How do you determine your level of effectiveness in your work with clients? In everyday practice, counselors typically rely on clinical judgment and their own assumptions about the therapeutic alliance and client progress. Few would argue against the importance of good clinical judgment, but there is persistent evidence that counselors’
Tag: therapeutic alliance
The Mandala Assessment Research Instrument (MARI) is a Jungian instrument based on symbols and colors that are chosen intuitively. When displayed on the developmental template of the Great Round, these symbols and colors reveal a visual picture of one’s psyche. Joan Kellogg developed MARI as an art therapy tool in
Relationships are the heart of counseling. No matter how the profession grows and changes, relationships will remain central to the good that counselors do in their clients’ lives. And counselors should never lose sight of that fact, say Jeffrey Kottler and Richard Balkin. The duo will deliver the Saturday keynote
Modern counseling models and techniques are as varied and diverse as the counselors and clients who use them. Most counselors have a particular theory, method or school of thought that they embrace, whether it is cognitive behavior therapy, solution-focused therapy, strength-based, holistic health, person-centered, Adlerian or other. Yet all of
Not all therapeutic alliances are deeply challenged by the counselor’s pregnancy, but most will experience some impact, if for no other reason than it necessitates a break in the counseling process. Preparation, awareness and collegial support are indispensible tools during this time.
One of the common reasons people start counseling is because they want to know themselves better. The time required to achieve this self-understanding varies, but some counselors make helping clients get a clearer picture of their personalities the first order of business. Many of these counselors find that certain personality
“Anger is a signal, and one worth listening to,” wrote Harriet Lerner in The Dance of Anger, her seminal book about anger and intimate relationships first published in 1985. Lerner told millions of readers — in the counseling field and beyond — that our anger is a tool alerting us that
An ecological perspective to counseling involves using interventions that move beyond exclusive focus on the individual.