A Seat at the Table

#Youvebeeninthebackgroundmuchtoolong Recently I’ve been using the #hashtag “you’ve been in the background much too long.“ I don’t know how many people recognize this as a song lyric. There is a song called “Black Pearl” by a woman MC/Rapper named Yo-Yo. It was released the year I graduated from high school -1992. Until recently, I did … Read more

The Audacity of Privilege

The Messengers Today I had an exchange with a black woman who is a fellow counselor. In our dialogue she made a statement aligned with a very privileged perspective. My initial reaction was shock. But then when I considered the limited information I had about this fellow counselor and her apparent limited information about me, … Read more

Counseling Licensure Examination in GA

One Exam, One License to Practice A few years ago there was an effort to require the NCE (National Counseling Exam) for the Associate Professional Counselor status and the NCMHCE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam) for the Licensed Professional Counselor designation. Ultimately this measure did not stand because it would mean applicants were being … Read more

Recognize Offense without Taking Offense a Multicultural Competency

Offense is Common Sometimes interactions with others leave us feeling hurt, confused, lonely or misunderstood. Often we are offended and the other person or people have no idea why. I wish the opposite were true – that most of us felt understood by others. But I know that for many people who are rightly or … Read more