University and Employability Skills

Posted by: Mike Peirce on July 22, 2015 2:47 pm

There has been a tremendous buzz in the media lately about unemployment, the lack of skills and how universities aren’t preparing their graduates for the world of work. To be frank, I take it all with a grain of salt. While there is no doubt that unemployment is a problem, I am still an old fashioned believer that students should pursue their passions and a university degree opens doors. In 2010, University Canada published an entire series of articles about the value of a university degree (http://www.univcan.ca/media-room/publications/the-value-of-a-university-degree/). On average over their lifetime, university graduates earn $1.3 million more than high school graduates and $1 million more than community college graduates. The National Center for Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_tba.asp) publishes rates of employment by educational level and the university graduates and again university graduates are well ahead of other educational paths. Similar results are found by the U.S. bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm).

The issue for the vast majority of students starting university is that they aren’t yet ready to choose a specific career path and that’s okay. University is a place where students can explore their passions. For years, I took annual road trips to universities to chat with my former high school students. A key question I often asked was “What are you studying now?” Inevitably, the vast majority would tell me about a fascinating course or professor they experienced which changed their path. I am pleased to say that virtually all of them are highly successful and employed. You see, whatever they studied, they learned valuable transferable skills which have opened doors for them. Continue reading →

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Your Mental Health At Work

Posted by: Dawn Schell on July 22, 2015 12:02 pm

Where do you spend most of your time? I don’t know about you but I spend it at work. Don’t we all spend more of our waking hours at work than anywhere else? Wouldn’t it be great if our workplaces were places where mental health and wellbeing was a priority?

The statistics on workplace mental health issues are sobering. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, in any given week close to 500,000 Canadians will miss work because of a mental health concern or illness. 30 % of disability claims in Canada are related to mental health issues. The cost to the economy is in the billions. The cost in human terms is incalculable. Much of this could be avoided by ensuring our workplaces are mentally healthy places to be.

How do we go about doing that? In January 2013 Canada launched The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (the Standard) is the first of its kind in the world. “The Standard is a document that outlines a systematic approach to develop and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. It focuses on mental illness prevention and mental health promotion. The Standard is intended for everyone, whether or not they live with a mental illness”. [1]

The Mental Health Commission has resources, evaluation tools, webinars and video testimonials from champion organizations that have adopted the Standard. It’s practical and offers sensible easy suggestions for implementation.

Continue reading →

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Technology is Expanding a Counsellor’s Toolbox

Posted by: Sherry Law on July 22, 2015 9:37 am

I recently spent some time with a colleague and the idea of video conference counselling came up. Both being technology buffs, we dove right into the idea without hesitation. As we discussed, it became clear to me that there were real ethical arguments to support the idea of integrating technology with therapy. Unfortunately, the fears around the little known realm of technology in counselling creates a demanding barrier of entry, stifling enthusiasm to attempt online therapeutic practice. Hoping to fan some burning embers of excitement, I present three ethical considerations for the use of technology in counselling:

Financial Access

Cost has always been a struggle for people who need mental health assistance. Both the direct cost per session as well as indirect costs can affect people’s budgets, adding pressures to the decline of one’s mental health. For example, taking time off work or out of the day may not always be feasible for people, especially if you have children to take care of, and during a contracting economy where every day matters in the eyes of your employer. The struggle to balance self care, and life responsibilities is very real. Online counselling could reduce the cost of office space rental, parking space rental, and utilities in the office. The savings from such a transition could help to increase access for some clients.

Physical Access

Physical access can be limited due to a person’s living arrangements, or life circumstance. Many people cannot afford a convenient mode of transportation to attend a counselling session. For example, in rural areas, the problem can worsen with some people having to depend on the therapist’s mode of transportation into their area before they can acquire mental health services. The dependency could lead to spotty access at best, and an inconsistent therapeutic relationship at worst. For counsellors working within a rural area, a plethora of other ethical concerns can arise, such as multiple relationships, limits on resources, isolation, and community expectations. Online counselling could not only offer larger variety of therapists for the rural clientele who can specialize, but can subdue altogether some of the ethical issues around rural therapeutic practices.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

The Importance of Incorporating a Holistic Approach Into Your Practice

Posted by: Andrea Cashman on July 21, 2015 12:44 pm

I’ve always gravitated to looking at someone in their whole form so when I heard that I could utilize this to market and found my practice on this approach, I decided that that was what I wanted to do. The business name I chose was Holisitic Counselling Services and I chose this in part to reflect my values and to let clients know that I am open to viewing them as a whole person and practice in this manner.

