Richard Yep, CEO of ACA A s We are entering the second month of the very first ACA Virtual Conference Experience. I would like to thank the 5,000+ professional counselors, counselor educators and PhD students who have made this meet in the digital world for this event. The fact that we have had more attendees than any other ACA conference…
I have been a writer since I was a child. Back then, I wrote stories from school on my notebook paper – the big three-line paper that children learn to produce their letters on – and sometimes wrote with a colored pencil. I used cardboard from discarded cereal boxes to make envelopes for my stories and tied the pages and…
Last year, the safety precautions and restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic came to an abrupt halt in the personal interactions of most consultants with customers, colleagues and students. To continue treating clients, many clinicians switched to counseling sessions via video or other digital media. For some practitioners (and clients too) it was a like or dislike change with a steep…
Michelle Singletary, a nationally syndicated personal finance columnist for the Washington Post, has a firsthand understanding of the importance of money management. It was a lesson learned at a young age from her grandmother, who raised Singletary and her four limited-income siblings in Baltimore. "She was a nursing assistant and never made more than $ 13,000 a year," Singletary told…
O ne One of the most controversial – sometimes even vitriolic – public health debates of the COVID-19 era centered on the safety of opening schools for personal classes. For some politicians, the urge to open up seemed to be influenced by optics – a signal that states were "open to business". At the same time, parents have sought to…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many consultants adapted to advising customers via video, while face-to-face appointments were not possible or were severely restricted. Accordingly, insurance coverage has been expanded and the regulations on the health of tele behavior have been loosened of necessity in many countries. Now that pandemic restrictions are being relaxed and some professionals are helping to return to…
So many people dream of fame, fortune, fast cars and fancy houses. For such a long time I have dreamed of freedom – freedom to be my full, true self without judgment, shame, or ridicule. So who am I, you ask? I am a 33 year old mental health counselor (and former teacher) who also has a mental illness. I…
Bassey Ikpi, a poet, writer, and mental health attorney, opened the third week of the American Counseling Association's 2021 virtual conference experience by sharing details from her own mental health journey. She recalled that her first encounter with mental health awareness was in elementary school. An avid reader, she consumed everything she could get her hands on, including her mother's…
The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a range of intense emotions, and for many people these include acute feelings of insecurity and concern. It seems that some people have tried using weighted blankets for comfort as sales have increased during the pandemic. Manufacturers often tout the blankets as a non-pharmaceutical method of relieving anxiety, insomnia, stress, restlessness, discomfort and…
The provision of mental health services during a pandemic changes the perspective. A couple of weeks ago I happened to be working with three clients in a row, offering advice through telemedicine. COVID-19 has opened a door and a need to be creative in how we provide mental health services and support. It also made an interesting parallel. When I…