.

Dictionary of Initials, Acronyms and Abbreviations Used by Counselors©

---

To find your acronym, click on the first letter of the initials/abbreviation below:

| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Check other Acronym Dictionaries

-S-

SA = (1.) Sexaholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop lusting and become sexually sober.  (2.) sexual assault. (3.) single adult. (4.) social anxiety. (5.) student assistant or student association.

SAA = Sex Addicts Anonymous, a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other so they may overcome their sexual addiction and help others recover from sexual addiction or dependency. [see also, SCA, below.]

SAC = 1. substance abuse counselor, 
2. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, official quarterly journal of the National Council on Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity.

SAD = 1. Seasonal Affective Disorder  is an annual winter depression, first noticed by doctors 150 years ago.  This is depression due to the lack of sunlight from November through March.  It is often treated with exposure to intense light from "light boxes." 2. Social Anxiety Disorder, not to be confused with shyness, is the most common of the anxiety disorders. It is also known as "social phobia."

SALIS = Substance Abuse Librarians & Information Specialists is an international association of individuals and organizations with special interests in the exchange and dissemination of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug information.

SAMHDA = The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive is an initiative of the Office of Applied Studies at the SAMHSA (below). 

SAMHSA= Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

SAP =   Substance Abuse Professional (a national certification) is defined by US Department of Transportation rules to be a licensed physician (Medical Doctor or Doctor of Osteopathy), a licensed or certified psychologist, a licensed or certified social worker, or a licensed or certified employee assistance professional (EAP). In addition, alcohol and drug abuse counselors certified by the NAADAC Certification Commission, a national organization that imposes qualification standards for treatment of alcohol-related disorders, are included in the SAP definition. All must have knowledge of and clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse-related disorders (the degrees and certificates alone do not confer this knowledge).

SAPST = Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Trainings

SARS = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, believed to have is appeared in China in November 2002 and now being spread by air travel to other areas. Criteria for SARS are specific, and are as follows:  Respiratory illness of unknown etiology with onset since February 1, 2003, AND the following criteria:  Measured temperature >100.4 °F (>38° C),  One or more clinical findings of respiratory illness (e.g. cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, hypoxia, or radiographic findings of either pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome),  Travel within 10 days of onset of symptoms to an area with suspected or documented community transmission of SARS (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Guangdong province, Peoples' Republic of China; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Singapore) OR Close contact* within 10 days of onset of symptoms with either a person with a respiratory illness and travel to a SARS area or a person under investigation or suspected of having SARS. (*Close contact is defined as having cared for, having lived with, or having had direct contact with respiratory secretions and /or body fluids of a patient suspected of having SARS). [Source: Seattle-King County Public Health, March, 2003.]

SASH = Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health offers hope and valuable resources to those seeking information about sexual addiction.

SCA =  (1.) Seattle Counselors Association, PO Box 58530, Seattle, Washington 98138.  Membership is open to counselors from all fields and backgrounds.  Seattle Counseling Association meets at the Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Avenue North in Seattle on the third Friday of each month (except December, July, and August) from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Visitors welcome. (2.) Sexual Compulsives Anonymous, a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other, that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from sexual compulsion.

S.CAP or SCAP = Society of Credentialed Addiction Professionals

SCAPE = Society for Counselling and Psychotherapy Educators (Australia).

SC-C = Spiritual Counselor, Certified. Offered by AICHP, the certification does not require a degree. Applicants must complete a minimum of 340 hours of university and college based courses, continuing education seminars, retreats, self-study and distance learning programs, etc. completed within a five year period prior to the date of application. [Thanks to Rita McFadden Lofgren.]  (re: reincarnation and past lives regression.)

ScD = Doctor of Science, a degree offered by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health, Behavior and Society.

SCD = Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a strict grain-free, lactose-free, and sucrose-free dietary regimen intended for those suffering from Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease, IBD, and IBS.

SCHIP = States Children's Health Insurance Program (also known as Title XXI).

SCID-D = Structured Clinical Interview for Dissociative Disorders

SCiP = Society for Computers in Psychology

SCLH = Student Contact Learning Hours, ICF Credentialing Program

ScM = Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is designed to prepare graduates to provide genetic counseling with an emphasis on clients’ psychological and educational needs. The two-and-a-half-year, full-time program also requires a minimum of 400 contact hours of supervised clinical rotations in a variety of settings beginning in the second term of the program and required throughout.

SDAADA = South Dakota Association for Adult Development and Aging shares information, training and advocacy related to adult development and aging issues.

SDACES = South Dakota Association Counselor Education and Supervision emphasizes the need for quality education and supervision of counselors for all work settings.

SDCA = South Dakota Counselors Association is a branch of the American Counseling Association and is the parent organization for a network of professional counselors in six areas of specialty and 10 Chapters.

