This digest focuses on group counseling and how counselors can learn to lead groups effectively. There is a natural tendency for people to gather in groups for mutually beneficial purposes. A section on beginning counseling groups stresses the importance of pregroup planning. A number of issues that can affect the effectiveness of groups are…

Counselors working in the areas of marriage and family counseling and therapy are expected to work effectively with couples and families experiencing a variety of issues and problems. Structural, strategic, and transgenerational family therapists may seem to be operating in similar manners, and it appears that many practicing family therapists go…

This digest provides an overview of basic family counseling concepts for counselors whose specialty is in an area other than marriage and family counseling. The author notes that there are two pivotal areas the counselor and client must address upon deciding to involve a family in the client's counseling sessions: how to get the family to come…

Theory can be used to define the nature of the relationship between the counselor and the client, to conceptualize the nature of the presenting problem(s), and to define the resulting counseling goals or desired outcomes. From an integrative perspective the choice of therapeutic intervention is made by relating the intervention directly to the…

This digest briefly reviews theoretical models for counseling dysfunctional familes, then discusses the use of systems theory in counseling families. It lists the characteristics of a dysfunctional family, explains family systems intervention, discusses the goals of family treatment, and describes several family systems counseling techniques. (NB)

This digest focuses on some special concerns of the elderly such as employment issues, retirement, problems of aging, and continuing education, and discusses ways counselors can help. (BH)

Due to ongoing changes in the labor market, groups that assist people in developing or changing career directions are particularly important. This digest outlines some features of employment group counseling. Research has shown that the unemployed face numerous factors, such as job rejections and financial pressures, that can hinder the job…

Anger is a natural and healthy human emotion when managed effectively. But it can be a source of various physical, mental, emotional, social, or legal problems when not managed effectively. It is often a problem in one of these areas that brings a client in for counseling, either on a voluntary or a mandated basis. As a counselor, there are…

The technological advances that have occurred in recent decades have resulted in substantial changes in the nature and structure of occupations and industries. Career development is now being recognized as a lifelong process. Individualized career plans (ICPs) or personal plans of action are becoming important instruments for counselors and others…

Filial therapy is an alternative method for treating emotionally disturbed children in which the parent is used as an ally in the therapeutic process. Filial therapy teaches the parent a new way of interacting with their child, thus improving the parent-child relationship. Additionally, filial therapy provides focused attention to the child from a…

Although counselors have implicitly understood and used a number of its tenets, an action-theoretical approach is a relatively recent development in career counseling. This digest analyzes the tenets of this approach. An action approach to career counseling sees clients as agents who steer and direct their activities. It represents an integration…

Self-regulation, the systematic effort to direct thoughts, feelings, and actions towards the attainment of one's goals, is receiving importance in the psychological and educational literatures. Goals are involved across the different phases of self-regulation, first as forethought, then in performance control, and finally in self-regulation. This…

Online support groups have the potential to improve the access and delivery of services to a wide range of people who reside worldwide. They provide an alternative vehicle of support for people in distress when it may be culturally stigmatizing to seek face-to-face support. They are not appropriate for everyone, nor can everyone worldwide access…

This Digest states that the integration of research into counseling through an evidence-based approach actually brings the best elements of practice, clinical experience, and reliable treatment protocols together to serve the task of helping clients with the complex problems they bring to counseling. It gives several broad implications for the…

A major survey of career and employment counseling in Canada was completed in 1993, with over 1600 counselors, department heads and managers of counseling centers, and regional directors working in career and employment counseling centers being polled. Survey results indicated: (1) there is a strong need for evaluation in all aspects of career…