When I provide coaching to people studying for their licensure exams, I strongly emphasize the importance of doing additional steps beyond just reading. If you are like me (and the majority of most people) reading can be a passive form of studying--meaning that my eyes can read over the words, and meanwhile I'm thinking things like "What am I going to make for dinner?" or "I need to catch up on my laundry." So that when I close my book I have no idea what I just read. So how can we change reading from a passive form of studying to an active form of studying? Look at this image below, developed and revised by Bruce Hyland from material created by Edgar Hale. It is a great illustration of how "we tend to remember our level of involvement" with how we study.

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So create flash cards, take notes, record your own voice as you read aloud, and/or write down what you're reading. It will force your brain to stay engaged. A great way to test yourself on your knowledge...teach it to someone else (a partner, a friend). I can remember getting in front of the mirror and trying to teach different concepts. If I was pausing too much, tripping over words, and teaching it terribly then that was an indication to me to go back and strengthen that material. Other times I could teach a certain concept flawlessly and would realize I knew that material well. That was also... (More)

Last week we talked about confidentiality and how we discuss this with our clients. Below are some specific situations in regards to maintaining confidentiality that are important to know. Come back on Friday for a question related to one of these areas…

Family and Couples Counseling and Therapy: When providing family or couples counseling or therapy, you should, as early as possible in the relationship, (a) discuss confidentiality thoroughly with the participants, (b) seek an agreement from the participants to maintain one another’s confidentiality, and (c) notify the participants that you cannot guarantee that all of them will abide by the agreement.

In family or couples therapy, the problem of “secrets” can arise. This problem is especially likely to occur if you also see one member of the family or one or both members of the couple in a private session. For instance, a wife might disclose during a private session that she is having an affair. What should you do in this situation? This is a complex issue, and to help avoid such dilemmas, you should, as soon as possible in the relationship, clearly state your own position, as well as your employer’s or agency’s policy, with regard to keeping or sharing “secrets.” Corey, Corey, and Callahan have suggested that the best policy is to let clients know that information given in private sessions “will be divulged as … [you] see fit in accordance with the greatest benefit for the couple or the family” (1988, p. 307). It’s also... (More)

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Preparing for the exam is an ongoing, almost daily task. (note here that I said “almost daily” so that means if you are consistent then take days off as a reward to yourself and a break to your brain). This time of year is busy for most of us with holidays, obligations, and activities packed into an already hectic schedule.

We all have other obligations that can make fitting in the time to study difficult. Below are some methods to help manage your time so that you can study as much as you need to, despite life getting in the way.

Find the Time to Study: To help manage your time effectively, we suggest that you begin by developing your study schedule by recording your obligations on a wall calendar. Doing so will give you a “snapshot” of your life so that you can develop a realistic study schedule.

• Begin by listing all of the work, family, and other non-exam related demands on your time.
• Prioritize these demands and decide which ones are “mandatory” and which ones can be eliminated, postponed, or delegated to someone else.
• Record all the mandatory demands on your wall calendar and include an estimate of how much time each demand will require.
• Determine the amount of time that is available for studying. Notice which days are free for studying and how many hours are available on those days for studying. Does the amount of time you have seem appropriate... (More)