I was 15 years into my career as a professional school counselor when I met a young man who opened my eyes to the life of navigating the education system as a student with undocumented citizenship status. I was working in an upper-middle-class suburban high school in South Texas. This
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“Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.” ― Emily Dickinson I recently had a visit from my daughter, son-in-law and (almost) five-year-old grandson, Nicolas. They reside in Florida and in an attempt to make up for an absent Thanksgiving, we combined the holidays in
While reflecting on my clinical experiences with adult clients during my postgraduate internship, I discerned a common thread. The thread was that the feeling of being valueless was at the root of my clients’ depression, anxiety, anger and substance abuse, as well as the violence and verbal abuse experienced within
Even the most compassionate, empathic and dedicated clinician has to work to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue. Where you work can often play a big role in the making or prevention of compassion fatigue and burnout. High-stress, high-volume work with little rest or downtime can be a major contributing factor
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with email. Luckily, there are many software solutions to help counselors and counselor educators handle email more efficiently. Let’s begin by identifying the email issues you want to fix. If you choose more than one, don’t worry. We will take it one step
When treating clients struggling with substance abuse, Lindsey Chadwick would like her fellow counselors to keep in mind the toll that addiction takes on children. Addiction affects the whole household. Children feel the effects differently — but as acutely — as adults, says Chadwick, a licensed professional counselor and manager
“Each of us inherits the story of our people, communities, nations, and it is remembered through, with and in the context of the land and seas, and air, and creatures.” — Kimberly Ruffin Anna, a small-framed 15-year-old Caucasian female, sat engulfed by the overstuffed chair in my office. She
Many people ask, “Isn’t ADHD something that kids grow out of?” When people think of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they usually picture a child “bouncing off the walls” and then being unable to follow directions to stop that behavior. In mainstream society, we don’t see adults bouncing off the walls, so
What makes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) such a tried-and-true, “go-to” method for professional counselors? Ann Vernon and Kristene Doyle put it simply in the preface to their book, Cognitive Behavior Therapies: A Guidebook for Practitioners: “CBT readily lends itself to a broad array of interventions that are practical in nature
Do you pay for your drive-through latte with your iPhone app while streaming Spotify through your Bluetooth speakers and double-checking your GPS for traffic notifications? Or are you the stalwart who prefers to park and go inside to order your coffee because drive-throughs seem so impersonal and face-to-face communication is