Consulting with a Mental Health Expert for Individuals and Organizations

As a Mental Health Expert, I get asked a lot about my perspective on a wide range of topics. From people attempting to weight the pros and cons of a large decision, or families dealing with financial issue (the psychological aspects). Other times, I have had organizations contact me wanting my opinion on what to do about certain employees’ behavior, or how to create an incentive-based workplace environment.

As a therapist, I do not give my opinions, or offer advice to my clients—psychotherapy is a process and one that is governed by a whole host of rules at the state level, ethics and techniques from the counseling profession, as well as time, space, and boundary limitations.

As a consultant, I will be speaking for myself. I will utilized my expertise as a Mental Health Expert to give yourself or your organization my ideas without restraint. This will be nothing like therapy at all. However, I will draw on my experiences helping others to offer you multiple perspectives in these confusing times.

In the field of Mental Health: I have been a Private Practice Therapist, Adjunct Graduate School Professor, Clinical Supervisor, Clinical Director, Professional Speaker, Behavioral Health Trainer, EMDR Consultant, Mentor, and Podcast Host (Regarding Psychology and Philosophy). Interacting in such a wide range of places and roles helps me draw on a vast variety of experiences and knowledge that will make consulting with me, worth your while.

For inquiries for your life or project, please contact me at paulk@healthforlifegr.com

Are you ready?  Paulk@healthforlifegr.com

Are you ready? Paulk@healthforlifegr.com

LPCs rights saved in Michigan

https://paulkrauss.podbean.com/e/update-michigan-counselors-jobs-are-saved-hb4325-passes-unianmously-listen-to-the-story/

In this special episode of the Intentional Clinician Podcast, Paul Krauss MA LPC reports on the developments in the state of Michigan which almost led to the job loss of 10,000+ Counselors and almost resulted in 300,000+ patients losing access to mental health care (when the Licensing and Regulatory Authority (LARA) of Michigan overrode the wishes of the entire Michigan Board of Counseling (who was ironically appointed by LARA to be the experts on the field of Counseling) and declared that it was changing a 31 year old rule for 'clarification purposes' among other doublespeak--which would have rendered LPCs unable to practice in the State of Michigan--even though LARA denied that fact...). This caused a rush of advocacy led by the Michigan Mental Health Association and other Counselors to pass a bill to update the rules for LARA, so that the changes would be negated. The bill was HB4325, sponsored by Representative Aaron Miller. The bill had been around for years and was waiting for this moment.

The good news is that the Michigan Legislature listened to the 5000+ counselors that formed a coalition with the Michigan Mental Health Counselors Association--with both the House and Senate passing HB4325 unanimously. The bill was signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019. HB4325 is now know as Public Act 96 of 2019 and went into effect in January, 2020.

See details here: http://mmhca.org/law-to-keep-michigans-licensed-professional-counselors-on-the-job-took-effect-on-january-27-2020/

Resources for Recent Master's Counseling Graduates to Keep Learning

It has occurred to me that I am often citing things as facts that may not have been taught in your graduate school. This may cause some odd transference during group supervision.

I was talking to the president of the Michigan Mental Health Counseling Association on the other week and he discussed his efforts to update the curriculum at graduate schools to be in line w/ the latest counseling research and neuroscience. Unfortunately, for me, I didn't get my best training until I was OUT of graduate. In my opinion, many graduate schools’ curriculum is BEHIND the science and best practices. 

Most of what I have learned about "what works" and how to, I learned at conferences, trainings, seminars, and through books and psychology podcasts following graduate school. Obviously, you still need graduate school, but it is FAR LESS comprehensive than I believe it should be to graduate clinicians with the skills and confidence to give excellent therapy to clients.
In case you are interested:

Clinical Training:
So I wanted to share with you that I emphatically recommend you invest in your clinical skills and become formally trained in DBT and/or EMDR.

