Hello, and welcome to Counselor Weekly! No mediocrity here, we give you AMAZING material each week.

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 5/24/23 and it's National Escargot Day! All I have to say is GROSS… just GROSS! 🤢

If you like escargot, congrats, your palate is much more refined than mine.

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

• Quote of the Day

• Interesting Articles

• Utilizing Social Media as a Counselor

• Cat Photo

Quote of the Day

There’s no “one way” to find joy and happiness in life. We all have to walk our own path. It’s important to remind clients of this as well.

And now some interesting articles:

What Qualities Do All Healthy Friendships Have In Common?

Though not directly related to counseling, human connection and friendship is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle and reducing mental stress/illness. In fact, here’s a secondary article about how America is in a loneliness epidemic. Affirming that it’s very normal to feel alone, and providing strategies for your clients to increase their support network are extremely beneficial interventions in therapy.

I’ve Been A Couples Therapist for 35 Years; Here’s What I’ve Learnt About Making Relationships Work

Clinical Tip: Setting Goals

Another short clip from the Beck Institute.

Utilizing Social Media As A Counselor

This is a touchy subject and there are A LOT of viewpoints out there.

Truth is, social media is ubiquitous in our society now. It doesn’t mean you have to use it on a personal, or business level. But, it’s important to be aware of some of the positive and negative aspects.

From a personal standpoint, I don’t see a whole lot of upside from engaging in social media. It appears to cause a lot of anxiety and stress, comparing oneself to others. Plus, what a major waste of time! I can’t see the benefit in scrolling social media for 2 straight hours (or more). Again, just my opinion, and I appreciate and respect yours as well.

From a business perspective, I do see some benefits. As long as you’re engaging in ethical marketing strategies, it’s an excellent way to build referrals and create avenues for potential clients to find you. Plus, you can engage with people about mental health on a worldwide platform.

The key here is ethics. Being careful of oversharing personal info, saying/doing things that are inappropriate, or marketing in ways that are manipulative and/or deceitful.

Have thick skin if you’re going to participate in social media. It doesn’t matter how well thought out your posts are, there will be haters!

Below is a excellent article addressing some of the issues surrounding social media as a mental health professional.

The Rise of Counselors on Social Media

And, Finally the Cat Picture

Escargot Cat! By my son, Cole.