"As you get older you will find that you have two hands, one to help yourself and the other to help others." – Maya Angelou **** Sue Pressman, 69th President of ACA H appy Holidays! It is hard to believe that we will reach the end of 2020. It's been quite a roller coaster ride this year, with emotions and…
Richard Yep, CEO of ACA ! Eye diagram. So when we think of 2020 it is ironic that so much of what we “saw” are things that were far from clear when we started 12 months ago. Professionally and personally, the effects of COVID-19, racial tensions, police brutality against people of color, and a very tumultuous national election here in…
Assessing symptoms and determining a treatment plan for clients is never a simple or straightforward task. This can be especially the case when it comes to working with talented and doubly exceptional clients. Imagine that a highly intelligent second grader comes to your advice center. The child has some intense interests, which is not uncommon in gifted individuals, and they…
When Amazon Prime Day arrived in mid-October, media from NBC News to Health.com reported on the “wellness offers” – from sneakers and wristband fitness trackers to yoga pants and weighted blankets – that one was looking for Not to be missed is the online giant's annual sales rate. The term wellness is often thrown around in the popular lexicon (some…
In 2005, a Welsh psychologist announced that he had created a formula that combined factors such as weather, vacation debt, the time elapsed since Christmas, and the likelihood of New Year's resolutions being abandoned to determine the most depressing day of the year: the third Monday in January, also known as "Blue Monday". For many people – especially in the…
"Isolation is the worst adviser." – Miguel de Unamuno COVID-19 provides a unique opportunity to return home to previously external professions such as education and employment. This is often doubly true for counselors and students, as both instruction and clinical practice are offered through virtual formats. This transition was not without its challenges. Whether it's a cloakroom mistake caught on…
In the summer of 2010 I was teaching a seminar in Tacna, a small desert town in Peru. Even though I speak Spanish, it is more efficient for me to teach with a translator and I have done this so often in my courses in countries around the world including Central and South America. I had been to this place…
We are writing this article to raise awareness among parents and counselors about a legal and readily available drug that is widely used by adolescents to achieve high levels: dextromethorphan (DXM). DXM is a component of certain drugs that are supposed to help us get better. Therefore, adolescents often abuse this drug without being aware of the possible consequences and…
Unplugging the power cord is difficult. So much of our life is tied to technology. We use it to manage our schedules, keep up with our social acquaintances, and research our questions. The important, the urgent, and the things that can wait reach us all in a similar way, making it difficult to distinguish between the three. Unplugging means to…
In the United States, 2000-2010 was called the "Decade of Pain". In 2011, the Institute of Medicine Committee to Promote Pain Research, Care and Education found that the prevalence of chronic pain in our country exceeds the prevalence of diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. Unfortunately, this pain prevalence has continued, and it is for this reason that counselors need…