Counselors: Consider keeping this metaphor in your back pocket to help clients understand grief, addictions, trauma and other challenges that seem to linger — no matter how much you want them to go away and stop “barking.”

We master our craft by working with the hardest clients, facing the most difficult ethical problems and pushing ourselves professionally in every area. You will never sharpen a knife with a soft piece of wood, and you will never sharpen your skills by taking the path of least resistance.