter and medical first responder, Carlson was no stranger to trauma, but the tragedy he witnessed that day would stand out from all the others. As
Here are some popular misconceptions about brief therapy: It sacrifices a real therapeutic alliance. It is only popular because insurance companies love it. It doesn’t work long term. Many counselors with in-depth training in brief therapy models are quick to dispel these myths and contend that brief therapy can help
I t’s a little surprising to find out that someone so passionate about counseling began her professional career as a retail associate at a Jordan Marsh clothing store in Manchester, N.H. Less surprising perhaps is finding out why Cirecie West-Olatunji, who took office as the 62nd president of the American
Parenting is often referred to as the hardest job in the world. Just how hard is it, then, to counsel someone who is struggling in that role? Hard enough that John Sommers-Flanagan and Sara Polanchek teamed up to present a session titled “How to Listen So Parents Will Talk and
The whispers, controversy and speculation surrounding the possible contents of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) seemingly began as soon as professionals opened the cover to the DSM-IV text revision back in 2000. Later this month, that speculation will finally end as the
T rying to bring closure to a process that began seven years ago in Montreal, the delegates to the 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling initiative met for the final time at the ACA Conference & Expo in Cincinnati to discuss the two remaining “building blocks to counselor
The 3,494 individuals who attended the American Counseling Association’s 2013 Conference & Expo in March came to Cincinnati from across the United States and the world to learn the latest information about counseling practice and to share their own knowledge, all while getting to know one another. Attendees chose from
Retirement often seems to be about trade-offs. You may have more time to do the things you love but less money to devote to those things. You may have more opportunities to exercise and enjoy life, yet you have to navigate new health care and insurance issues. You can travel more,
Your first client of the day recently survived a Category 4 hurricane, while your next client reports that she survived a mass school shooting several years ago. Both clients have experienced trauma in the form of a collective community disaster. Nevertheless, the causes, symptoms, courses of treatment and counseling interventions