Aug 11, 2021 | Book Reviews
by Daniel J. Siegel and Marion F. Solomon (Eds.)
Consciousness helps bring rise to equanimity and neural integration. Consciousness promotes well-being, resilience cultivation, and integrative neurological growth; raises telomerase levels for maintaining and repairing the ends of chromosomes; optimizes epigenetic regulators for decreasing inflammatory diseases; and improves physiological approaches to health care. The book Mind, Consciousness, and Well-Being (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology), edited by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, and Marion F. Solomon, PhD, is a symposium of the 2017 Interpersonal Neurobiology Conference presentations and embraces interdisciplinary perspectives. This in-depth scholarly, practical, and immersive collection explores the nature of the human mind, the experience of consciousness, and how our social brain influences our connections with others and with ourselves.
The book’s chapters consist of a collection of presentations offering an overview of current neuroscience research for the efficacy of mind–body integrative techniques in clinical psychotherapy. The presenters include counselors; psychiatrists; social workers; psychologists; marriage and family therapists; addiction specialists; mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) practitioners; crisis intervention counselors; educational and guidance professionals; and dance, movement, and somatic therapists.
What role might consciousness play in well-being? Interconnectedness and social integration are two considerations, according to this book, which is about understanding the different levels or aspects of our one reality. Topics introduced include the top-down model and the embodied brain, that is, the embodied mechanism of energy and information flow. This leads to self-organization within a complex system. Energy and information also give rise to subjective experience, consciousness, and processing of information. The system of energy and information exists between our own body and the rest of the world. According to the conclusive work herein, boundaries between inner and inter are illusions; culture is made up of constructs and perceptions. The top-down model explains the pathology of a self that is separate from others and the planet. As such, the mind is said to be located in a collective, in relation to others.
In the book’s last chapter, Dr. Daniel Siegel assimilates the lectures from the presenters, and he suggests applications with detailed models of delivery in the clinical environment. Dr. Siegel provides an exercise for mindfulness integration for readers to connect with others and the planet. Mindfulness, kindness, and compassion lift the veil of these illusions and allow us to embrace the importance of our differentiation—social justice and our linkage, or oneness. Seeing through the veil of illusion allows you to see yourself as separate from others, and once the veil is lifted, there is a we instead of me. Integration of me and we is called MWe, a word and movement introduced by Dr. Siegel. The flow of energy transforms our well-being—health and harmony flow from the integrated relationships with others and the planet, and when we bring inner compassion to this energy, we shape our quality of information and our embedded relationship to the world.
This book is appropriate for counselors interested in current findings in the scientific fields of mindfulness and compassion-based theoretical applications, therapeutic presence, quantum physics, neurology, and interpersonal neurobiology. The chapters offer evidence-based exercises, respective to the presenter’s discipline, for strengthening our awareness of interpersonal connectivity, or MWe. All of which are presented as applicable to the clinical practice of psychotherapy, including the empathy and receptive flexibility for delivering clinical services. Implications are suggested for social injustice, depressive disorders, trauma, and Alzheimer’s disease, among several other common conditions.
Siegel, D. J., & Solomon, M. F. (Eds.). (2020). Mind, consciousness, and well-being. W. W. Norton.
Reviewed by: Evan Guetz, MS, LAC
The Professional Counselor
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Jul 27, 2021 | Video Reviews
The need for multiculturally competent school counselors is more apparent in light of the racial injustice occurring in 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM). Black men experience systemic oppression, racism, and racial disparities that result in negative emotional side effects (Carter, 2007). In coordination with Dr. Darrick Tovar-Murray of DePaul University, Psychotherapy.net has developed this timely continuing education video series course to help counselors and counselors-in-training effectively work with African American men. This video series provides a comprehensive overview of issues that impact and shape the world view of African American men, such as racism, microaggressions, identity issues, collective and intergenerational trauma, and mistrust of professionals.
Dr. Tovar-Murray demonstrates the role of the therapist during counseling sessions to help viewers understand how to use culturally responsive counseling skills to broach and explore experiences that shape African American men in the United States. One strength of the series is the counseling sessions, which include real live sessions with three African American men and discussion both during and after each session to provide clarity and insight to the viewers. The dialog between Dr. Tovar-Murray and Psychotherapy.net founder and CEO Dr. Victor Yalom provides a form of debriefing and deeper discussion about the counseling scenes. Viewers can see the progression of sessions to gain a comprehensive understanding of how treatment with African American men would flow. Another strength of the series is the ability to identify and address the challenges that African American men face through an empathetic lens that guides the therapeutic process. Dr. Tovar-Murray does an excellent job weaving in the many intersecting identities that African American men may embrace. There are three volumes in the series that focus specifically on intersecting identities and the range of emotions attached to being an African American man.
