Good Morning, and welcome to Counselor Weekly! The newsletter that makes you question why you subscribe to any other newsletter.

Thanks again for being part of the community!

Until I have an official sponsor, looks like I'm the sponsor!

I'm launching a new site in the next couple weeks and you can sign up to be notified when it's ready to go! Just click HERE, or the photo above and it will take you right to the site. If you are an LPC Supervisor in Texas (sorry, starting in Texas only and will look at options for other states down the road), or a potential Supervisee looking for a Supervisor, this is the place for you! It's a directory for LPC Supervisors to market their services by listing their information so that potential Supervisees can connect with them and hopefully find a perfect match! If you have any questions, click REPLY to this email and I can answer any questions you have. Thanks again for allowing me this personal promotion! 🙏

So let's get to it!

Today is 3/29/23 and it's Manatee Appreciation Day! Who doesn't love "sea cows"?!

Here's the short and skinny of today's newsletter:

• Current Texas Senate and House Bills

• Interesting Articles

• Statistic of the Week

• Cat Photo

Politics!!

It's that time of year when the people we voted for argue about things!

There are some very important bills being discussed in Texas related to mental health (sorry if you're in another state, right now most of my subscribers are from Texas).

This bill is very important if you work with children. It would make all mental health appointments considered excused absences from school, hopefully removing a barrier for students to access counseling services.

A Major Shoutout to the Texas Counseling Association

They do an excellent job of supporting counselors in Texas and keeping us informed (that's where the above political info came from). There are other bills that TCA is keeping up apprised of, but you need to join if you haven't already to learn more.

It's very important to support your local, state, and national organizations by joining. Your dues help fund crucial work that helps us do our jobs, with many other benefits!

And now some interesting articles:

Meditation Literally Changes How Your Brain's Neurons Move

I have been one of the skeptics of meditation/mindfulness, but the more research I read says it's a very helpful tool for everyone, especially if struggling with mental illness.

Dan Harris' TED Talk

I've read some of his books. He's engaging and this talk focuses on the benefits of meditation.

We Need A New Model For Mental Health Benefits

If you're interested in new/inventive ways people are approaching counseling services, check this out. There are multiple startups shaking up the industry and creating different ways for people to access mental health care.

Statistic of the Week

46 PERCENT OF AMERICANS

Will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life.

And, Finally the Cat Picture

Cookin' Cat! By my son, Cole.