ACA MEMBER BLOGS

Gayle King’s interview with speaker of the house, Paul Ryan, CBS this morning, Thursday April 12, 2018, reminded me of the hidden sexism that still remains within the counseling room.

As counselors, we dedicate our lives to helping others. We are the vehicles through which clients can discover meaning and emotional understanding in their lives. However, the draw to assist others comes with emotional hazards that we must acknowledge.

Trust can be seen as a potential benefit to the injured forgiving party, and is necessary precursor of forgiveness. Gandhi contended that “the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong”. People often confuse the act of forgiveness with condoning, excusing, pardoning and forgetting.

Every day we fight the battle between these two wolves and every day we remain in recovery, we come out on top knowing that we fed the right wolf. Sure, there are days that feel like the darker wolf has won.

In today's time, many individuals are very comfortable discussing their religious or spiritual beliefs. However, when it comes to incorporating religion or spiritual tenets in the counseling room, the therapist must be cautious, careful, and exude compassion.

When you ask counselors what interventions have the biggest impact on mental health, exercise is likely to be near the top of the list. There are numerous benefits of exercise and regular physical activity can help increase self-esteem, improve cognitive functioning, improve sleep, relieve stress, and increase energy and stamina.

We have all grown up with the belief that selfless care-giving is somehow innate to being a female, and especially, a mother.

Many of my clients do not match my cultural heritage and in order to be as effective as I strive to be, I will need to increase my knowledge base of various cultures and research heritage and traditions by immersion.

One reason counseling is so valuable is because it gives clients another perspective of their problematic situation. Many times clients are not aware of the effects of their unhealthy decisions, and sometimes they are in denial concerning their lifestyle choices.

The mother-daughter relationship is central to the #MeToo and #Time’s Up Movements because the mother-daughter relationship has the power to challenge harmful generational patterns and change normalized gender inequality.