The word holistic comes from the word “whole” and examines a person (or client) in terms of their mind body associations that also tie into their emotional and spiritual well-being. Mental Health, or health in general, depends on all these factors working together in the environment. The environment around the person can alter these factors. Your role as a psychotherapist is to not only focus on the client’s presenting problem but to see the client as a whole person and determine how the problem is affecting all aspect’s of their day to day life as well as what other positive or negative influences promote or diminish their well-being or mental health. No client wants you to focus on their issue exclusively. They also want to be seen as a person and validated as such.

Continue reading →

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Resources for Coping with Anxiety in the Summer Time

Posted by: Tanya Levy on July 20, 2015 2:11 pm

July 20th, 2015

Summertime can be a beautiful time for rejuvenation and rest. It offers fresh air and sunshine for walks in nature, gardening or time at the beach. There is also opportunity for reconnecting with family and friends or for solitude and time alone. For some, reconnecting with family can bring up old feelings which can lead to anxiety before, during and after visits. Here are some suggestions and resources for dealing with anxiety:

1. Recognize what anxiety feels like for you
Anxiety can feel different for everyone. You might have racing thoughts, sweaty palms, or feel short of breath. If you can simply notice the symptoms and say to yourself, “here I go getting anxious”, it can take the pressure off of having to do anything. Sometimes noticing is enough. To help you notice how you are feeling in your body, one technique is to do a body scan. Here is a 10 minute body scan practice video to help ground you by Elisha Goldstein http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsCVqFr6j1g

2. Cultivate Mindfulness
Noticing allows us to be mindful and focused on the present moment. Dr. Russ Harris has a helpful section on mindfulness on his website and free resources too. Check out http://www.thehappinesstrap.com/ . Meditation can also help you become more present focused. Being present and focused allows you to focus on now and let other thoughts go. Here is a mindfulness meditation with Jon Kabat Zinn to help you be more mindful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

A Little Mindfulness for the Summer

Posted by: Jennifer Morrison on July 20, 2015 8:25 am

Working in public education has many challenges but it has many perks as well. Two months off in the summer is pretty nice after 10 months of action filled days. Many teachers will take time in the summer to take courses or other professional development opportunities. For us it is the best time to devote ourselves to learning. This summer, in between a few books and time with my children, I have decided to do some colouring.

I purchased a mindfulness colouring book for adults. So, when I get the time, I pull out my book and colouring markers, sit in my chair and let my mind shut down the stresses of the day and focus on what is right in front of me. I have to admit it feels great. Sometimes I am lucky and I get 30 minutes to colour and other times I may only get 5 minutes. No matter how long the time is I am still able to be in that moment with my body and my mind. It truly is a calming experience.
Continue reading →

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Practical Considerations of Relational Work With Adolescents

Posted by: Barry D'Souza on July 17, 2015 2:48 pm

For those who work relationally, that is, for those who employ in therapy sessions, their experience of the client and the ‘work’ together, sharing personal details or stories is something you do from time to time, whether it is elicited or not. Modeled early on during the first number of sessions, as part of how they ‘sit’ and are present with clients, the therapist’s disclosures may be said to help create the safe and collaborative ‘third space’ of therapy. But, what about when the client is an adolescent? What about when three sessions into the work, the young client exhibits great pride for the kinds of manipulations they successfully ‘use’ with their parents, making you wonder briefly if they might employ this art with you. When the subject matter turns to illicit drugs and the adolescent’s use of them and they enquire as to whether you (who for them at the moment is an adult, a therapist, and someone he/she is considering trusting) use them, the therapist’s disclosure in this instance speaks to issues of the therapist’s trust of the client, interest in authenticity and ultimately an unspoken equality in honesty in portraying personal experience.

Answering truthfully to a question that comes out of the natural flow of the exchange can mean a ‘powering down’ before the youth can make the therapist-client relationship more human. Feelings of being exposed to someone younger might arise making you feel uncomfortable. Knowing yourself and what is the source of this discomfort seems important. Telling a lie, even when the likelihood of the youth ever knowing different might undermine the authenticity of the emerging connection from the therapist’s perspective. If this tricky moment were later in the work with the client, it’d be a question of maintenance of the connection.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Reflections on Time Management

Posted by: Denise Hall on July 17, 2015 8:06 am

A common complaint from my friends and colleagues is that we should manage our time better. We think it is just a matter of “getting organized”. I would like to reflect on what I think managing our time actually involves and why it is important that we address the issue of our time constraints.

“Time is money” and the thinking goes if we are more efficient with our time the more money or benefit we will accumulate. Also being “on time” is a quality that some people get obsessive over and it is considered a major affront if someone is late for a meeting or event.