Counselors will benefit from the combination of live sessions with commentary and the extensive accompanying resources, including a transcript of each session, role play exercises, and handouts on topical related issues such as microaggressions and code-switching. Dr. Tovar-Murray provides skill-building exercises and discussion questions to enhance cultural competency and the ability to create safe spaces for African American male clients. All of the virtual and written materials work in tandem to allow viewers the opportunity to practice their skills and debrief each activity. This three-volume series and its accompanying resources would be beneficial for counselor educators to integrate into their training of counseling students learning counseling skills and building self-efficacy as culturally competent counselors. Counselor educators can integrate the videos and the exercises with students to provide culturally relevant role-plays and increase dialogue and discussion around each skill.
The series illuminates the need for cultural competence that aligns with the Multicultural Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC, Ratts et al., 2016). Understanding and recognizing the oppressive systems that impact African American men is fundamental to a social justice orientation. The sessions that address racism provide an opportunity for counselors to learn through observation and increase awareness as opposed to placing the work on African American clients to educate the counselor. Viewers may be surprised to learn the levels of conflict and confusion that are addressed in topics such as “Walking Around in a Black Body,” “The Good Enough Self,” “Protectors and Providers,” and “Feeling Lost.” Dr. Tovar-Murray moves beyond common stereotypes of African Americans and moves into deeper unseen and lesser-known issues that African Americans face.
One minor limitation of this video series is the lack of concentration around the topic of homosexuality among African American men. Viewers would benefit from a deeper understanding of the stigma in the African American community that individuals in the LGBTQ community carry and how it adversely affects their mental health. Overall, there are many benefits to viewing the series Counseling African American Men. Viewers will walk away with a deeper understanding of how to treat and sit with African American male clients in a safe and respectful manner. This video series is highly recommended for counselors, counselors-in-training, and counselor educators.
Psychotherapy.net. (Producer). (2021). Counseling African American men, Volume 1: Developing cultural competency. (Available on video streaming from https://academy.psychotherapy.net/store/bCuqW5vo)
Reviewed by: Jan Gay, NCC, LICSW, Doctoral Candidate, University of Florida
The Professional Counselor
tpcjournal.nbcc.org
References
Carter, R. T. (2007). Racism and psychological and emotional injury: Recognizing and assessing race-based traumatic stress. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(1), 13–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000006292033
Ratts, M. J., Singh, A. A., Nassar‐McMillan, S., Butler, S. K., & McCullough, J. R. (2016). Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies: Guidelines for the counseling profession. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 44(1), 28–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12035
May 17, 2021 | Article
Jessica R. Burkholder, David Burkholder, Stephanie Hall, and Victoria Porter received the 2020 Outstanding Scholar Award for Concept/Theory for their article, “Training Counselors to Work With the Families of Incarcerated Persons: A National Survey.”
Jessica R. Burkholder, PhD, NCC, ACS, LPC, is an associate professor at Emory & Henry College in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She received her PhD in counselor education and supervision from Kent State University. Dr. Burkholder’s research interests focus on the ethical development and multicultural training of counselors. She also is a licensed professional counselor and has a private practice, where she specializes in trauma.
David Burkholder, PhD, ACS, LPC, is an independently licensed counselor and an associate professor at Emory & Henry College in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Dr. Burkholder started his professional career as a counselor in 2004, working primarily with children and adolescents. He joined Monmouth University in 2009 after completing his PhD, where he mainly teaches field placement courses, career counseling, group counseling, and human development. Dr. Burkholder has primarily published in the areas of applied ethics, spirituality, and professional identity. He is a level three trained Gottman Method couples counselor and has a private practice, where he works exclusively with couples.
Stephanie Hall, PhD, NCC, ACS, CT, is the Founding Department Chair and Program Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Emory & Henry College. She is a licensed professional counselor in both Virginia and New Jersey. Her interests include grief counseling, multicultural counseling, women’s issues in counseling, the professional identity of counselors, and group work.
Victoria Porter, MS, NCC, LAC, received both her BA in psychology and MS in clinical mental health counseling from Monmouth University. She is the Program Coordinator at Wholehearted Healing Collective, a growing group practice in West Long Branch, New Jersey. This manuscript is Ms. Porter’s first professional publication, and she is incredibly grateful to have worked alongside her co-authors as a graduate research assistant during her graduate studies journey. Ms. Porter’s professional interests include self-compassion–based practices, grief work, research, and community outreach. She is also currently facilitating a group for teen girls striving to develop a healthy relationship with their bodies.
Read more about the TPC scholarship awards here.
May 17, 2021 | Article
Melissa Sitton, Tina Du Rocher Schudlich, Christina Byrne, Chase M. Ochrach, and Seneca E. A. Erwin received the 2020 Outstanding Scholar Award for Quantitative or Qualitative Research for their article, “Family Functioning and Self-Injury in Treatment-Seeking Adolescents: Implications for Counselors.”
Melissa Sitton, MS, is currently a doctoral student studying clinical psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She earned her BA in psychology and individual and family development from Seattle Pacific University, and her MS in experimental psychology from Western Washington University. Her research interests include experiences of stress and interpersonal violence in adolescence and young adulthood, and factors that might exacerbate or ameliorate outcomes following those stressful events.
