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 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.

How to Grieve a Client’s Death Ethically

Calendar Icon 03/19/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

There is no formal training on how to deal with client loss. If you are a counselor long enough, you will face a client’s death.

The Use of Referrals in the Counseling Process

Calendar Icon 03/14/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Therapeutic healing sometimes takes a village. Each one of us can benefit from a multitude of supports that help us navigate through tough times.

Counseling Court-Mandated Clients

Calendar Icon 03/13/25 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Rather than being motivated by self-referral, mandated clients do not choose to go into counseling and often must report their progress to a third party. Mandatory or court-ordered treatment areas can range from alcohol or substance use disorders, protective services cases, sex offenses, or anger management.

Mental Health Disabilities & Employment: An Interview with the U.S. Department of Labor

Calendar Icon 02/20/25 Cevia Yellin

Started in 2001, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is a non-regulatory federal agency housed in the U.S. Department of Labor. ODEP’s primary objective is to eliminate barriers to the employment and training of individuals with disabilities.

International Boost Self-Esteem Month Resource Guide (2025)

Calendar Icon 01/31/25 Matt Zbrog

February is International Boost Self-Esteem Month, an annual event dedicated to improving self-esteem among people across the globe. And it’s especially important this coming year after a series of lockdowns have forced everyone to spend more time alone with themselves than usual.

Do Medicare and Medicaid Cover Counseling?

Calendar Icon 01/06/25 Kimmy Gustafson

Given the prevalence and urgency of addressing mental health concerns in our society, it is crucial to ensure access to appropriate and effective mental health services, including counseling, to support individuals in their journey toward recovery and well-being. One key piece of access to mental healthcare is through Medicare and Medicaid.

Pregnancy and the Brain: Is “Momnesia” Real?

Calendar Icon 12/05/24 Laura Freberg, PhD

Pregnant women often complain about sudden lapses in memory. We all have had the experience of walking into a room and then completely forgetting what we planned to do, but pregnant women seem to report these lapses more frequently than others of the same age. Are these experiences due to tiredness and sleep deprivation? Or are there other explanations?

What are the Best Holiday Gifts for Counselors & Therapists You Know?

Calendar Icon 11/22/24 Rachel Drummond, MEd

Whether you are a client, friend, or family member, you can express gratitude for counselors and therapists’ invaluable contributions to mental health services.

Helping Clients with Perfectionism

Calendar Icon 10/30/24 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Those who suffer from clinical perfectionism fear negative evaluation or failure. Some clients procrastinate, over-prepare for meetings, and seek over-reassurance from others because they fear the task they complete will not be exactly right.