At nine years old I received my first marketing lesson and experienced the power of a deliciously outrageous story. “Can you believe Mikey’s dead?” A concerned young girl shouted to a group of friends.  “It was Pop Rocks!  He ate Pop Rocks, drank a soda and his stomach exploded.”

Contrary to popular belief, the fact that some Troops are enlisted does not necessarily mean they are not educated or qualified to be commissioned officers. While college-level education is not required as with officers, many enlisted Troops* are indeed educated and successful regardless of their military rank.* Recognizing this can save a counselor (especially a [...]

A graduate professor of mine, Dr. Reuschling, said in class all the time, “I got stuff, you got stuff, we all got stuff”…but most of humanity is able to handle their “stuff” in an appropriate manner. When someone is unable to handle their own stuff then they become our client, either voluntarily or by force. [...]

Time seems to pass by quickly as we train professionals about psychosocial needs and reactions after a disaster. We have trained various professionals who consistently apply the information to their personal and professional lives. Each group has been great to work with as we engage them in various activities, from doing grounding techniques to peer [...]

Two months ago my wife and I were trying to decide the best way to teach our six-year old son how to swim. We signed him up for swimming lessons sponsored by the local recreation center until a friend of ours started talking about a swim instructor who offered one on one instruction. Here was [...]

There’s an activity I do in my presentations and performances that I call “Sounds Around.” It involves becoming quiet and just listening. As I write this, I can hear the steady tick of a clock, birds chirping, the leaves rustling outside, chimes gently sounding as the wind blows, the hum of my computer’s hard drive, [...]

If only I could place bets on the comments I get from people who have just heard about my upcoming deployment* to Afghanistan! I’d put my money on some variation of, “I heard they’re making you go” or “so you have to go overseas, huh?” and make some serious cash. Just this past week I [...]

I wear a walkie talkie at work. I’m not alone in this as a school counselor. From my understanding many of us school counselors are just moments away from being called from one thing to another. What typically awaits me on the other end of that radio call is usually an upset child who has [...]