SDECCA = South Dakota Employment and Career Counselors Association promotes career development for people of all ages through public information.

SDFSA = Safe and Drug Free Schools Act

SDICA = South Dakota Indian Counselors Association strives to improve cultural empathy and understanding of Native Americans by educating other professionals and the public.

SDMHCA = South Dakota Mental Health Counselors Association, a division of the South Dakota Counselors Association.

SDSCA = South Dakota School Counselors Association promotes professional school counseling activities that affect personal, educational and career development of students.

SERS = School Employees' Retirement System

SFA = Stuttering Foundation of America

SGSE = same-gender-spousal-equivalent, designates a committed relationship with a person of the same sex, possibly formalized by an exchange of vows in a "commitment ceremony" before friends, often involving an exchange of rings.  It indicates "this is someone who would be my spouse were it not for laws prohibiting same-sex marriage." [Thanks to the Carolyn Hax column, Seattle P-I, 2/9/05.]

SHEN = Seattle Hakomi Educational Network is a branch of the Hakomi Education Network (HEN), an international community of teachers dedicated to sharing the essence of Hakomi through a variety of experiential workshops and trainings.

SIARI = self injury and related issues  "(a.k.a self-harm, self-mutilation, self-abuse, self-inflicted violence, self-injury, and cutting)"

SIG = special interest group

SIN = Canadian Social Insurance Number (Paying sin taxes has a completely different meaning in the US, where is refers to taxes imposed on cigarettes, liquor, etc.)

SITE = Sequential Initiating Tracking and Enhancing skills are counseling microskills used in the "responsive therapy" approach [Responsive Therapy: A Systematic approach to Counseling Skills, by Sterling Gerber (2003) Houghton Miffin]

16PF® Questionnaire = sixteen personality factors questionnaire: "a scientifically-sound assessment of adult personality....currently in its fifth edition, is more than fifty years old and used worldwide with Web-enabled access and availability in nearly 40 languages." [The National Certified Counselor, Vol 22, No 3, Fall 2006.]  (See: IPAT)

SLCP = Seattle Lesbian Cancer Project

SMC-C = Stress Management Consultant, Certified. A certification available through AIHCP. [Thanks to Raymond M. Fox, GC-C, SMC-C.]

SMH = Seattle Mental Health

SMHAIA = Senior Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2001, [same as The Medicare Mental Health Modernization Act of 2001]

SMHI = Seattle Mental Health Institute , obsolete name for SMH, above. 

SMHO = Survey of Mental Health Organizations, General Hospital Mental Health Services, and Managed Care Organizations Survey [Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration]

SMI = serious mental illness "is defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorder that met the criteria found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 4th edition (DSM-IV) and resulted in functional impairment that substantially interfered with or limited one or more major life activities."  ["The Advocate," page 4, April 2005,  a publication of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.]

SNAP = Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests a self-help organization of men and women who were sexually abused by spiritual elders (Catholic priests, brothers, nuns, ministers, teachers, etc).

SOAP notes = documentation in the client chart using the format, [S]. subjective observations, followed by [O]. objective observations, [A]. assessment, and finally [P]. plan for treatment.

SOAR = Survivors Of Abuse in Religion is an email and web-based support group for survivors, dedicated to self-healing. Its world-wide membership  includes victims of many denominations and religious groups.

SOC = 1.) Standard Occupational Classification, is used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the US Department of Labor to classify job titles, especially with reference to whether jobs are in demand or decline in specific geographic areas.  2.) Stages of Change, the concept that  the person making a change in his life habits will  proceed through predictable stages.  Counseling techniques must be adapted to the client's current stage of change to be effective. Based on the book, "Changing for Good," by James O. Prochaska,, Ph.D. et al (Paperback - September 1995)

SOHO = small office / home office entrepreneurs contribute more than one trillion dollars to the U.S. economy and provide more jobs than America's large corporations.

SOICC = State Occupational Information Coordinating Committees represent state agencies concerned with job training, vocational and technical education, employment security, vocational rehabilitation, economic development, higher education and related matters. See also: NOICC. [Thanks to NBCC NewsNotes, Volume 13, Number 4, Spring 1997, National Board for Certified Counselors.]

SOPHE = Society for Public Health Education

SOTP = fully certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider (see also ASOTP)

SOTS = Sexual Offender Treatment Specialist, a training facility certification being offered by Ohio University.

SPA = Social Phobics Anonymous

SPMI = Serious and persistent mental illness.

SRA = 1. Satanic Ritual Abuse (a largely discredited concept.)
2. Sentencing Reform Act, passed by the Washington State Legislature in 1981 to develop a determinate sentencing system for adult felonies.

