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INTERNET RESOURCES
Counseling: Resources for students, consumers, and professionals
C&RL News, June 2005
Vol. 66, No. 6
by Kristine Condic
The Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines counseling as “professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes.”1
This definition can apply to many different types of counseling, including career, student, grief, and online. While each of these categories deserves its own column, space does not permit such verbosity. Therefore, the Web sites listed below are the proverbial “tip of the iceberg,” and many others are out there waiting to be discovered by clients, students, and professionals.
Most of the Web sites contain disclaimers reminding readers that the information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be viewed as a replacement for seeking professional assistance. Additionally, a number of them state that “medical advice is not provided from this site.” In fact, many sites offer quick access to help hotlines.
General
• All about Counseling. Developed by professional counselors, this site describes different approaches to counseling, highlights risks of counseling, identifies techniques for self-help, and provides links to mental health resources. Consumers can locate professional counselors through an online professional directory and communicate with each other through a discussion board. Intended for the general public, the Web developers encourage feedback and discussion through their user-friendly site. Access: http://www.allaboutcounseling.com.
• Psych Central. Dr. John Grohol has been providing psychology and counseling information online since 1992. Consumers have chat rooms, blogs, quizzes, and support forums at their disposal. Popular resource links include depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, eating disorders, and ADHD. A unique psychology-based search engine, the Enpsychlopedia, enables users to find symptoms and treatment information easily. Advertisements are included in this user-friendly Web site. Access:
http://psychcentral.com/.
• Psychwatch. A variety of information is found here for professionals, including links to online journals, conference listings, job postings, and state licensure agencies. Counseling material is found under “disciplines” in the left margin. Self-described as the online resource for professionals in psychology and psychiatry, this Web site will also be useful for graduate students. Users can subscribe to the PsychWatch newsletter, which allegedly has a readership of 14,000 in 106 countries. Access: http://www.psychwatch.com.
Student counseling
• Counseling Center Village. Based at SUNY Buffalo, this Web site pulls together information from student counseling centers so many of the pages are developed by counseling center professionals. This site provides access to training resources, assessment instruments, and software packages. Additionally, users will find a counseling center directory and a link to the Virtual Pamphlet Collection described below. Access: http://ccvillage.buffalo.edu/.
• School Counseling and Psychology, Stout Library Learning Center, University of Wisconsin. Even though this site provides university-specific information, it also contains priceless information on school counseling with links to sites on bullying in schools, elementary school counseling, sexual harassment, and talking to kids. The Education World link identifies numerous ERIC Digests related to school and guidance counseling. Access: http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/subjects/edschool.htm.
• The Unabridged Student Counseling Virtual Pamphlet Collection. What a goldmine of information! This collection was compiled by Dr. Robert Hsiung, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Chicago, and is composed of informational pamphlets from university counseling centers. Topics include anger, depression, cults, eating disorders, impulse control, study skills, time management, and grief. Many student counseling centers link to this collection. Access: http://www.dr-bob.org/vpc/.
Career counseling
• Monster. Discover the life of a drug enforcement agent or the need for nurses in Houston at Monster.com. This popular Web site contains an amazing amount of information including more than 800,000 job listings. Useful treats for counselors include tips on résumé writing, advice on interviewing, and information on relocation. Access: http://www.monster.com/.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook. Great in print and even better online, this unparalleled career tool is essential in any mention of career counseling. Working conditions, job outlook, and earnings information are described for each occupation. The Employment Projections and Tomorrow’s Job links point to priceless data. Access: http://www.bls.gov/oco/.
• The Riley Guide. Margaret Dikel has created one of the best career guides on the Internet, and it contains anything a job seeker needs to know. In existence since 1994, this site has matured with the times. Cover letter tips, résumé evaluation, negotiation strategies, networking advice, salary guides, and job listings are all found here. Access: http://www.rileyguide.com.
