For counseling students and professionals, the following are five great TED talks for counselors that are both educational and inspiring. With the talks ranging from suicide and depression to stress and autism, the following talks are sure to provide some very intriguing insights from professionals on the cutting edge of ideas related to the counseling profession.
1. Kelly McGonigal: How to Make Stress Your Friend
Although stress has continually been declared the ultimate enemy for good health, new research indicates that stress may only be detrimental when viewed as such. Therefore, psychologist Kelly McGonigal explores how to see stress in a more positive way and develop stronger mechanisms for reducing the risk of stress-related health issues.
2. Eleanor Longden: The Voices in My Head
Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a college student, ,Eleanor Longden tells her moving story of being hospitalized and drugged in a mental health system that tossed her aside as well as her inspiring tale of how she got back on the journey towards mental health in order to survive the voices in her head.
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3. JD Schramm: Break the Silence for Suicide Attempt Survivors
With many individuals suffering in silence that leads some to take their lives into their own hands, JD Schramm implores counseling professionals to break the silence surrounding suicide attempts so that there will be increased efforts to supply essential resources to help these vulnerable beings survive.
4. Leslie Morgan Steiner: Why Domestic Violence Victims Don’t Leave
Speaking from the viewpoint of a woman who was madly in love with a man who regularly beat her and threatened to end her life, Leslie Morgan Steiner tells her dark tale with the goal of correcting the various misconceptions surrounding domestic violence and breaking the silence for abuse victims.
5. Temple Grandin: The World Needs All Kinds of Minds
As a woman who was diagnosed with autism as a young child, Temple Grandin shares how her mind works and talks about her unique ability to think in pictures. Therefore, she makes the argument that the world benefits from individuals on the autism spectrum who have exceptional talents that neurotypical brains are incapable of.
6. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore: The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain
Focused on explaining why adolescents are more impulsive and less self-aware than adults, cognitive neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore demonstrates how the prefrontal cortex of the developing adolescent brain is typically to blame for common “teenage” behavior issues.
7. Helen Fisher: The Brain in Love
In an effort to better understand why human beings crave romantic love as a physical need, anthropologist Helen Fisher presents her research findings on the anatomy of love by demonstrating the MRI scans of people in love compared to those who had just experienced heartbreak.
8. Andrew Solomon: Depression, the Secret We Share
Taking viewers to the deepest and darkest corners of his mind during the years that he fought the battle against depression, writer Andrew Solomon talks about his worldwide journey interviewing individuals with depression and their moving stories that they were so quick to share.
9. Becky Blanton: The Year I Was Homeless
Living in her van for over a year after losing her freelance job and battling depression, journalist Becky Blanton shares an intimate talk about her experience with becoming one of the millions of working homeless individuals throughout the United States.
10. David R. Dow: Lessons From Death Row Inmates
With a history of defending more than 100 death row inmates in his 20 year career, David R. Dow devises a bold new plan to prevent murderers from committing the crime in the first place in a solid effort to reducing the number of death penalty cases.
See also: Characteristics of a Narcissist
One of the best things about TED talks is that they encourage viewers to look at a common problem or concept in a new un-chartered way. From some of the greatest minds, these ten TED talks for counselors explore some of the fundamental issues of our world in an intensely personable form.