From 2005 to 2007 I suffered from excruciating back and leg pain. My pain was so severe that I could not sit for almost a year. The only time I sat down was to drive myself to work, and the pain during this ride was so severe that I had to crawl out of my car several times when I…
As a licensed mental health advisor, I hear many of my clients tell me that they are willing to go crazy because they have a lot of free time and more stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many states are reopening their leisure industry, many of my customers believe that the safer way – and a more thoughtful way to…
A firefighter / paramedic (EMT) in Maine answers an emergency call. He grabs his equipment and does a job he knows well. The next day, he discovers that the person he helped has tested positive for COVID-19. He immediately worries not only about himself, but also about his wife and small child, who have breathing problems. Amy Davenport Dakin, a…
Richard Yep, CEO of ACA Every year in July, we look forward to starting the program year with new officials, committee members and other people who take on voluntary leadership positions in the association. This year we welcome Sue Pressman as 69th President of the American Counseling Association, along with a cadre of other dedicated volunteers. We know that we…
"The only thing worse than being blind is seeing, but seeing." – Helen Keller Sue Pressman, 69th President of ACA When I was not in the limelight and communicating behind closed doors, I developed trust and built relationships with my customers in consultations. How did I become an entrepreneur, learned to manage and became the 69th president of the largest…
D Eirdre Magee remembers the first time she met her current friend Sue Pressman 18 years ago. The two experts faced each other on opposing sides of an intensive negotiation process. Magee, a human resources specialist, was looking for a federal contract for a small private industrial company that she represented. Pressman, a career advisor from Washington, DC, and president…
In our newly discovered world of physical distancing, the idea of six to eight people in a confined space might not feel intuitive to the six-foot mission we are still experiencing after the coronavirus pandemic. But the power of a group is exactly what could be a profound healing method for so many in times of intensified fear of life…
[ Editor's Note: This is the fourth article in a series on action plans for different walks of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.] During this period of physical distancing, a new standard for limiting touch was created. Although touches in American culture are often only a few and short touches compared to other cultures, these short touches contribute significantly to…
. Laura Shannonhouse, member of the American Counseling Association, added a professional advisory voice to two events recently organized by the White House. Shannonhouse, an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at Georgia State University, is part of a cohort of researchers working on a scholarship-funded project on suicide and aging adults. A recent conference call…
"In a way, the one-drop rule still exists in society," said Derrick Paladino, a licensed mental health advisor and professor of counseling at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. “At first glance I will always be brown to others and not white and Puerto Rican. There is also the direct perception of people by me, which is based solely on…