Tina Du Rocher Schudlich, PhD, MHP, is a professor of psychology at Western Washington University. She serves as the director for the Psychology Department’s Counseling Training Clinic, where she oversees graduate counseling students providing free counseling services to community members. Her research interests examine the role of parent and family processes in the development, maintenance, and treatment of psychopathology in children. Areas of specific focus include understanding reciprocal relations between mood disorders and families’ well-being and the role of parent participation in treatment for youth self-harm and autism spectrum disorder. Another emerging area of her research explores barriers and ways to increase access to mental health treatment for culturally and linguistically diverse youth and their family. She incorporates multi-method approaches to her research and is especially fond of qualitative methods, such as behavioral observations, interviews, and diary methods.
Christina A. Byrne, PhD, is an associate professor in the psychology department at Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Washington, where she serves as Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Dr. Byrne’s research interests include psychological trauma and interpersonal violence. (Dr. Byrne is not pictured above.)
Chase M. Ochrach, MS, is finishing her third year in the counseling psychology doctoral program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Western Washington University. Ochrach currently works with adjudicated youth at Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and with veterans at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. She recently proposed her dissertation study, titled Boy’s Search for Meaning: Meaning Making as a Predictor of Trajectories of Adaptation in Formerly Incarcerated Youth. She hopes to continue with research and clinical work with forensic juvenile populations and will be applying to clinical internships this year.
Seneca E. A. Erwin, MA, recently received her master’s in educational psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. She works in the recruiting sphere at a Fortune 500 technology company. Her research interests focus on social justice, domestic violence, mindfulness, and play therapy.
Read more about the TPC scholarship awards here.
Apr 9, 2021 | Book Reviews
by Kathy M. Evans and Aubrey L. Sejuit
Coursework and trainings in cultural competencies are often approached as an afterthought, a perspective used to enhance and improve existing practice. Counseling programs often include a course in multiculturalism and diversity focused on teaching theories of cultural and identity development, but this has a drawback: Students become responsible for integrating the course content into their intended area of practice. For career professionals, that can be a huge task—integrating counseling skills, career development theory, practical knowledge of vocations and employment law, cultural competencies, and social justice initiatives. Kathy Evans and Aubrey Sejuit’s second edition of Gaining Cultural Competence in Career Counseling is a valuable tool in this process; it seamlessly weaves together these categories to provide a thorough guide for the culturally competent career counselor.
The text is structured similarly to a typical multicultural counseling course. Chapters 1 through 4 discuss the importance of culturally competent career counseling, highlighting issues including the history of discrimination against marginalized groups in the workplace. Readers are introduced to concepts, such as worldview, locus of control and responsibility, and bias, and encouraged to explore their own biases and values. Each concept is framed from the perspective of career development, with examples and reflective activities emphasizing stereotypes or microaggressions related specifically to work- and workplace-related issues.
Chapters 5 through 7 delve into the application of cultural competencies in widely used career development theories and assessments. Evans and Sejuit examine classical career development theories (Parsons, Super, Holland) as well as newer theories to provide career professionals with guidance on how to reconcile those theories’ cultural shortcomings with ethical practice. Dimensions that are often measured in career assessments—interest, personality, and cognitive ability—are discussed, including the monochromatic landscape in which these assessments were developed. Evans and Sejuit then take the topic one step further, providing a framework for career professionals to administer and interpret assessments in a culturally informed manner.
Chapters 8 and 9 explore specific applications of cultural competencies, including in work with children and adolescents and social justice and advocacy. This is the text’s strongest section. Evans and Sejuit provide a multitude of evidence demonstrating how career information received in childhood and adolescence shapes adult career decisions, disproportionately affecting minority and low–socioeconomic status communities. Evans and Sejuit demonstrate that by simply engaging children and adolescents in an ethical and informed manner, practitioners are affecting outcomes. This is especially crucial information, as children and adolescents are often overlooked in the field of career counseling and development.
My only complaint is that Evans and Sejuit do not dive into more material in working with specific populations. The text is energizing and leaves the reader wanting to know more. However, this simplicity is also the text’s strength. At the core, the text is not only about working with and advocating for marginalized populations, but also about learning to effectively work with clients who differ from yourself as a practitioner. Activities and reflections are incorporated into each chapter of the text to provide a starting point for this process.
Gaining Cultural Competence in Career Counseling contains introductory information that will serve any professional looking to begin their journey toward cultural competency in career counseling. However, it is also an excellent tool for experienced practitioners who want to develop their knowledge of incorporating cultural competencies and social justice in their work. Again, Gaining Cultural Competence in Career Counseling takes practitioners beyond the material covered in social justice and multicultural and diversity trainings and provides a comprehensive guide for professionals of all levels.
Evans, K. M. & Sejuit, A. L. (2021). Gaining Cultural Competence in Career Counseling (2nd ed.). National Career Development Association.
Reviewed by: Erin Connelly, MS, EdS, University of North Georgia
The Professional Counselor
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