Ray McKinnis

When we label an individual, we become less sensitive to who they are whether that label be male or African American or Buddhist or PhD or whatever. Thus when a counselor takes a class in world religions or multicultural counseling or even DSM 5 diagnosis, they probably become more insensitive to the client sitting in front of them—these become filters through which much information about that client no longer can get through.

Last week I was delightfully shocked by finding out something new about myself which has far reaching consequences for both my personal life and my skills as a counselor.

One person said that if you only read one book, The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine is the one. It indeed might change your thinking and relationships significantly. Her two books including The Male Brain, draw on hundreds of research studies including her own.

Maya Georgieva in a recent ACA blog repeated 3 pieces of advice that every counselor should remind themselves every day. The first was ‘Do not assume that what you see is what you think you see.’ None of us can assume we know what another individual is experiencing without asking the other person. To make such an assumption would assume we are mind readers while taking away the autonomy of the other person.

Last week at the drug store while waiting for a prescription to be filled, I picked up the latest copy of Scientific American. Since high school, I have found SA to be always fascinating. This was no exception. The cover article explained a latest theory on why we need sleep (to ‘prune the day’s chaff and restore neural balance’ in the brain). But what blew me away was the article describing one way of understanding ‘quantum particles’.