Managing time is illusive, sometimes the more we pay attention to it the more it slips away, the more we ignore it sometimes the more we actually have “control” over. It is the worry rule; the more we worry about managing time the more likely we are to not accomplish our goals in that area.

In our technology crazed world we are constantly accessing our phones, Facebook pages and You Tube videos. These devices are tools, not masters and instead of us managing them and using them to manage our time more efficiently, they tend to manage us. And when these gadgets consume every waking moment, there is no time left for creativity, interpersonal connection, and just plain “veg’ing out”.

In hunter/gatherer societies food gathering was an intensive short-term activity and there was a great deal of time to feast, relax, play, and socialize. In so-called “modern” society work consumes a great deal of our time whether it is household tasks, childcare, volunteer work or paid work. We tend to be consumed by work with little time for thinking, reflecting and creating let alone socializing and developing solid relationships with others. The reasons for this are not something for this article.

Continue reading →

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

When Arts, CBT and Trauma Decided to Form a Partnership

Posted by: Priya Senroy on July 16, 2015 11:52 am

Summer is finally here and I am excited about connecting my neurotransmitters with different evidence based practices so that I can inject different creative ideas combined with psychotherapeutic models.

So it’s time to go back to the virtual library and read voraciously. I came across these narrations: ” Jogging the Cogs: Trauma-Focused Art Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Sexually Abused Children” by Pifalo, T. (2007), and “Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association”, 24(4), 170-75; .

What I found interesting was the partnership of using creative art, trauma work and CBT. Even through it’s for a specific population, I am sure that it can be easily translated with any group as long as we understand the dynamic of the partnership. As I expand my tool box of activities and facilitation repertoire, I have come to realize that the modality of creative arts is flexible enough to absorb, modify and then deliver itself in a variety of ways using theories from different psychotherapeutic modalities. In my work using CBT, I often use worksheets as homework journaling thoughts and have found that words can sometimes be cumbersome and overwhelming for some. And I have been thinking on how to make it more accessible and interactive so that clients are not perturbed by the wordiness of the intervention. And that’s where creative arts come in as a value-added aspect of creative self-expression. When I use movement or a poetry or a piece of art or doodle as a way to record and translate the words into personal narratives, it seems to offer a channel for expression of experiences, and also supports the sensory-based understanding of how both the mind and body respond to anxiety and stress. And from the book, I have gathered that art plus CBT plus trauma work have potential for bridging the gaps between the conscious and the unconscious. Pifalo who has conducted a number of research studies on trauma, using CBT and art therapy concludes the following:

“The visual nature of traumatic memory, the concrete graphic approach of art therapy, and the underlying structure of the cognitive behavioral approach create a powerful, efficient treatment model within which to achieve the goals of trauma focused therapy” (p.175).

By: Priya Senroy

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Managing Change and Transition from an Academic Career Counselling Perspective

Posted by: Stephanie Burley on July 15, 2015 2:12 pm

Change is inescapable in life. It follows us wherever we go, and at each stage of our lives. Some of us are better suited to manage change than others, and some even thrive in times of transition. But for others, change can be a source of anxiety, stress, and discomfort. Sometimes we see change coming, and can brace ourselves for the fall out, or prepare ourselves so things can transition more smoothly. Other times it is unexpected or thrust upon us with little to no warning, and can leave us completely lost and disoriented.

Students, no matter their level of study – whether they be undergraduates or post-docs – are under a great deal of stress and pressure. How can I as a career counsellor provide support and strategies to these students to help them manage the multitude of changes that will be thrown at them throughout their academic lives and beyond?

With the academic labour market such that it is right now, I am seeing an influx of clients who are transitioning out of careers quite unexpectedly. Many of the graduate students and post-doctoral fellows that arrive in my office, started out on their academic path with a certain goal in mind. They were going to be professors. They would contribute to an existing body of research and literature on their topic of specialization, and they would mentor, coach and teach junior academics to follow in their footsteps. The Canadian academic labour market has become increasingly saturated with PhD qualified academics, but vacancies for tenure track positions are becoming scarce. There are a slew of reasons as to why this is happening, and sometimes I will share these with the student, but that’s not really of importance at this stage. Providing an explanation as to why the labour market is how it is doesn’t do much to ameliorate the situation for the individual faced with abruptly changing the course of their career and life trajectory. Instead, I focus my energy on the individual in front of me, and the situation they are experiencing. How can I support this individual to cope with this transition, and develop skills that will hopefully allow them to navigate future transitions? Often I incorporate into my counselling practice the 4 S’s of Transition Theory as discussed by Goodman, Schlossberg and Anderson from their work titled “Counseling Adults in Transition (2006). I use this model to help guide the questions I ask and the direction that our conversation takes. Continue reading →

*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA