This concise guide is for individuals seeking a counselor for themselves or others. It contains a treasure trove of information for the public on the nuts and bolts of counseling in an easy-to-read, question and answer format. Chapter topics include how to know when to seek help and what kinds of issues counselors assist with; the differences between individual, group, couples, family, and online counseling; the various theoretical approaches to counseling and how to choose; how to find a competent counselor; what questions you should ask before scheduling your first appointment; and how to determine if counseling is working.
Samuel T. Gladding, PhD, was a professor in the Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University. He was a fellow in the American Counseling Association (ACA) and its former president. He also served as president of the American Association of State Counseling Boards, Chi Sigma Iota, and three ACA divisions: the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, the Association for Specialists in Group Work, and the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. He was an Association for Specialists in Group Work fellow and the former editor of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work. Dr. Gladding authored numerous publications including books, scholarly articles, teaching videos, and poems. He was a mental health first responder to the 9/11 attack in New York and has twice been a Fulbright Specialist (Turkey and China). He is the recipient of ACA’s Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person, and the Association for Creativity in Counseling and ACA have each named awards in his honor.
Dr. Gladding received his degrees from Wake Forest University, Yale University, and University of North Carolina–Greensboro. Before becoming a counselor educator, he worked full-time as a clinician in a rural mental health center and was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Dr. Gladding passed away in December 2021.
Kevin G. Alderson, PhD, is a retired professor of counseling psychology at the University of Calgary. He has been a counselor for 40 years and a registered psychologist since 1986. He is serving a 1-year term (September 2018–September 2019) as president of the College of Alberta Psychologists, the regulatory body for the profession of psychology in Alberta, Canada. He is a member of the American Counseling Association, the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association. Since 2008, Dr. Alderson has been the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, which is the only national peer-reviewed journal in the counseling and psychotherapy field in Canada. He currently works half-time for Yorkville University as their interim director for a proposed online doctor of counseling and psychotherapy degree that will be the first of its kind in Canada.
Dr. Alderson has authored eight previous books and several scholarly articles and book chapters. He is currently writing a textbook for Sage Publications called Addictions Counseling Today: Substances and Addictive Behaviors. As a professor, he specialized in human sexuality and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues and psychology. Dr. Alderson completed both a bachelor of arts in psychology and a master of science in clinical, school, and community psychology from the University of Calgary, and he completed a doctor of philosophy in counseling psychology at the University of Alberta.
