Highlighting the importance of mental health awareness
While one in five people will experience mental illness over the course of their lifetimes, everyone will face challenges that can and will affect their mental health. Observed every year on October 10, World Mental Health Day seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues and highlights efforts to support mental health.
Acknowledging the state of one’s mental health issues is important, and so is being able to seek help when you’re struggling. ACA has provided sharable graphics and resources to support counselors around the world who play a crucial role for those struggling with their mental health.
Related Articles from Counseling Today
Counselors can help transracial and transnational adoptees heal the wounds from separation and being raised in an all-white world.
For people who want to return to the workplace after a gap or extended break, the search for the right job can come with serious doubts about getting back into the game.
Counselors are using happiness interventions to help clients redefine happiness and live a more fulfilling life.
Voice of Experience: The danger of misinterpreting risk
Fear and stigma can often cause people to incorrectly perceive individuals with a mental health disorder as a threat, which can have serious consequences.
To decrease the stigma around mental health in society, we must confront stigmatizing and biased thinking in the clinical world.
Voice of Experience: Disorders with the potential for dangerous outcomes
When working with people with disorders that are associated with more dangerous behaviors, counselors must be prepared to assess the client’s risk of violence to themselves and others.
Behind the Book: Q&A with Danica G. Hays
Danica G. Hays, author of Assessment in Counseling, discusses what’s new in the recently published seventh edition and how proper assessment of clients can help strengthen the therapeutic alliance.
Cultivating patience in counselors
A desire for change can sometimes cause counselors and clients to overlook the importance of building a sense of safety first.
Behind the Book: Counselor Self-Care (2nd edition)
Since the first edition of Counselor Self-Care came out in 2018, we have experienced many new stressors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, social injustice and political polarization.
The mental toll of adult bullying
Adult bullying is a social and mental health issue. Regardless of the reasons why a person is targeted by a bully, research shows that its impact can be disastrous to a person’s health and well-being.
Conceptualizing diagnosis through a social justice lens
Approaching diagnosis through a lens that considers systemic, cultural and ecological factors leads to better treatment outcomes for clients.
Everyone can remember being bullied. Maybe someone teased you relentlessly about your name because it “sounded funny” or they made fun of your physical appearance.
Building rapport with clients experiencing psychosis
Stigma and misunderstanding about clients with severe mental illnesses can prevent some counselors from taking the necessary steps to build a strong therapeutic relationship.
Recognizing burnout and compassion fatigue among counselors
Counselors have a responsibility to take care of their own mental health before they can help others with their well-being.
Is mindfulness a cure-all approach?
Mindfulness is often seen as a cure-all approach, but as with other clinical approaches, counselors should carefully consider when and how they integrate this practice into sessions.
4 steps to refresh, recharge and reconnect
Self-care is always easier said than done, but with these four steps, counselors can ensure they are taking time to care for and invest in themselves.
Find answers to common questions counselors have about the new edition of the DSM.
The lack of evidence-based research supporting somatic therapy raises skepticism among many clinicians, but for those who do use it with clients, the benefits are clear.
Building trust with reluctant clients
Rather than labeling hesitant clients as “resistant,” counselors should check their assumptions, work to better understand the underlying reasons and barriers these clients face, and double down on unconditional positive regard.
Past, present or future: Where do you usually live?
When you are in the present moment, you are not waiting for the next moment to be fulfilling or happy.
General Public Resources from the Counseling Corner
Realizing That Actions Do Speak Louder Than Words
If you ever find yourself yelling, "How many times have I told you?" then you're likely aware that words often are not going to fix many problems. Instead we find that the very behavior that drives us crazy continues to occur.
We're often frustrated because we're talking when we really ought to be acting. The common expression is, "Actions speak louder than words," and that's often true in our personal relationships. The cure is to take action that gets the message across.
Take that toddler in your house who would rather play with his food than eat it. Rather than yelling or repeatedly reprimanding him, instead smile and remove his plate as you calmly say, "I see you've finished your dinner." Will he protest? Yes, and probably loudly, the act of having his dinner disappear, along with your explanation of why it happened, is almost always more effective than simply ordering him to eat.
Or how about a spouse who tends to overindulge at social events? You've been embarrassed in the past and have expressed your displeasure several times, all to no avail. Next time, instead of more fruitless complaining or a loud argument, take action by picking up the car keys, handing over ten dollars for that cab ride home and walking to your car and driving home.
There are many situations where taking action is the most effective course. Do you have a parent or in-law who is giving you headaches with daily calls to complain and criticize you? Instead of arguing with him or her about the problem, just inform the person that the next time he or she calls to criticize you're simply going to hang up. Then follow through and do just that.
Similarly, if you have a teen who won't abide by your curfew hours, rather than lecturing or arguing, simply explain clearly what action you are planning the next time it happens. It may mean cutting off an allowance or confiscating their cell phone for a period. When the next infraction occurs, carry through on the proposed action making it clear they brought it on themselves.
It's important to take action with a positive, calm attitude. Yes, there will be protests, and yes, you will want to explain calmly what is happening and why, but the bottom line is that actions are much harder to ignore than simple words.
2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 300, Alexandria, Va. 22314 | 800-347-6647 | (fax) 800-473-2329
My ACA Join Now Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use © All Rights Reserved.