Sue Pressman, 69th President of ACA This year, as Thanksgiving approaches, I am especially grateful for my family, friends, colleagues in the American Counseling Association, and the mentors who have supported me on my career journey. As a professional consultant who has also identified himself as a career consultant for almost 40 years, every November is something very special for…
Richard Yep, CEO of ACA T The ongoing challenges facing much of the world's population are daunting, consuming, and overwhelming. Here in the US, the ongoing battle against the coronavirus, critical discussions about racism, and unconventional national elections can drain a person's energy and spirit. Add to this an economy where so many people are unemployed and so many others…
Adrian Marquez, a retired Marine sergeant and marine raider, woke up one morning while serving in the Marine Corps and couldn't remember how to dress. He looked down at his pile of clothes and mumbled, "First pants, then shoes?" Marquez also had physical pain all over his body, including radiating pain in his arms and legs. His left arm sometimes…
Are you looking for tips on how to gain confidence? I recently had the inspiration to interview people I know and admire (including mentors, professional contacts, and people in my personal network) who are confident and confident about taking action, taking risks, facing fears to ask and do things in a life meaningful, important and joyful to them. I wanted…
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual abuse is mentioned in this post and can be triggered in some people. “I stopped at a café on the way. All around me, normal, everyday city types went about their normal, everyday affairs … Still – or rather because – here I was sitting in this cafe, drinking my coffee and feeling a desperate loneliness. I…
Those who work with traumatized people have found that these clients need to reconnect to their own inner worlds. In these cases, clients are often frozen or, depending on the depth of the trauma and the immediate response to that trauma, have an outward, hypervigilant fight-or-flight approach to their experiences. Cases of problematic attachment are based on this type of…
"Progress is impossible without change." ~ Walt Disney I want you to look in the mirror and tell me what you see. Do you look older? Does your skin have more wrinkles? Do you notice dark circles around your eyes or white hair on your head? You have seen massive changes for a decade. There are a lot of them…
Since clinicians, scientific journals have been touted as the link between research results and the improvement of clinical practice, but are times changing? An interesting editorial was published this week in the BJSM, in which a survey (n = 2000) examined which resources clinicians use to change their clinical practice. The result may come as a surprise to some and…
You are not alone. Whenever we take the next step in our professional journey, we are prone to imposter syndrome. Here's how you can overcome this feeling and recognize your strengths. Imposter syndrome, first described by Pauline Chance and Suzanne Imes in the 1970s, is the idea that you were successful only because of luck, not talent or qualification. The…
"The great benefit of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it." ~ William James I'll never forget the call. It was 1989, and like most college students, I was spending my winter break in Florida in search of some sun. Getting off the plane and being greeted by a warm blast of air was the best.…