Steve Bryson

In this, my second blog on the ACA website, I want to talk a bit about case consultation. I know we all have heard from legal counsel that consultation is necessary to support yourself should a lawsuit happen. But it is always surprising to me how many counselors do not engage in consultation. I know we all get busy and tired. I myself often times want the time I am not engaged in counseling to be completely unrelated to counseling. And I know it takes time and energy to prepare case presentations, not to mention the embarrassment when a fellow counselor points out something we should have seen. But that is one of the main reasons to consult. In my experience, seasoned therapists don't engage in consultation because they feel it is unnecessary, or because they often feel like a supervisor rather than a colleague. Or perhaps our egos are more fragile than we would like to admit.

I appreciate this opportunity to write about counseling related subjects. I believe I have had valuable experiences over the years which give me a perspective that may be interesting to colleagues across the nation. Some of the issues I look forward to addressing in future blogs include counseling in rural areas, the valuable alternative perspectives of "fresh" versus "seasoned" counselors, trends and fads in counseling over the years, professional collaboration, ethics, and my favorite diagnosis to treat: eating disorders. I will do my best to stay off the soap box, and really look forward to feedback from other professionals.