Family resources
• Child and Family WebGuide. Experts from Tufts University rate Web sites on child development, parenting, learning, and mental health. Counselors will find the ratings very useful when evaluating Web sources regarding suicide, eating disorders, autism, and behavior problems. Ratings are based on content, authority, stability, and ease of use. Access: http://www.cfw.tufts.edu/.
• Childtrend’s DataBank. Students and researchers can find a wealth of information here from seat belt use to parents’ educational attainment. Data is grouped under one of six categories: health; social and emotional development; income, assets, and work; education and skills; demographics; and family and community. Child Trends is a self-described nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization. Access: http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/index.cfm.
• Parenting.org. Sponsored by Boys and Girls Town, this site provides parenting and family articles, FAQs, a hotline, and a list of resources from Boys Town Press. A handy search feature locates relevant articles. Access: http://www.parenting.org.
Disability and rehabilitation counseling
• Family Village. Family members and caregivers will find useful links to resources on disabilities here. Notable are the Web pages devoted to statistics (found under University), products for daily living (Shopping Mall), and support groups (Coffee Shop). The Web site is supported by the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Access: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu.
• World Wide Web Resources for Rehabilitation Counselors. Professor John Rasch, University of South Florida, has compiled links on medical conditions and disabilities for caregivers, counselors, and consumers. Especially useful are the links to the HealthFinder database and disability related resources. This Web site is updated frequently. Access: http://luna.cas.usf.edu/~rasch.
Grief counseling
• AARP—Grief and Loss. Counselors may find these straightforward online publications useful for their clients: Normal Reactions to Loss, On Being Alone: A Guide for the Newly Widowed, Seven Choices of Grief, and Ways Parents Can Cope. Access: http://www.aarp.org/life/griefandloss.
• GriefNet. A clinical psychologist oversees this site, which provides users with e-mail support groups, suicide prevention information, memorial creation, articles, poetry, and a neat site for kids. Access: http://griefnet.org.
• Growth House. Consumers and counselors will find information on palliative care, hospice care, family grieving, infant loss, and pain management at this Web site. Also included are links to professional forums, the Growth House radio, an online bookstore, RSS news feeds, a free newsletter, a search engine, and fast facts. The mission of this Web site is to provide resources to support compassionate care. Access: http://www.growthhouse.org.
Mental health resources
• Mental Help Net. Consumers will find this active Web site appealing. Advertisements appear on the homepage as does the ubiquitous “Search for Therapists” button. The clinical psychologists who first launched this site in 1995 state that they wish to educate the “public about mental health, wellness, and family and relationship issues and concerns,” and they do a good job of it. Users can read articles on sleep disorders, browse RSS feeds, or Ask Dr. Dombeck. Access: http://mentalhelp.net.
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The NIMH homepage introduces users to breaking news, highlights, publications, and funding. The exceptional NIMH publications are written by scientists for the general public and include such topics as ADHD, eating disorders, depression, and bipolar disorder. The crisis page guides users to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Access: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/.
• SAMHSA’s National Mental Health Information Center. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this site houses a great collection of publications on various topics, including Alternative Approaches to Mental Health Care, Mental Health Care Providers in Rural and Isolated Areas, and How Families can Help Children Cope with Fear and Anxiety. Users can also find fact sheets, speeches, press releases, hotline information, a mental health dictionary, and a kids’ page. Easy to use with lots of information. Access: http://www.mentalhealth.org/.
• WebMD Health. The WebMD folks have done it again with a great site devoted to diseases and conditions. Included in this site is information on infertility, migraines, cancer, aging, parenting, and schizophrenia. A fantastic site for counselors, students, researchers, and teachers. Access: http://webmd.com, then click “Condition Centers A-Z.”
Testing and evaluation
• AmoebaWeb Psychology on the Web. From the AmoebaWeb homepage (amoeba because it “is a simple creature that changes shape and goes out seeking and absorbing new information”) users can click on “Online Tests” to find an impressive collection of tests found on the Internet. Professor Douglas Degelman (Vanguard University) maintains this link. Other categories on the site include ethical issues, crosscultural psychology, and therapy. The entire site, which is indeed constantly changing, will be quite useful for students and counselors. Access: http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/amoebaweb/.
