It finally happened... I have profiles on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, Reddit, Technorati, Ning, Squidoo, XING, Answers.Yahoo, GodTube, MySpace, Yedda, Furl, Blogger, StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, Yelp, and Google Talk, to name a few. Most of these I hardly use. Some of them I've been on once to create the account and only remember it when I receive newsletters in my email inbox, which I then unceremoniously delete. My students and colleagues have been finding me online for a few years now, so I'm used to getting the occasional "friend request" from someone I teach or work with. However, last week I received a Facebook friend request from Cecil, a 20-something British-American therapy client*. I immediately considered declining the request, but stopped short. "I am trying to establish trust and rapport with Cecil," I thought. "If I decline his request to join such a non-exclusive network, could it harm our therapeutic rapport?" Truly, I would accept a friend … [Read more...]
How the Counseling Relationship Influences CBT Treatment
This article addresses how the counseling treatment alliance (counselor - therapist relationship) can influence CBT treatment. Do CBT therapists just offer people information and correct their thinking, or does the kind of relationship in counseling matter? Treatment Alliance & CBT Treatment: It has been said many times that the therapeutic alliance (i.e. the counseling relationship) between counselor and client is the primary therapeutic factor in counseling. This, maintaining constant for all counseling theories, was devalued by Ellis, who stated that the relationship between client and counselor with REBT is not collaborative, and that rapport is not of great importance. In contradiction, Ellis, instead of building a supportive relationship will confront, combat, and argue points with his clients. At one point he stated REBT may work best when the client hates the therapist. However, many REBT therapists are less combative, and more collaborative than Ellis. For those … [Read more...]
Panic Disorder Described from a CBT Perspective
From a cognitive behavioral perspective, this article describes panic disorder so that a client could understand it. Panic Disorder Described: First, I would inform my client that to describe panic disorder, he/she must first understand that a panic attack is an explicit period of extreme discomfort or fear where at least four of the following criteria develop abruptly and peak within 10 minutes time: palpitations (or excited heart rate) sweating trembling/shaking shortness of breath/smothered sensation sensations of choking chest discomfort or pain either nausea or abdominal discomfort A panic attack in itself is not a psychological disorder—it is when a person experiences unexpected, recurrent panic attacks (usually with no known catalyst reported), where the attack is followed by a minimum one month of concern about having additional attacks, fear of consequences (losing control, dying, “going crazy”), and significant alteration of usual behavior … [Read more...]
Client Bill of Rights
Notice of Patients' Rights: Your Rights as a Client at Thrive Counseling Federal and state law provide for specific patient rights. At Thrive Counseling, we respect, and inform you of, these rights. The following summarizes both federal law and the Massachusetts Patients' Bill of Rights. • You have the right to obtain the name and specialty of the doctor or other person responsible for your care. • You have a right to confidentiality of all records and communications concerning your medical history and treatment to the extent provided by law. • You have the right to participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care. • You have a right to a prompt response to all reasonable requests. • You have a right to request and receive details of any relationship between Thrive Counseling / your care provider to any other health care facility / educational institution, insofar as it relates to your care. • You have a right to obtain a copy of any rules of Thrive … [Read more...]
Electronic Health Records (EHR), and Electronic Medical Billing, in Today’s Mental Health Counseling Practice
Websites, social media, e-commerce, e-billing, e-therapy, e-counseling...e-nough! The pressure to practice online and to document and bill paperlessly seems to be coming from all directions and with increasing frequency and fervor, but many counselors are finding that the transition is easier said than done. For some of us, the major road block to a paperless practice is the steep learning curve associated with gaining a working knowledge of paperless technologies. And, from our experience, an equally large cost of making the transition is, well... actual monetary cost. Is it worth it? $44,000 in Incentives! (Just not for you.) On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law a $789 billion dollar economic stimulus package. Included in that legislation is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). Under HITECH, qualified providers can receive up to $44,000 in Medicare bonus incentives if they demonstrate the “meaningful use” of an … [Read more...]