It’s the end of my first year of becoming a counselor, and in a class reflection the other night I commented that I felt like we had all been “Made.” There’s an MTV show by the same name, in which teenagers want to be “made” into something they currently are not; a cheerleader, an artist, a BMX biker, a soap… Read more →
The movie, Bully, is a powerful exposé of the pain inflicted by bullying. It chronicles the insidious degradation that children and families experience when students misuse personal power to attack their peers and educators fail to marshal their power to stop the bullying. The movie is also a reminder that we don’t have many answers when it comes to solving… Read more →
There is a scene at the end of the movie “The Hunger Games” in which Peeta and Katniss are staring out the window of a high-speed train. The two characters have just won a deadly competition in which twenty-four children fought to the death in a man-made, televised arena. The two both look to be in shock as they ask… Read more →
The other night in my practicum class, I had an informal discussion with some classmates about self-care. I said, “if I do one self-care activity, that should be it, right? I should be emotionally ready to move on with my life, even if it was a really intense day of counseling.” Unfortunately, self-care is not always something you can check… Read more →
When a person plans to become ordained in the Episcopal Church, he or she must first obtain the support of a parish. They then enter what is called the “discernment process” with the full backing of a community. I sometimes wish graduate school for counseling had a similar system, so that in the overwhelmed moments of doubt, I could step… Read more →
There’s an anecdotal story about two Red Cross mental health volunteers who approached a man walking in a big rectangle. They introduced themselves and asked if they could walk with the man; he agreed and continued to walk. He would walk one straight line then turn, one straight line then turn. The volunteers walked with the man, step by step,… Read more →
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth version. Text revision. The title doesn’t even begin to grasp the enormity of this book (Book? Monster? Free weight? Friend?). Physically, it makes for a great dumbbell replacement. Emotionally, it makes you wince in fear a little the first time you open it. Mentally, it holds your attention with some of… Read more →
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