CS Features – Expert Interviews, Guides, Professional Advocacy & Research in Counseling

Joining a counseling profession is about more than understanding licensing requirements and reading step-by-step guides. This is a profession committed to continued education, listening, and learning. To be a successful counselor or therapist, you have to be engaged with and aware of the larger conversations in the community.

Whether you are just starting your counseling career or already working in the field, CS features cover topics relevant to you. It holds scholarship and resource guides, expert interviews, tips for avoiding burnout and compassion fatigue, discussions of the latest academic research, and detailed analyses of the most pressing advocacy issues within counseling professions. Overall, we bring you into the conversation around the biggest issues in counseling and professions today.

The Fight for MFT License Portability Across States

Calendar Icon 04/01/25 Matt Zbrog

As one of the five core mental health disciplines recognized by the federal government under the Public Health Service Act, MFTs are licensed and trained to provide individual, family, and group psychotherapy services from the perspective that relationships matter.

Terminations: The Importance of a Good Ending for Therapy

Calendar Icon 03/31/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

As a counselor, you hope to have a good ending in which the therapist and client have a final session to say goodbye and discuss aftercare plans. This is not always the case. To increase the odds of a good ending, termination must be discussed throughout the counseling process, starting at the first session.

Guide to Transgender and Gender Counseling Degrees and Schools

Calendar Icon 03/28/25 Alex Stitt, LMHC

If you aspire to work with trans and nonbinary people as a mental health professional, there are many trans-focused career paths to explore, depending on your area of focus and level of training and certification.

Informed Consent: Ethical Considerations for Working With LGBTQ+ Clients

Calendar Icon 03/27/25 Alex Stitt, LMHC

As always, clients should be encouraged to ask questions, yet due to the long history of discrimination, LGBTQ+ individuals may have some unique concerns pertaining to their privacy, emotional safety, and legal rights.

How to Prepare for a Mental Health Internship

Calendar Icon 03/26/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Mental health internships offer students the opportunity to learn hands-on clinical skills in various settings. Most graduate-level psychology programs require students to complete a practicum and an internship experience prior to graduation.

Guide to Counselor Education Loan Forgiveness Programs

Calendar Icon 03/25/25 Vanessa Salvia

Over the years, the rules have changed, so it makes sense to know what you can and can’t expect when it comes to counselor education loan forgiveness programs. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) made certain counselors eligible for loan forgiveness.

How to Teach Client Responsibility

Calendar Icon 03/25/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Some clients begin therapy without learning healthy boundaries or taking responsibility for their actions. For many, their behaviors are a reflection of the abusive systems they were raised in. Abusive systems teach a skewed perception of responsibility through blame and shame. These circumstances do not take away the need for personal responsibility but offer an understanding to counselors who encounter these behaviors. A part of therapy will be to hold the space, validate these experiences, and teach clients personal responsibility.

Instilling Hope in Your Clients

Calendar Icon 03/24/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

When clients show up for therapy, they often have exhausted all other resources, such as Internet searches, self-help videos, books, and other people’s advice. They may feel drained and unsure if therapy can help them.

Building Rapport: An Essential Counseling Skill

Calendar Icon 03/21/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Building rapport creates increased communication, trust, and motivation in the counselor-client relationship. Developing a positive emotional connection leads to client satisfaction and greater therapeutic outcomes.

The Importance of Silence in Therapy

Calendar Icon 03/20/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

An important part of the empathic process is holding the space or creating quiet moments for your client. It is in these times, when less is said, clients and counselors can have the most profound insights.