Counseling
I am currently an undergrad student and just learned that most universities don’t offer classes on counseling for future SLP’s. Where did you all gain knowledge and understanding on how to address the mental health aspects for PWS?
I am currently an undergrad student and just learned that most universities don’t offer classes on counseling for future SLP’s. Where did you all gain knowledge and understanding on how to address the mental health aspects for PWS?
Dear Monica,
HI! Thanks for writing and advocating for your education.
Like many things in life, learning is a personal journey. If you want to learn something it is really on ourselves to seek our knowledge and places to learn. You sought out learning here, so you asked a question. You sought out college to learn, so you applied and went and attend classes.
I wish more universities did have built in classes that addressed counseling skills, that would be ideal. That being said, if you want to learn more about counseling in our field (and with PWS) you have options:
1) Find a graduate program that does have a counseling class built into the curriculum
2) Attend seminars, posters, and online education (There are a ton), that focus on counseling skills
3) Ask your teachers questions about counseling and for some resources in our field.
4) Email/call ASHA to ask them to direct you do counseling information in our field
5) Email me (spalasik@uakron.edu) and I would be happy to guide you. I teach a graduate counseling course at Akron and present on different counseling skills.
6) Do research and find people in our field who talk about counseling and contact them to get some ideas
7) Contact the psychology department, social worker department, counseling department, to get their ideas of where information might be found with counseling skills.
There are many places to learn. Not at learning takes place at on university. When we go into learning taking ownership of our education, we can learn anything and it feels good because we know we are seeking out the information we want to learn.
Does this make sense?
Thanks for asking questions!
With compassion and kindness,
Scott
Hi Monica,
I’ve obtained additional training in counseling and cognitive restructuring via continuing education courses and articles/tutorials on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). As Scott mentioned, we’re truly on a journey of learning…it just requires the intentional seeking out of these learning opportunities!
Ana Paula
Ana Paula
Dear Monica,
I’ve done a basic and an advanced certificate course in REBT and I find it extremely useful in my sessions with both, adults and children. Other than this, reading research papers where specific approaches like ACT, CBT, REBT have been used and contacting the authors for further information can be a way of gaining knowledge in these areas. There are also some wonderful books that help you grasp these approaches better, some of them specific to anxiety disorders, some even specific to stuttering (Gunars Neiders has done considerable work in the area of REBT and stuttering and has written a book about his approach REBT-S).
I agree completely with my colleagues who have commented above when they say learning is a process that never really ends. Syllabi need to be restricted in their content because they are made with a purpose of completion of a degree. Real learning is what happens in the clinic, through voracious reading, and from each and every new experience you have with people around you.
Wishing you the best.
Pallavi