SROS = Services Research Outcomes Study is a client follow up of persons admitted to drug abuse treatment [Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.]

SS = safe sex, safer sex, safety systems, Selective Service, self-service, shelter supervisor, sliding scale, social science, Social Security, social studies, special studies, staff specialist, standard score [and many more meanings].

SSDS = sudden sniffing death syndrome 

SSI = Supplemental Security Income  A Federal need-based disability benefits program which provides monthly payments to persons who are aged, blind, or disabled established by Title XVI of the Social Security Act.  SSI is administered by the Social Security Administration and requires a "means test" for eligibility, including a limit on current assets. Qualification for SSI often is used to establish Medicaid eligibility by the state.

SSNA = Social Support Networking Alliance, a list of local and international groups for people concerned about Herpes, Human Papillomavirus (Genital Warts) and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Their goal is to broaden your search for support and social groups for all sexually transmitted diseases. The STD Social Groups and the STD Support Groups are listed in Alphabetical Order with foreign countries listed ahead of the United States.

SSODA = Special Sex Offender Disposition Alternative, a program offering treatment as an alternative to a jail sentence for sex offenders.  (See also: SSOSA, below.)

SSOSA = Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative  was created by the Washington State Legislature in 1986 as a treatment-oriented sanction available under limited circumstances. Before the court may impose SSOSA, the offender must be evaluated and found amenable to treatment. The court is required to consider the victim's opinion on whether the treatment alternative is appropriate and must also find that the offender and the community will benefit from it. [Thanks to Dave Ruzumna of the Anderson Law Group] (See: Department of Corrections study of SSOSA, also see: Washington State Sex Offender Treatment Programs on this site.)

SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The original SSRI was Prozac. The SSRI’s are the newest class of antidepressants, relatively quick acting and with fewer side effects than the older antidepressants. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter associated with mood. SSRI’s are used to treat "mood disorders" such as anxiety and depression. [Thanks to Lisa Erickson, Seattle therapist.]

SSSS = Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (founded in 1957 to encourage the systematic investigation of sexuality.)  See also FSSS.

SSWS = the School Social Work Specialist credential is a specialty certification acronym of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).  After June 2000, the SSWS credential is no longer offered.  NASW continues to recognize and renew the credential for those who had already passed the exam, so long as they continue to meet renewal criteria and keep the credential current. New applicants can ONLY apply for the certification, "C-SSWS." [Thanks to Susan B. Merrick, ACSW, Senior Staff Associate, Credentialing Center, National Association of Social Workers, 1-800-638-8799, Ext. 262.]

STD or STDs = sexually transmitted disease(s)

STS = secondary traumatic stress, also known as "compassion fatigue" or "vicarious traumatization," the stress felt by those --including counselors--treating those with primary trauma.  [Thanks to American Mental Health Counselors Association "The Advocate" Volume 25, No.1. Jan/Feb 2002.]

SUD = substance use disorder, the term and acronym appears frequently in discussing adolescent drug use [ie: "Adolescents with substance use disorders (SUD) especially exhibit a high prevalence of psychiatric problems compared to the general population," Ramon Solhkhah, M.D. in Substance Abuse and Co-Existing Psychiatric Disorders.]

SWAN = Social Work Access Network

SWES = Social Work Examination Services, Inc.

SWLLS = Satisfaction With Love Life Scale, has five items rated on a seven-point scale referring to "my love life," developed by Felix Neto, well-known love and life satisfaction researcher. The SWILLS was included in an April 2005 article in Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development (pages 2 to 13). [Thanks to Susan X Day, in her "Innovation in Counseling" column in the June 2005 issue of Counseling Today, a publication of the American Counseling Association.]

Continue to "T" Acronyms  >>

To top

Like to suggest another counseling-related acronym?   Tell us about it.

---

Search WWW Search CounselingSeattle.com

---

   

This document is Copyrighted© 1999-2005 Floyd Else, MA, and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part without prior written permission of the author except when single definitions are credited to the author, source and site name. [Floyd Else, Dictionary of Initials, Acronyms and Initials Used by Counselors and Social Workers, CounselingSeattle.com]  All rights reserved.

The names of individuals may appear after certain definitions to indicate a contribution to this dictionary of initials and abbreviations.

| |  Contact Us  | | 
| |  CounselingSeattle.com  | |  Counselor Initials & Acronyms  | |  Recommended Books  | |  Consumer Questions  | |  Government Sites  | |  Consumer Alerts  | |  Seattle Counselors Association  | |  Site Map | |  Resource Index | |  Professional Organizations | |  Support Groups | |  Client Problems | | Services for Disabled Persons   | | 
 

| |  Return To Top: counselor - therapist initials starting with "S"  | |