Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” This is similar to the leap of faith our clients take when coming into counseling. In the last blog I talked about spirituality and informed consent, stating that it is our ethical responsibility to inform [...]

There is a legend which talks of an old Parisian artist who was so poor that he could not afford any canvases. Feeling in his heart he had a masterpiece to create, he searched for old paintings which he could clean off and use. One day, having found an old daub, he diligently worked to [...]

Last week I saw a comment on my previous blog which really got me thinking. The comment was in regards to my use of the term “tree hugger”. Despite knowing my intention and the reason why I chose this expression, my initial reaction was one of fear. I was immediately afraid that I had offended [...]

Last week I wrote about adopting a personal definition of spirituality and religion as well as exploring your own spiritual and/or religious journey through an autobiography or timeline. The purpose, at least in the counseling context, is to foster a better understanding of your spiritual and/or religious worldview (a.k.a. your spiritual ‘self’). Since many of [...]

Depending on which poll you read, about 93% of Americans consider themselves to be religious and/or spiritual. Again, depending on what you read, nearly 75% believe spiritually and/or religion to be integral to their worldview, sense of self, and part of their daily life. Since I am not going to base my livelihood on a [...]

An old Chinese proverb states “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” Over the course of the last few months I have talked about the different stages of the dissertation process and my experience along the way. What I haven’t addressed is the vast amount of [...]

Last week I mentioned that getting out of my own way has been crucial because – let’s face it – sometimes I am the biggest obstacle. The greatest challenge is staying focused on my immediate goals rather than being fixated on the end product. If I do the latter I end up asking myself, “Have [...]

…is a deadline. Although this was said by the ever annoying but somehow alluring Stephen A. Smith of Fox Sports Radio, these words ring true. When beginning a dissertation deadlines, schedules, projected targets – whatever you want to call them – help provide structure to the process. Since this is a completely new experience for [...]