Loss is a universal experience and an underpinning of many therapeutic issues. The client who has just lost a job, the parents whose son is addicted to opioids, the client whose long-term relationship unraveled, and the client who received a devastating health diagnosis all have loss in common. As a
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Cultivating social class awareness in the counseling profession
As professional counselors, the two of us often engage in the reflection process to gain an understanding of ourselves and our clients. As African Americans raised and living in the South, both of us have to navigate through our share of “isms.” Derrick, a black doctoral candidate and practitioner from
Fostering immigrant communities of healing
During the months surrounding the 2016 presidential election, the rhetoric around immigration was so charged that Daniel Gutierrez, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and American Counseling Association member, noticed a substantial uptick in panic disorders at a free clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina. One therapist even told Gutierrez about a
Straddling two worlds
Because immigrants often feel like they are straddling two worlds — their origin country and their new one — identity development is complex and critical for this population. Immigrant clients often tell Sara Stanizai, a licensed marriage and family therapist and owner of Prospect Therapy in Long Beach, California, that
Michigan LPCs block attempt to take away their right to practice
Your voice matters. Those who doubt the power of speaking out and advocating for the profession need only look to the counselors of Michigan. This fall, approximately 10,000 licensed professional counselors (LPCs) participated in a grassroots campaign that thwarted an attempt to take away their ability to practice. On Friday,
Digesting the connection between food and mood
For most of her life, the woman would not let herself eat cake. She feared that if she started, she would never be able to stop. The presence of cake at every birthday party she attended tormented her. She grew so preoccupied with thoughts of cake that she had food
Dealing with the realities of dementia
Licensed professional counselor (LPC) Ruth Drew oversees the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24-hour helpline, which offers support to those facing the challenges of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, including families and caregivers. The fact that the helpline receives more than 300,000 calls each year hints at the heart-wrenching issues that accompany a dementia
Technique without soul is dead
As a licensed professional counselor, I am interested in what is helpful or effective for my clients. As a client in therapy, I am equally interested in what helps me to reduce my own suffering and develop better skills for navigating the larger world in which I live. Therefore, I
Human rights 101, Part 2: Implications for graduate students and counselor education programs
Part one of our two-part series provided a foundation of the importance of human rights, the relevance to professional counseling, and practical strategies to use when working with clients who have experienced human rights violations. Part two focuses on human rights, social justice and advocacy related to counseling graduate students
Counseling Connoisseur: Autumn lessons in turning inward and letting go
“At first we do not know what deeds or misdeeds, what destiny, what good or evil we contain, and only the autumn can show what the spring has engendered; only in the evening will it be seen what the morning began.” — C.G. Jung The leaves rustle in the trees