Cutting. Burning. Headbanging. Embedding. Self-hitting. Pinpricking. Thinking about people intentionally hurting themselves in these ways can be difficult but, sometimes, counselors don’t have a choice. When a client struggling with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) appears in a counselor’s office, the counselor’s task is to help — and the perhaps natural reaction to cringe or admonish the…continue reading
The whispers, controversy and speculation surrounding the possible contents of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) seemingly began as soon as professionals opened the cover to the DSM-IV text revision back in 2000. Later this month, that speculation will finally end as the American Psychiatric Association unveils the…continue reading
Trying to bring closure to a process that began seven years ago in Montreal, the delegates to the 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling initiative met for the final time at the ACA Conference & Expo in Cincinnati to discuss the two remaining “building blocks to counselor license portability.” The group reached consensus…continue reading
The 3,494 individuals who attended the American Counseling Association’s 2013 Conference & Expo in March came to Cincinnati from across the United States and the world to learn the latest information about counseling practice and to share their own knowledge, all while getting to know one another. Attendees chose from among 280 education sessions, 206…continue reading
Licensed professional counselor and college professor Angela McDonald is helping her students learn more about the mental health of military service members, veterans and their families, and what the best practices are for counseling them. McDonald, an assistant professor and program director of the clinical mental health counseling programs at the University of North Carolina…continue reading
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 therapy animal into counseling needs…continue reading
Imagine a world filled with counselors who all shared the same beliefs, values and attitudes. For those counselors to effectively serve their clients, the clients should also share the same beliefs, values and attitudes as the counselors, right? Thank God I don’t live in that world. Counselors are as diverse as the clients they serve,…continue reading
Imagine a world filled with counselors who all shared the same beliefs, values and attitudes. For those counselors to effectively serve their clients, the clients should also share the same beliefs, values and attitudes as the counselors, right? Thank God I don’t live in that world. Counselors are as diverse as the clients they serve,…continue reading