An American Counseling Association Publication

May 2012 | Features | Lynne Shallcross

A family affair

Helping kids battle obesity begins with the family, and counselors are well-positioned to play an integral role.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity now affects 17 percent of U.S. children and adolescents, which adds up to roughly 12.5 million kids. Since 1980, obesity prevalence among this group has almost tripled. Among children and adolescents ages 2 to 19, being overweight translates to a body-mass index (BMI) at or above… continue reading


April 2012 | Features | Lynne Shallcross

Not content to ‘ride off into the sunset’

Counselors say the baby boomer generation is challenging traditional beliefs about what it means to age
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When Hilda Davis Carroll turned 60, she was between counseling positions following a layoff. As she watched the sun rise on the morning of her birthday, she thought to herself, “OK, I’m 60. Where do I go from here, and what am I going to do with the rest of my life?” The answer for… continue reading


March 2012 | Features | Compiled by Heather Rudow

ACA: Celebrating 60 years

Seventeen individuals who have held ACA’s highest office look back on the association’s history and share some of their favorite memories
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From March 30 to April 3, 1952, four independent associations — the National Vocational Guidance Association, the National Association of Guidance and Counselor Trainers, the Student Personnel Association for Teacher Education and the American College Personnel Association — convened at a joint convention in Los Angeles with the goal of providing a larger and stronger… continue reading


March 2012 | Features | Stacy Notaras Murphy

Space to grieve everyday losses

Most common losses aren’t automatically recognized as being ‘grief-worthy,’ but clients often need help adjusting to a new reality just the same
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A client, Abby, comes to counseling to deal with feelings of loneliness and stress following an abrupt breakup with a long-term boyfriend. She had thought they would get married and now is questioning everything: her ability to be in a relationship, the meaning of the past few years and her value as a person. She reports ongoing… continue reading


March 2012 | Features | Lynne Shallcross

Fitting together as a family

Counselors can help foster children, adopted children and parents navigate the sometimes bumpy road to forging a cohesive family unit
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Kara Carnes-Holt’s daughter had one wish on her fifth birthday. “I wish that this mommy and daddy keep me forever,” the little girl said as she blew out the candles on her cake. Hearing her wish, Carnes-Holt and her husband assured their daughter they were going to keep her forever. They became foster parents to… continue reading