Last Sunday night I dropped a pot of boiling water on my hand. My quick thinking teen aged son who was standing near by promptly grabbed me, led me to the sink and held my burned wrist under perfectly tepid running water. Shortly there after we took a quick trip to the ER where they wrapped me up and sent me back home. I’m healing nicely. But the white bandage around my left hand has been good fodder all week in…
Who Else Wants To Know Why Americans Spell Counseling With A Single “L”?
A while back, when I opened my afternoon snail mail I received a card from Dr. Thomas W. Clawson, CEO of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Dr. Clawson asked in his correspondence if I knew why the words counseling and counselor are spelled with a single “L” in the U.S., while in England and Canada the words are correctly spelled with two “Ls” (i.e., counselling or counsellor). He then went on to answer his own question. The mystery, he…
Albert Ellis and the Traveling Road Show
As a master’s level graduate student at the University of Missouri, St. Louis I was very fortunate to have Dr. Patricia Jakubowski as my advisor. Pat was not only a recognized behaviorist, but she was also a pioneer in the assertiveness training movement. Best of all, she had befriended a psychotherapist who was very close to Dr. Albert Ellis. That’s right the Dr. Albert Ellis. At the time, it was virtually impossible for a student such as myself who didn’t own…
Philip Kendall on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT scholar and expert Dr. Philip Kendall discusses the evolution of CBT theory over the years, his work with Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck and his empirically validated treatment program for kids and adolescents with anxiety.
The Joy of Small Miracles in Psychotherapy
I admit that I really do like to see breakthroughs now and again. I suppose they help me hang in better when all those feelings come through my door, whipping up my own like a wind gust on dry leaves…
Grief and Gratitude: Working with Stroke Survivors
After suffering from a stroke herself, a therapist recounts her journey from patient to professional, culminating in her leading groups for other stroke survivors.
Paul Wachtel on Therapeutic Communication
One of the leading voices in integrative thinking in the field of psychotherapy, and the author of Therapeutic Communication: What to Say When, Paul Wachtel argues passionately for avoiding the traps of rigid ideology and pseudoscience that continue to hold sway in our profession.
The Miraculous (or not) Efficacy of Solution-Focused Therapy
For years solution-focused therapy approaches have been all the rage; the popularity of this distinctively brief therapy method is unarguable. Beginning in the 1980s, solution-focused therapy hit the mainstream and many mental health providers (and third-party payers) continue to sing the praises of its brevity and effectiveness. For example, in a 2009 book chapter Sara Smock claimed, “. . . there are numerous studies, several reviews of the research, and a few meta-analyses completed that showcase [solution-focused therapy’s] effectiveness.” Solution-focused counseling…
Psychotherapy: Terminal or Interminable
“I was okay until I met you!” she said and slammed the door of my office as she left. I have never forgotten that moment. I was shocked, not just by the vehemence, her incandescent anger, but by my complete failure to anticipate her reaction. I thought I was a good judge of character and I had got this woman badly wrong. I had invited her husband to attend the previous session and, instead of supporting her jibes and scarcely…
Cathy Cole on Motivational Interviewing
An expert MI trainer and practitioner discusses the foundations and applications of Motivational Interviewing. Learn how MI can be used with clients struggling with addiction and PTSD, and get a sneak peek into the MI training process.