Fill in the blank: The way to avoid burnout is __________ . Self-care? Professional fulfillment? Spirituality? All of the above? The answer to this question will be different for each person — and most likely involve more than one idea. The question, however, needs to be continually on the minds of counselors, both for their…continue reading
Catherine Beckett, an American Counseling Association member with a private practice in Portland, Oregon, has made it a habit to avoid using “must” phrases with clients. “It sends a message to the client about what they’ve experienced,” says Beckett, who specializes in grief counseling. “I don’t ever want to say, ‘Oh, you must feel so…continue reading
The stories of the aftereffects of human-made disaster have become all too familiar: a refugee forced to make a dangerous journey to find a new home; the soldier deployed thousands of miles from home for months at a time; the person who finds his or her world turned upside down when a shooter enters the…continue reading
By the time the 43-year-old man, a victim of an industrial accident, limped into American Counseling Association member David Engstrom’s office, he’d been experiencing lower back pain for 10 years and taking OxyContin for six. The client, whose pain was written in the grimace on his face as he sat down, was a referral from…continue reading
There is no perfect plan when it comes to self-care. The important thing is to have a plan and make self-care a career-long focus. Not only will the methods that counselors find effective vary from practitioner to practitioner, but a self-care routine will also need to evolve to meet changing needs throughout a counselor’s career.…continue reading
No matter my professional role, there always seems to exist the need to send out the same email over and over again. Either I write the same email monthly or annually, or I write the same email and send it to multiple people. When I was in private practice, it was a “New Client” email.…continue reading
Take a moment to imagine the following scene, with you as the protagonist: A few days ago, you woke, went for a run, had breakfast and headed to work, where you attended a committee meeting. The next thing you remember is lying in a hospital bed and being told that you had a stroke. You…continue reading
Adults with histories of being abused as children present unique challenges for counselors. For instance, these clients often struggle with establishing and maintaining a therapeutic alliance. They may rapidly shift their notion of the counselor from very favorable to very unfavorable in line with concomitant shifts in their emotional states. Furthermore, they may anxiously expect…continue reading
Kyle hears the drone of the elevator music playing behind the bland voice that states, “All calls are important to us. Thank you for your patience. A customer service representative will be with you in just a moment.” Kyle knows the message well because he has been on hold for nearly 15 minutes. While waiting,…continue reading
Actors, dancers, musicians and other performers are vulnerable to a variety of challenges and clinical issues that are unique to those who choose to make their living using their creative talents and skills. Although artists are people just like the rest of our clients, I believe it is important for counselors to have a framework…continue reading