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Continue reading →: Working with Teens – Life Timeline ActivitySometimes teens need a little help putting things in perspective. It’s hard to think ahead when you live in the moment. Doing a Life Timeline activity with your teen clients can help them identify what they’ve been through and where they want to go. Identifying important life events can give…
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Continue reading →: Using the Stages of Change in SessionShowing clients the stages of change can help them identify where they are at in their process. They might be hearing from family members or partners that they need to change something about themselves or their behavior, and they might agree. But if they are still resistant to interventions in…
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Continue reading →: Creating Structure in Your Therapy SessionsSometimes new counselors feel like they are winging it during session. Clients come in with ten topics to talk about and counselors feel they are frantically throwing interventions at their client as the conversation twists and turns. It is difficult to know for certain if the session is productive. This…
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Continue reading →: Family Therapy – Family ValuesMany families come in feeling divided on priorities and values. Many scholars in the field of counseling research argue that understanding a family’s values is key to helping families work through conflicts (Thoburn & Sexton, 2016 & Trotzer, 1981). Kids, and even parents, can have a hard time identifying shared…
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Continue reading →: Podcast Rec – “When Teens Threaten Self-Harm: Guidance for Clinicians and Parents, Ep. 252” from Light up the CouchHere’s a podcast rec from one of my favorite podcasts, Light up the Couch. The host, Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Irias, LMFT, interviews a new expert every episode. The experts dive into a wide range of counseling topics from a variety of theoretical perspectives. The experts often talk about personal experience, anonymized…
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Continue reading →: Exploring Preferred Career Work Values – Super’s Work Values InventoryHaving a little background knowledge on what work values often cluster together can help us with clients who are struggling to get to express their work values and goals. There are trends to note between genders (limited to the binary due to research limitations) and cultures. But people don’t always…
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Continue reading →: How are you Doing as a Therapist?: Getting Feedback from ClientsGetting feedback from clients is known to improve the therapeutic relationship and can help therapists learn more about what is and isn’t working. A study by Campbell & Hemsley (2009) showed that even extremely short check-ins with clients are helpful and valid ways to get feedback on how you are…
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Continue reading →: Genogram SymbolsGenograms are useful for identifying family patterns of behavior, communication, trauma, and addiction. The potential for healing and understanding that comes from doing a family genogram is amazing. The process can feel like a lot of work for some clients, but the result can sometimes alter your worldview and how…
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Continue reading →: MFT Supervision – Supervisee Rights, Hours Requirements, and What to Bring into SupervisionStarting practicum is scary enough, here are a few resources to make the process less mystical. Supervisee Rights Supervision is not just about checking a box. You have “rights” to good supervision. Here is a document by Giordano, Altekruse, & Kern (2000) that outlines what you should expect from your…
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Continue reading →: LMFT Hours RequirementsThe BBS handbook for Future LMFTs is a thorough document that outlines the hours for experience requirements for MFT trainees and associates. Below are the individual tables from that document that outline hour requirements for MFT trainees: And MFT associates:
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