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

Starting out with essential archetypes like houses, bridges, animals, heroes, villains, and family figures, sandplay therapists soon become avid collectors, amassing all kinds of cultural symbols to be as inclusive as possible. However, since it can be difficult to find LGBTQ+ representation when shopping for miniatures, let’s explore some recurring themes in LGBTQ+ mental health, and how sandplay therapists can diversify their collection.

Identity formation and re-formation occur throughout the lifespan in response to external circumstances and internal revelation. Who we are can change dramatically over the course of one lifetime, shift in subtle ways, or become fortified and rigid. There is no singular path to identity formation, so an attuned counselor adapts therapy to meet a client’s understanding of self.

The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 established a system of community-based care, rather than institutional-based care, for treating Americans with mental illness. Nearly 50 years later, that system is as important as ever.

A variation of VRT is known as virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), which is especially useful in cases of phobia, unrealistic fears (e.g., fear of heights), or in cases of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What can be traumatizing for some clients who experience an ambiguous loss is the uncertainty or lack of information about the lost loved one. It is this not knowing or ambiguity, which prolongs the grieving process.

The history of the world is, in one reading, a history of trauma. Political conflicts tear apart families. Refugees escape persecution only to encounter it on new soil, in different forms. Pernicious policies reinforce class divides and thwart social mobility. The right to personhood must be fought for over and over. Ignorance, too frequently, reigns. Patterns of abuse recreate themselves.

Licensed professional counselors (LPCs) and their clients notched an important advocacy win with the passage of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (MHAIA), which goes into effect on January 1, 2024.

Racism and bias permeate every facet of American society, including the nation’s schools. As mental health professionals, school counselors have the unique opportunity to help students unpack, communicate, and confront the racism and bias they experience in and out of the classroom.

Nudges can be distinguished from more formal demands, such as travel bans or vaccine mandates because the latter do not involve choices. Instead, warnings about dangerous behavior can be nudges such as a sign that says no lifeguard is present and you’re swimming at your own risk. This sign provides information that “nudges” the person not to swim there but does not take away the ability to do so.

Affirmative counselors recognize how vital it is to validate a client’s sexual orientation, yet some mental health practitioners are reticent to talk about sex-positive identities and alternative sexual lifestyles like kink and BDSM. This can be very stifling for clients whose sexual journey is a foundational part of their lived experience.