Expert Interviews & Perspectives in Counseling

With one in five Americans living with a mental illness, there is a rising demand for various types of counseling professionals. Through in-depth interviews and expert-written perspectives, discover what to expect while addressing specific conditions within populations, as well as the advocacy issues affecting current and aspiring counselors.

How to Teach Client Responsibility

Calendar Icon 02/20/24 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.

How School Counselors Can Address the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Calendar Icon 01/22/24 Matt Zbrog

America is experiencing a mental health crisis, and mental health struggles amongst the nation’s youth are intensifying. Student mental health is in a precarious place, with children and teens exposed to more information, more social contact, and more discord than ever before. The student mental health crisis is pervasive.

2024 School Counselor of the Year Winner & Finalists

Calendar Icon 01/10/24 Matt Zbrog

Each year, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) selects five school counselors who exemplify why we need the profession now more than ever, and from those five, one winner is selected. The School Counselor of the Year Selection Committee includes principals, school counselors, and representatives from education-related organizations.

Music Therapy and Music-based Interventions for Older Adults

Calendar Icon 12/20/23 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Music is an effective tool to bring forth strong emotions from the past. Sometimes clients cannot find the words to express what they feel in a counseling session but can choose, sing, or play a song.

How Mental Health Counselors Can Help Clients Examine Gender Labels

Calendar Icon 12/18/23 Alex Stitt, LMHC

For those who grew up with a binary definition of men and women, it can be quite confusing to encounter people who don’t fit these categories. Not only are sex and gender different, there’s an entire planet of cultural gender constructs to wrap one’s head around. On top of this, language is polysemic and definitions overlap, meaning that trans and nonbinary people may use gender labels differently.

How Health Insurance Coverage Impacts Access to Children’s Mental Health Care

Calendar Icon 12/05/23 Jill Jaracz

Children ages six to 17 have an increasing need for mental health services, with one in six reporting at least one mental health disorder, according to a 2019 paper from researchers at the University of Michigan. And that was before the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit children’s mental health hard.

LGBTQ+ Sandplay Therapy: Collecting Queer Symbols

Calendar Icon 12/01/23 Alex Stitt, LMHC

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: Challenging the Myth of the Singular Self

Calendar Icon 11/13/23 Alex Stitt, LMHC

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.

Is Self-Disclosure Appropriate for Counselors?

Calendar Icon 11/08/23 Lisa Hutchison, LMHC

Counseling is designed to focus on the client’s issues, feelings, thoughts, and experiences. Is self-disclosure okay to use in counseling sessions? Although there are some concerns with self-disclosure, it can be helpful to your client and the therapeutic relationship, when used for the client’s benefit.

How Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Expand Mental Health Care Access

Calendar Icon 11/07/23 Matt Zbrog

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.