Conferences

That you attend any conference put on by the Erickson Foundation, especially "The Evolution of Psychotherapy" which is a mega conference and brings together people from across disciplines--it is held every 4 or 5 years in Anaheim, CA near Disneyland. Highly recommend it. 

https://www.erickson-foundation.org/

http://www.evolutionofpsychotherapy.com/

 

I'll be honest, I have been to the American Counseling Association conference and I will attend again--but it was lackluster compared to Evolution or Brief conferences--and I just give them money to pay the lobbyist, so counselors don't lose more rights.

https://www.counseling.org/

Podcasts:

The Trauma Therapist

and OLD episodes of "ShrinkRap Radio"

Jungianthology and Speaking of Jung (if you like Jung)

Of course, you can listen to my podcast, The Intentional Clinician as well : )

 

Below is a list books which have been instrumental to my development as a psychotherapist.

(I have found that local library can be a great source if you don't want to spend the money, or audio books through the "Hoopla" APP--using your library card).

A Way of Being by Rogers

What Should I Do with My Life? By Bronson

Stumbling on Happiness by Gilbert

50 DO’s for Everyday Leadership by Barrett, Wheatley, & Townsend

Connect College to Career: A Student’s Guide to Work and Life Transitions by Helkowski

Career and Life Planning with Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Persons by Gelberg & Chojnacki

Happy by Smith

Kaplan & Sadock’s Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry

Multiculturalism and Diversity in Clinical Supervision by Falender, Shafranske, & Falicov

Clinical Supervision: A Competency-Based Approach by Falender & Shafranske

The Heroic Client by Duncan, Miller, & Sparks

The Great Psychotherapy Debate by Wampold

The Heart & Soul of Change; Delivering What Works in Therapy by Duncan, Miller, Wampold, & Hubble

The Feeling Good Handbook by Burns

Group Psychotherapy by Vinogradon & Yalom

The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook

 

 

Uppers, Downers, All Arounders by Inaba & Cohen

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

Ethics in Counseling and Psychotherapy by Welfel

ACA Ethical Standards Casebook

Assessment in Counseling by Hood & Johnson

Theory and Design in Counseling and Psychotherapy by Susan  Day

Career Counseling and Development in a Global Economy by Andersen & Vandehey

Psychopathology and Society by Nathan & Harris

Drugs, Society and Human Behavior by Hart & Ksir

The Clinical Documentation Sourcebook by Wiger

Coping Skills - Information Sheets and Interactive Logs

Clinical Supervision and Professional Development of the Substance Abuse Counselor

Treatment of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorder

Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment

Beyond Psychology by Rank

The Art Spirit by Henri

The Book of Dead Philosophers by Critchley

We’ve Had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy and the World’s Getting Worse by Hillman & Dentura

The Soul’s Code by Hillman

Re-visioning Psychology By Hillman

Suicide and the Soul by Hillman

The Undiscovered Self by Jung

Man and His Symbols by Jung

Jung by The Viking Portable Library

The Wise Heart by Kornfield

After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise in the Spiritual Path by Kornfield

Hope Beyond Hell by Beauchemin

Restoring My Soul by Mathews

Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior

 

Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology by Siegel

Healing Moments in Psychotherapy by Siegel & Solomon

The Mindful Therapist by Siegel

The Mindful Brain by Siegel

The Neuroscience of Human Relationships by Cozolino

The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy by Cozolino

Neurobiology Essentials for Clinicians by Montgomery

Brainstorm by Siegel

The Whole-Brain Child by Siegel & Bryson

A mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Goldstein

Mindfulness Skills Workbook by Burdick

Stimulating Creativity by Stein

Bouncing Back by Graham

The Change Your Life Book by O’Hanlon

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Seligman

Change 101 by O’Hanlon

Mindfulness by Langer

Mindfulness for Beginners by Kabat-Zinn

The Mindful Way through Depression by Williams, Teasdale, Segal, & Kabat-Zinn

Uncovering Happiness by Goldstein

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Foer

Breaking Free of the Co-Dependency Trap by Weinhold

Do One Thing Different by O’Hanlon

On Being a Master Therapist by Kottler & Carlson

Walking the Bridgeless Canyon by Baldock

Resilience by Greitens

The Encyclopedia of Psychology

Existential Psychotherapy by Yalom

The Theory and Practice of Psychotherapy by Yalom

The Complex Secret of Brief Psychotherapy by Gustafson

Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond by Beck

Introduction to Clinical Psychology by Bernstein & Nietzel

Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders by Barlow

The Evolution of Psychotherapy by Zeig

Solution-Focused Therapy with Children by Selekman

The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child by Kazdin

Creating Training Courses by McCain

Continuing Education for Counselors & Therapists - Elder Abuse: Cultural Contexts, Ethics, Trauma Processing, Sleep Disorders

