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Organizations dedicated to mental health awareness throughout the year come to the forefront each May. During this month, they focus their efforts on reducing the stigma related to mental health by educating communities about mental illness. For this year’s Mental Health Month, organizations have created many different campaigns to spread this awareness. Counseling@Northwestern is highlighting various campaigns from mental health organizations working to improve education and reduce stigma around mental illness.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine External link , approximately 30 percent of Americans have symptoms of insomnia. Insomnia is different than occasional sleeplessness in that it can cause anxiety, depression, and disruption from everyday life. Sleep is a key component to maintaining your mental health, so as part of Mental Health Awareness Month we wanted to share advice on how to sleep better. Whether you suffer from a few nights a week of cartoon-eyed, thumb-twiddling sleeplessness or you know the entire late-night TV lineup, here are a few ways to learn how to teach yourself to sleep better.

The American Counseling Association (ACA) External link , the world’s largest association representing professional counselors in multiple practice settings, held its annual conference from March 31-April 3 in Montreal, Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).

April is counseling awareness month and the American Counseling Association (ACA) is working with more than 56,000 counselors to break stigma related to seeking mental health services. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention External link  reports that only 25 percent of adults with mental health issues believe that other people are sympathetic toward people who have mental illness, and that 57 percent of adults believe that people would be sympathetic toward people who have mental health issues. This is a clear indicator that we must educate the public about need for support and encouragement for people of all ages to seek assistance from counselors.

The Counseling@Northwestern program has received a full eight-year accreditation. This means that the program is fully CACREP accredited. It is rare for a program seeking accreditation for the first time to receive a full eight-year accreditation. This is a testament to the program’s training model and the strength of the faculty and staff. This accreditation is a clear endorsement of the quality of Counseling@Northwestern.

Choosing a specialty can be difficult, and oftentimes students are faced with the choice between clinical mental health counseling and counseling psychology. The line between the two professions appears to be blurred. If you’re undecided, this post will help you decipher the similarities and differences between the two graduate school paths.

In their role, counselors are often responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships, monitoring clients’ well-being, and working with different cultural values and confidential information. The American Counseling Association External link  (ACA) has a code of ethics to help counselors navigate the challenging and sensitive aspects of their roles.  In this post we have compiled a basic summary of the 2014 ACA code of ethics, so counselors have the foundational knowledge to work in the field confidently and ethically.

For couples who want actionable, practical advice, The Family Institute at Northwestern University publishes a “Tip of the Month” series on relationships. Based on research and clinical practices, these tips are short enough to absorb quickly and put into use immediately. Read more for a few recent tips featured in the series for maintaining a strong relationship.

Based on best clinical practices and research, these tips offer brief, actionable strategies that are applicable to everyday family challenges. Take a look at the following highlights from some of the “Tip of the Month” columns.