Counseling Tips continued from page 10
shorter sessions give clients new to therapy more time to ease into therapy as a whole .
In my experience , clients who have been the best fit for Spark Sessions are those who come into therapy with a more solution-focused mindset in comparison with clients who thrive better with a more person-centered approach . Some presenting issues that can be effectively approached using shorter sessions include : depression , anxiety , self-esteem issues , personal stress and work-life balance stress , relationship problems , and dealing with the demands of high school or college .
Additionally , many Black people , like people in many other cultures , place a value on “ keeping family business inside the house ” and “ not telling strangers your business ,” which keeps many Black people from getting the help that they need . With shorter sessions , the idea of “ only telling a little ” can be appealing as it relates to “ telling their business .”
Once I determine that a client is a good fit for Spark Sessions , I will present the idea of 30-minute sessions and ultimately let the client decide if they believe it is what ’ s best for them . As I am moving an established client in traditional-length therapy sessions towards termination , I am sometimes faced with the client ’ s resistance to end therapy . I have also found that moving these clients to 30-minute sessions before tapering off completely helps ease the transition .
What ’ s Included and What ’ s Left Out in a Condensed Session continued on page 12 call for proposals
Most of what I leave out of a Spark Session compared to a typical 50-minute session takes place at the end of the session . I typically spend about 10 minutes at the end of a 50-minute sesspecial issue on Gender & Wellness
There is an urgent need to examine how counselors can consider aspects of gender in their work . We will evaluate proposals on their relevance , contribution to the literature , recommendations for practice , and readability .
author guidelines See “ Manuscript Submission ” at bit . ly / 3KCdhty deadlines
• Proposal Due ( 300 to 500 words ): May 1 , 2022
• Invitation for Full Manuscript : June 1 , 2022
• Full Manuscript Due : November 1 , 2022
• Anticipated Summer 2023 publication
guest editor
Dr . Elizabeth J . Russell Winona State University
The Advocate Magazine 2022 , Issue # 1 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org 11