Counseling Skills &Tools
You might use this colorful tool to help clients visualize their emotional states.
What is a Feelings Wheel/"How Am I Feeling?" chart?
What you practice when you take a moment to be in the present, even if it's just noticing the crumbs on your keyboard.
What is mindfulness?
The most common emotion clients are likely to report feeling during your session, which you are trained to process and validate.
What is anxiety?
This colleague likely has a trip planned to celebrate completion of this degree.
Who is Fatis?
This financial step for private practice counselors is often a source of anxiety, and involves tracking income, expenses and taxes.
What is financial planning?
This acronym helps clients set realistic goals.
What is SMART?
You schedule this like a client session, but it's just for you.
What is a therapy appointment?
A counseling approach that focuses on helping clients construct a preferred, more positive story line for their lives.
What is narrative therapy?
This colleague has spent internship working in the equine therapy niche.
Who is Stephanie?
Activities such as listening to podcasts, attending webinars, conferences, workshops or reading articles and books to stay current on clinical information.
What are continuing education activities?
Your client is talking about their ex for the 37th time. This is the skill you use to make it seem like it's the first time you've heard the story.
What is active listening?
This simple, yet effective activity can involve everything from drawing a picture to writing down why your landlord is the worst.
What is journaling?
What is the most common emotion YOU are actually likely to feel during a session, which you are trained to process and validate?
What is anxiety?
This colleague has shared about her opportunities and experiences as a NBCC Minority Fellow.
Who is Tracy Snyder
In her life after graduation, Malinda will use this professional title.
What is "Doctor"?
This grounding technique involves naming 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
What is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique?
Scientists say that this is the perfect number of hours to sleep each night. If you get fewer, you may be a zombie; if you get more you could be a cat.
What is between 7-9?
A client shows up 20 minutes late with iced coffee and says, 'I needed this more than therapy.' Your clinical response in session is...
What is explore the meaning behind their priorities and boundaries?
This colleague in planning an engagement next month.
Who is Garrett?
The name for the complex, soul crushing paperwork that includes proof and supervision and a character reference from someone who can attest you haven't become completely unhinged getting to this point.
What is a state licensing application?
You not only repeat the client's story back to them but also add a dramatic re-enactment using desk puppets. You have effectively overdone this skill.
What is paraphrasing?
You know you're burned out when doing this on your phone becomes your favorite coping skill.
What is doomscrolling?
In the film, "What About Bob?", this is the term Bob uses to describe his condition, which involves numerous phobias and anxieties.
What is "multi-phobic personality with acute separation anxiety"?
This colleague conducts a good number of their counseling sessions in a different language.
Who is DiJey?
The thing that creeps in after your fifth client asks, "So, what's it like being a real therapist now?".
What is impostor syndrome?