The Story of Psychology by Morton & Hunt

The Upward Spiral by Korb

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brown

Unchain Your Brain: 10 Steps to Breaking the Addictions That Steal Your Life by Amen & Smith

Freud: Dictionary of Psychoanalysis by Fodor & Gaynor

On Dreams by Freud

What is Gestalt Therapy? Edited by Fagan and Shepherd

Mental Health or Mental Illness? by Glasser

The Identity Society by Glasser

The Power of your Subconscious Mind by Murphy

Anger: How to Live With and Without It by Ellis

Additional Brief psychology reading list by theme:

Science/ Psychology:

The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb, Ph.D

Why Therapy Works: Using Our Minds to Change Our Brains by LOUIS COZOLINO

Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology  by Daniel J. Siegel Ph.D.

***Pretty much any book in the “Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology”

http://books.wwnorton.com/books/book-template.aspx?ser=Norton+Series+on+Interpersonal+Neurobiology

---> it’s all about the science underlying counseling and psychotherapy treatment.

Unchain Your Brain by Dr. Daniel Amen (and other books by Dr. Daniel Amen)

Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror by Judith Herman

Understanding Trauma: Integrating Biological, Clinical, and Cultural Perspectives by Laurence J. Kirmayer  (Editor), Robert Lemelson (Editor), Mark Barad (Editor)

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma  by Bessel van der Kolk Ph.D

The Great Psychotherapy Debate by Bruce Wampold Ph.D

Philosophy/Psychology:

Wiseheart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology
by Jack Kornfield

The Mindful Way Through Depression by Mark Williams , John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, Jon Kabat-Zinn

Re-Visioning Psychology by James Hillman

A Blue Fire by James Hillman

Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy  by Irvin D. Yalom

***any book by Yalom: https://www.yalom.com/

Man and His Symbols by C.G. Jung

On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy by Carl R. Rogers

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness  by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness by Ellen J. Langer

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Modern Man in Search of a Soul by C.G. Jung

We've Had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy & the World's Getting Worse

by James Hillman, Michael Ventura

Person to Person: The Problem of Being Human by Carl R. Rogers, Barry Stevens

Self-help (that is mostly research oriented, not fluffy clouds advice):

A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Bob Stahl , Elisha Goldstein Ph.D

The Feeling Good Handbook by David D. Burns Ph.D

Getting Past Your Past: Take Control of Your Life with Self-Help Techniques from EMDR Therapy by Francine Shapiro Ph.D

The Gifts of Imperfection  by Brené Brown Ph.D

Getting your loved one sober by Dr. Robert Myers, etc.

The Relationship Cure  by John Gottman

What Makes Love Last?: How to Build Trust and Avoid Betrayal Paperback by John Gottman Ph.D.

Carl Rogers on Personal Power: Inner Strength and Its Revolutionary Impact  by Carl R. Rogers  

A Recovery Story from Mental Illness:

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison Ph.D

Expert On Mental Illness Reveals Her Own Fight by Marsha Linehan Ph.D

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/health/23lives.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=Marsha%20Linehan&st=cse


Counseling/ Psychology Techniques and Paradigms:


DBT Skills Training: Handouts and Worksheets  by Marsha M. Linehan Ph.D

The Heart and Soul of Change (What works in Psychotherapy) by Duncan, Miller, etc.

The Heroic Client by Duncan, Miller etc.

The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy for Trauma Survivors by Susan Johnson Ed. D

Internal Family Systems Therapy by Richard C. Schwartz

Family Therapy in Clinical Practice by Murray Bowen

Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy by Jeffrey K. Zeig (Editor)