The idea for this piece came about when I (Jetaun Bailey) was pursuing my master’s degree in counseling. I recall my professor stating clearly that burnout occurs often among helping professionals and that the average stay for a counselor employed at a mental health facility is two years. As one
Tag: Professional Issues
Professional Issues
As a counselor master’s student approaching graduation in December, a few lessons have become ingrained in my mind: “Always advocate on behalf of your clients”; “engaging in self-care is essential”; and “practice in accordance with the ACA Code of Ethics .” At times, when I am lying in bed after
It was like someone was sitting on my chest. From the moment I awoke each day, I could barely breathe, and throughout the day, I teetered on the verge of tears. My wife and I had separated, and I thought my 20-year marriage was about to end. My heart was
In the counseling profession, resistance is essentially considered a four-letter word. Actually, many counselors probably feel more comfortable using a four-letter word than they do talking about a client’s or supervisee’s resistance. There are good reasons for this aversion. Traditionally, resistance shown by clients or during supervision was considered a
One of Cyndi Matthews’ most vivid memories of growing up in a fundamentalist Christian church was watching the minister point at her brother’s best friend during a service and say, “You don’t belong here. Get out.” The reason? The boy was gay. Matthews, a licensed professional counselor supervisor (LPC-S), says
An estimated one in three American adults are taking one or more medications that can – and often do – cause depression. A recent Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study found that many common medications that Americans take regularly, such as drugs for acid reflux or high blood pressure, have
One of the most uplifting and powerful things counselors can do for their clients is to become a “nonanxious presence.” The term, originally coined by Jewish Rabbi and family therapist Edwin Friedman, is used to describe an individual who provides a calm, cool, focused and collected environment that empowers others
Supervisors and beginning counselors who approach the supervision process as a relationship to be fostered rather than a set number of hours to be clocked may be more likely to experience growth and development, both personally and professionally.
[EDITOR’s NOTE: This is an online-only companion article to “Guiding lights,” a feature on the ins and outs of the counselor supervision process appearing in the June issue of Counseling Today.] Counselor supervision can have quite a steep learning curve — one that often comes with several ups and
Counselors are not immune to trauma — in fact, far from it. Many practitioners say that personal or familial experience with trauma or mental illness actually spurred them to become professional counselors. The connection between personal experience and the pull to become a counselor is something that is hard to