Sadaf Siddiqi 

Raising a child with a mental disorder isn’t always a walk in the park for parents. In my last blog post, I mentioned that it’s important for counselors to empower caregivers during this time.

Did you know that approximately 30 million individuals are affected by an eating disorder at some point in their life? I learned this fact while doing research on National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, which just wrapped up on March 1st. Eating disorders are sometimes taken lightly, but the truth is, they have one of the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder.

This past week during my sessions, I happened to come across a couple of difficult scenarios that I remember learning about through my classes in graduate school. They have made me realize all over again that, although necessary, coursework does not always prepare counselors for the real world!

People change. That’s, in fact, an important reason why counseling is effective. Clients typically come in because there are aspects of their life they want to improve – whether it’s something within themselves, their environment, or the people around them. Today, I’d like to take some time to reflect on the change process.

Rapport /raˈpôr,rə-/ (noun): A close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well. Synonyms: affinity, close relationship, mutual understanding, bond, and empathy (Oxford Pocket Dictionary).