ACA MEMBER BLOGS

Movement therapies have long been important approaches to wellness in CAM. Activities such as dance, dance movement therapy, Tai Chi, Somatic Experiencing, and Alexander technique have helped many people treat health challenges, preserve wellness, or are practiced just for the joy of the experience.

What does self-care mean to you? Throughout my counseling program, the notion of self-care was emphasized repeatedly. I was required to formulate plans that addressed mental care, physical and nutritional care, mindfulness, social and familial care, and even financial care, specifically during practicum and internship. Except for my human sexuality class, I was never asked about my sexual wellness.

The first step in understanding the dynamics between mothers and daughters and what causes mothers and daughters to fight is to understand that mothers and daughters do not relate in a cultural vacuum.

Throughout graduate school, it was always a dream of mine to “hang my own shingles” and start my private practice. My professors always painted it as something I MIGHT get to do in a land far, far away but definitely not anytime soon after graduation. In my studies, it was so rarely talked about that I didn't even know all that went into private practice therapy and owning my own business.

Sexuality may be best represented by the umbrella tip – it is the overarching construct of all things tethered to one’s sexual script and it is influenced by environment, genetics, experiences, culture, and time. As such, it makes sense as to why it is one of the most complicated constructs created by the human species.

You are ready to begin your typical day at work as a counselor. You come in and review your schedule; prepping for your clients that are coming in that day. One particular client arrives for their session, perhaps it is an older client, and they begin to discuss that they want to start dating again but are nervous about engaging in sexual activity with any prospective partners...

Who doesn’t love summer? The world is so much better connected now in the 21st century that there is almost no excuse for the summer boredom episodes that many of us experienced as children during our summer breaks.

No matter who is doing the breaking up, break ups are hard (like really hard). And the tough parts don’t end after the official break up conversation happens. It lingers, it follows us around. It is near impossible to break up with someone and not have them cross your mind again (downfall to memories is they don’t leave your brain when the person physically leaves your life). It could be as simple as seeing or hearing things that remind you of your ex-partner for just a brief moment.

There is so much we can learn about therapies that perhaps you were never introduced to during your path toward becoming a counselor. The general theme of this blog is to bring awareness to complementary, alternative and integrative therapies. And the focus of this specific blog is on yoga and the chakras.

’m sure you’ve all heard the current buzzword ‘Podcast’ and are wondering if you should hop on the train or continue avoiding the current social norms. Podcasts are derived from two words: ‘iPod’ and ‘broadCast.’ This is a free audio recording, also known as ‘audioblogging’, that allow individuals to pull audio files from a podcasting app for people to listen to on their phones or computers.