Guides to Counseling Careers & Other Resources

Transition is the self-actualizing process of aligning one’s external being with their internal sense of gender. This includes social transition like gender expression, legal transition like changing one’s name or pronouns on documentation, and physical transition like hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and Gender Confirmation Surgery (GCS).

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.

The field of psychology is dynamic, it is one in which you can never stop learning from. As theories and therapies continue to evolve, it is essential for counselors to stay abreast of the latest research, continuing practices and learn new ways of thinking.

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.

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.

Supervision is required to complete master’s or doctoral degrees, practicums, internships, and state licensure. Many companies require their counselors to meet with a supervisor regularly. Supervision is necessary for each counselor’s growth and support.

We all think we know a great deal about memory and have decent study skills. While that might be true, we can always do better. Cognitive science provides insights about where we can make the learning process easier and more efficient.

The Interstate Counseling Compact is an ideal solution to one of the most pressing issues in mental healthcare today: access. By introducing a new agreement that enables licensed counselors (LPCs) and their clients to remain connected across state lines, this groundbreaking development eliminates the hindrances brought about by out-of-state moves, such as disrupted patient/therapist relationships and time pressures for counselors facing financial losses due to slow transitions.

Through a long history of colonization, Western society’s Eurocentric views have excluded not only individuals and cultures but entire modes of thought. That myopia has hindered the efficacy and reach of counseling and psychotherapy. Fortunately, it’s starting to change.