• Buros Center for Testing. The indelible link between Buros and testing is even more prominent as a result of this Web site from the University of Nebraska. The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements component provides an index to 2,000 reviews found in the Mental Measurements Yearbook (9th edition to most recent). The Buros Institute for Assessment Consultation and Outreach portion of the Web site is devoted to a description of quality control services. Interesting photos of Oscar and Luella Buros are sprinkled throughout the site. Access: http://www.unl.edu/buros.
• ETS Testlink. The Educational Testing Service provides the world’s largest test collection database with more than 20,000 measurements or tests. Students and researchers can use the flexible ETS database to find publisher, abstract, and availability information on most tests. Many tests can be ordered through the Tests in Microfiche collection, the ETS store, or from publishers. Access: http://www.ets.org/testcoll/index.html.
Online encyclopedia and dictionary
• Encyclopedia of Psychology. This dynamite Web site links to more than 2,000 Web sites related to all aspects of psychology. Users will find many counseling links listed under the heading “Environment Behavior Relationships” and will discover references to stress, career profiles, and tobacco cessation counseling techniques. The handy search feature assists counselors in finding links to grief and eating disorder sites. Students will find research methods under the Resources category. Access: http://www.psychology.org/.
• Online Dictionary of Mental Health. This UK source is not a traditional dictionary but more of a guide to sites “offering different viewpoints on issues in mental health.” Students will find useful information under “Ethnic Issues in Psychotherapy,” “Rational-Emotive Therapy,” and the interesting “Verbal and Emotional Abuse in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.” The global perspective of this Web site is refreshing, but the advertisements are distracting. Access: http://www.shef.ac.uk/~psysc/psychotherapy/index.html.
Web counseling
• ABC’s of Internet Therapy Guide. From the Web site Metanoia (“change of mind, turning around, to face a new direction”), this link introduces clients to all aspects of online counseling. Developed in 1995 by Martha Ainsworth, this site is no longer maintained but still contains a wealth of information on this increasingly popular form of counseling. Notable is the section on ethics as it relates to e-therapy. Access: http://www.metanoia.org/imhs/.
• Help Horizons. Touted as a “safe and supportive environment” for e-therapy, this site is designed with the needy client in mind. Based in Boston, Help Horizons lists an impressive array of properly credentialed e-therapists ready to assist at any time for a fee. The HelpMatch program seamlessly pairs clients with appropriate therapists. Also included are publications under “care topics” on depression, marriage and family, addiction and recovery, and grief. Access: http://www.helphorizons.com/.
Organizations
• American Counseling Association. The flagship professional organization has an impressively supportive Web site, which includes the online periodical Counseling Today, the ACA Code of Ethics, crisis fact sheets, and assistance in choosing a graduate program. Separate headings for students, consumers, and counselors guide users to the proper area. Access: http://www.counseling.org.
• American Psychological Association. This useful site includes the APA Help Center with articles and brochures on psychological issues; quick links for students, including the ever-popular APA style helper; and online publications consisting of the Monitor on Psychology and the Mental Health Patients’ Bill of Rights. The Online Testing and Assessment section is essential for counselors and students. Access: http://www.apa.org.
• National Board of Certified Counselors. This organization provides standards, certification, and a Code of Ethics for counselors. The section on Internet counseling is valuable as is the state credentialing boards list. Access: http://www.nbcc.org/.
E-journals
• Internet Journal of Mental Health. This peer-reviewed journal contains articles on topics ranging from HIV patient counseling to the psychological implications of neck cancer. Access: http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijmh/front.xml.
• Journal of Technology in Counseling. This online journal specializes in combining technology with counseling to produce articles on such topics as digital portfolios and distance learning. Access: http://jtc.colstate.edu/.
Note
1. Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, retrieved April 28, 2005, from www.britannica.com/dictionary.
Kristine Condic is reference coordinator in Kresge Library at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, e-mail: salomon@oakland.edu
© 2005 Kristine Condic
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Counseling
