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

The allure of e-cigarette usage for high schoolers is waning, according to newly published survey data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes, entered the U.S. marketplace around 2007. The use of e-cigarettes surged by 900 percent among middle and high school students between 2011 and 2015, according to a report from the office of former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Despite the impact of Covid-19, many organizations are still working to provide all the boons of the conference experience to those within the professional counseling community.

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.

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.