Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Counseling and Therapy
1) What is the American Counseling Association and who does it help? The ACA is dedicated to the growth and development of the counseling profession and those who are served. It promotes advocacy, research, and professional standards.
2) What is grief counseling? Grief counseling aims to reduce suffering caused by the death of a loved one or by some other substantive loss.
3) Is online counseling effective? There is some preliminary indication that online counseling is effective, but compared to face-to-face therapy there remains a dearth of information. There also are legal and ethical questions still at large, the most pressing being where the therapy is actually taking place, at the therapist’s location or at the client’s. The problem here is with jurisdiction should an ethical complaint occur. If the client lives out of state and makes a formal complaint against the clinician, the only way the therapist’s state agencies could investigate and, if necessary, intervene effectively would be if the therapy was considered to be conducted in the therapist’s office; otherwise, the State would be without jurisdiction. Consequently, we advise that online therapy be undertaken as a last resort at this time.
4) How is family counseling run, or how does it work? There are many different styles, theoretical orientations, and definitions of family therapy. In a nutshell, family therapy usually refers to a meeting of 2 or more family members with a therapist who specializes in the use of relationships to solve or ameliorate emotional problems. Many such therapists view family members as “gears” in a web of complex family patterns, meaning that changing the way one member behaves will automatically have an effect on the remaining members.
5) What are some of the most effective counseling techniques? By far the most scientifically well validated techniques are those stemming from behavior therapy or cognitive behavior therapy.
6) Does adolescent counseling work differently than adult counseling? It certainly tends to be different. Adolescent counselors are often trained in family therapy and so work with the adolescent alone comparatively less often. They tend to be more “active” or talkative in therapy and keep abreast of the issues, vocabulary, and concerns specific to this generation. Adolescent counseling may take place in more unusual contexts such as Outward Bound, working ranches, residential programs, or with multiple other families all receiving therapy at once.
7) What is required to become a licensed professional counselor? One goes to graduate school to earn a Masters degree in psychology, then completes several hundred additional hours of training and supervision to qualify to sit for a formal licensing exam offered by the state in which work will occur. When the licensing exam is passed and a license issued – not before - the therapist can then state that he or she is a licensed professional counselor.
Is phone counseling as effective as face to face counseling? There are studies comparing phone counseling with face-to-face counseling for a few specific problems (e.g., panic disorder). In general phone and face-to-face obtain similar results. Of course, all things being equal, face-to-face therapy is the recommended approach in most instances.
9) What are some of the characteristics of a good counselor? Good counselors are almost universally kind, compassionate, non-judgmental, and flexible. They have the ability to listen attentively and offer advice only when solicited (and even then only on the specific subject for which the client has requested assistance). Good counselors also know the relevant research literature so that they may deliver the most effective therapy techniques identified for certain disorders.
10) Is online marriage counseling effective? There is insufficient research data to able us to answer that question at this point.
11) What is hypnotherapy counseling and how does it work? Hypnotherapists induce a very relaxed or trance-like state in their clients and then make suggestions about new ways their clients can react to or behave in the problematic situations that brought them to therapy. In this way, they attempt to bypass any resistance they might normally encounter from the conscious mind.
12) What is person centered counseling? Person centered therapists do not as a rule give active or directive advice, preferring to listen attentively and non-judgmentally to their clients’ concerns. They will reflect back to the client – at perhaps a deep or very accurate level – what the client appears to be saying or trying so hard to express.
13) What are the biggest ethical issues with a counseling practice? One of the most serious forms of professional misconduct is the development of a sexual relationship with a client. Beyond that, therapists must make every effort to guard a client’s confidentiality and his or her safety from self-harm.
14) Is counselor burnout common? It is very common and most every counselor experiences it to some degree after several years of ongoing practice. There is a “secondary trauma” that counselors experience from hearing the sad and sometimes horrifying experiences brought to them by their clients for empathy and care. It may be for this reason that many studies comparing new with experienced therapists find little difference: A new clinician’s energy and enthusiasm may offset his or her lack of clinical experience.
15) What is stress counseling? Also termed stress management, this form of therapy focuses on coping techniques, including assertiveness training, social skills, relaxation, and attitude change, which are taught to clients to help them manage more effectively various stressors they encounter on a regular basis.
16) What are some challenges faced by beginning counselors with clients? Beginning counselors may be too eager to give advice and direction or they may expect their clients to change too quickly, without first understanding the many emotional and relationship factors which strongly tie a client’s habits of responding in place. They may not yet have enough knowledge of the most effective techniques for resolving certain problems. Panic disorder, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression, for example, all require specific and diverse interventions learned by many years of careful research. Beginning therapists may not be aware of the vital importance of taking breaks from work, not seeing too many clients in one day, or not “giving” too much of themselves in therapy, making them more prone to burn out and an early exit from their careers.
17) What are some typical counselor interview questions? The counselor will ask what brings the client to therapy, how long the problem has been ongoing and under what circumstances it occurs. Patterns of problematic thought and behavior will be assessed along with current medications, medical problems, social history, available social support, life history, marital status, and prior attempts at therapy. The assessor will determine which, if any, diagnostic criteria for emotional disorders the client meets, in order to begin designing a treatment plan and compiling a list of recommendations. Consent to contact the client’s physician, psychiatrist, former therapists, and/or referral source may be obtained, and an assessment of the client’s childhood will be conducted. The assessor will also begin asking about a history of emotional, sexual, or physical abuse the client has experienced, as well as other possible traumas or emotional stressors. Work history, social history, family history, drug and alcohol history, and a variety of other such concerns will be assessed. Obviously, this process may be ongoing not just on the first session but on many subsequent sessions thereafter.
18) What is bereavement counseling? This is the same as grief counseling, answered in number 2 above.
19) Are there special skills required for addiction counseling? Yes, this is a highly specialized area of psychotherapy requiring a great deal of specialized knowledge and training. Anyone suffering from drug or alcohol addiction is advised to seek a specialty therapist and/or facility and work toward abstinence from substance use as soon as is possible.