Students in counselor education courses often ask what special training they need to counsel clients with spiritual issues. I ask these students to consider what course content, prior employment, life experience or other education might prepare them to address religious or spiritual themes. Some report they would rely on pastoral
Category: Knowledge Share
Our experience working with students and professionals in training and research suggests the necessity of re-examining the issues affecting older adults. This population, defined for the purposes of this article as individuals age 65 and older, is quickly increasing in number and will need our services in multiple ways, including
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
An integration of cognitive, existential, psychodynamic and systemic perspectives, Adlerian counseling theory is a holistic, phenomenological, socially oriented and teleological (goal-directed) approach to understanding and working with people. Furthermore, Adlerian counseling theory is a relational constructivist approach and affirms that people must be understood contextually because it is in our relationships
Marsha Linehan developed dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in the early 1990s specifically for the treatment of borderline personality disorder. DBT is a multifaceted treatment approach that includes facets of cognitive behavior skills training, mindfulness meditation, behaviorism and dialectics. Though none of these individual aspects is novel on its own, implementing
Meeting the needs of today’s students is challenging for counselors working in the schools, particularly with the increasing diversity of the U.S. population. To engage today’s students, school counselors must think innovatively in delivering school counseling services. Creative “nontraditional” counseling approaches, when integrated into traditional school counseling services at both
Tyler is coming to see you fearing his secret could be revealed. He is an 18-year-old European-American male from a small Midwestern town of fewer than 1,000 people. His father is the minister of a local evangelical Christian church. His mother divides her time between church commitments and family life
As I (Laura) prepare to see another patient, I read the quick details indicating he has an alcohol-related injury. His blood work showed an alcohol level of .16, two times the legal limit of intoxication. He fell off a ladder and has a mild concussion with a nasty cut above his
Given the extensive research on eating disorders, motivated clients and a gold standard treatment — cognitive behavior therapy — it is perplexing that recidivism rates remain so high for bulimia. It behooves us as counselors to investigate possible hindrances to effective treatment and adjust our approach accordingly for those clients
When one counsels military service members and their families, the existence and impact of military culture on the client and the therapeutic process is an important consideration. Many in our profession are ready and willing to help address the social and psychological challenges that many service members face. These challenges