You see a person drowning in the distance. Maybe you’re a life guard, a strong swimmer, or just a person that feels compelled to help others. You immediately dive in, praying you can get to them before they go under. But just as you reach them, just as help has arrived for this panicing person, they do something strange. The drowning person pulls you under. It’s a known fact that drowning people, although they desperately want the help, will struggle …
Blog Posts
I hear it all the time, “Make time to do X today!” There’s all these things we’re told we should be doing: exercising, cooking a home cooked meal, reading more, on and on it goes. The argument typically takes the form of “It’s just an hour a day, which translates to just 4% of your free time. You mean you can’t use just 4% of your time to do something good for yourself?” The problem is, that’s said about a …
As regular readers are well aware by now, I write a lot about what I think is wrong with the mental health field. This isn’t to say that I think I have all the answers or know what the solution is; I don’t. I have no idea. But it’s my hope that by writing down my thoughts it will eventually lead to something useful. But for now, I will continue writing. First, I need to clarify what I mean by …
I’ve written a lot about the looming mental health crisis in this country. The writing has been on the wall for years: Masters in Psychology and Social Work consistently ranked as being the worse Masters degrees to get, decreasing numbers of new professionals, decreasing reimbursements from insurance, followed by increasing paperwork and liability. Add to this that as a society we are becoming sicker, and the mental health crisis is no longer looming, it’s here. I can’t speak for other …
Back in the late 1800s, a new idea swept the country. What if instead of burdening families with the caretaking of their chronically ill family member or letting the mentally ill wander the streets, we put them in state of the art healing facilities? Beautiful facilities surrounded by acres of woodlands and farmlands that looked like college campuses. And so a massive undertaking took place, with majestic buildings erected surrounded by gardens that were tended by the patients. At the …
Some of you may have noticed that I’ve really slowed down blogging over at my website for my private practice (counselingwithmarina.com). There’s a reason for that. This blog (yep, this one! ) has long been a collection of lessons learned while I’m learning them, with the hopes that those of you starting out can avoid my mistakes. I hate to say it, but having a blog for my private practice may have been one of those mistakes. When I …
A time to nurture & a time to confront: Knowing the difference is crucial for success as a therapist
Have you ever had a prospective client or even just a random person ask you “What exactly is counseling?” It’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer. Counseling is such a complicated profession, full of nuances and subtleties. One way to think of counseling though is that it’s a balance between nurturing and confrontation. And walking that line is key for having successful outcomes with your clients. Nurturing is obvious. It’s reassurance, empathy, understanding, and validation. Confrontation in counseling though is …
Even in solo private practice, coworkers never really go away. Your coworkers become the psychiatrists you refer to, the provider relations rep from the insurance company, the teachers and physicians you receives referrals from; they’re all relationships that need to be managed, not just for your benefit, but for everyone’s. But this post isn’t for people in solo private practice, this is for therapists that are working in agencies and other institutions. I have found that getting along with therapist …
Lately I’ve been coming across a lot of therapists asking what they can do with their careers if they no longer want to do counseling. It’s a valid question. There’s definitely more to professional development than just sharpening your clinical skills, and people often forget that when it comes to the psychology and social work field. Leading, team-building, and administrative skills are also important. A bigger issue is that a lot of therapists get burned out. It’s really not just …
The ACA Code of Ethics tells us that we need to be role models to our clients as well as practice self-care. If you’ve read any of my books or have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I am a strong believer in that as well. I have a personal ethic of not asking anything of a client that I wouldn’t be willing to do myself. This has lead to me doing 8-week long meditation programs, …