“We cannot pour from an empty cup as counselors. This Counseling Awareness Month, our theme ‘Get Fit for Your Future’ reminds counselors to prioritize keeping our minds, hearts and bodies in the best condition possible. Let’s take time to plan for and build on our own wellness regimens, so we can better serve our clients and still have the energy to fully engage with our family, friends and activities that bring us joy.”
– ACA President Kim Frazier
April is Counseling Awareness Month. This month we celebrate the counseling profession, and all the people who share their hearts and mind in support of helping clients to heal. This month-long observance aims to raise awareness and promote mental health among people of all ages. It’s also a time to honor how counselors influence society and celebrate the ways in which the stigma around mental health is slowly breaking down.
Over the last decade we are seeing more and more people seeking mental health services, and increased discussions about ways to support mental and emotional health. In 2021 alone, 41.7 million adults in the United States received treatment or counseling for their mental health. This included inpatient and outpatient counseling.
This year’s theme is, Get Fit for Your Future. It is a call to action for all counselors to support their own wellness. These past few years have been challenging in the shear demand of services, and now is the time to remember to care for your health and well-being.
Outlined below are 8-dimensions of wellness, and brief self-reflection questions for you to assess your own wellness.
As we celebrate counseling awareness month, we want to first thank all of the wonderful counselors who read this blog. We also want to encourage you make time to care for you, so that you can show up more fully for your client’s and loved ones.
Don’t forget to show support for professional counselors by wearing teal on April 14, 2023.
All month long you can visit the American Counseling Association who is posting videos and resources to help counselors get fit for the future.
Listen to Season 4: The Impact of Trauma on Our Humanity. The season explores the impact of secondary trauma on people who work in human services. The season is full of engaging and meaningful conversations that we hope you find to be useful.
Additional resources may be found on the CASAT OnDemand Resources & Downloads page.
This article was developed by Heather Haslem, M.S. Feel free to use, link to, or distribute this information. A link to our site and attribution would be much appreciated.
Counseling awareness month. (2023.). Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/mental-health-resources/counselingawarenessmonth
