Benefits Of Using Taking Care Of The Self Or Self Sufficiencies Approaches That Encourage Therapist Physical And Psychological Wellbeing

Rogers worked with many others in developing the idea that clients could heal themselves, if only the therapist provided ‘facilitative’ or core conditions of, ‘empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard.’

The philosophy that underlies the counseling profession is unique among mental health professionals. According to Remley & Herlihy (2014), the philosophy is made up of four components. First, counselor 's view mental health challenges through a positive, wellness-oriented lens. The primary goal of the wellness model is for the client to achieve the highest degree of mental health possible. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers follow the medical model of mental health. The goal of these clinicians is to cure the client’s illness, which differs drastically from counselor’s view of clients.

Working in the helping field has its many joys and privileges. Seeing a child, whose self esteem is at the bottom, light up when he/she accomplishes a new task, see the growth an alcohol and drug addict has made in treatment, or to see the family, that when they entered the door of your office, was on the verge of separation, but now are communicating and working out their own needs with little assistance from you, their therapist, is some of the most rewarding moments one can experience. However, to believe that life is all about these positive moments and that the battles you join in with others to overcome will not have an impact on you

Self-care, by definition, is to take care of oneself without professional supervision (Self-care, n.d.). It is imperative for both seasoned as well as upcoming counselors to understand this term and how it should be applied in the field of Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In order for the counselor to benefit from this knowledge he or she must understand several aspects related to self-care strategies. To name a few are as follows; successful adherence to a self-care plan, personal development theory as it relates to supervision or mentoring, and understanding the qualities that lead to a therapeutic self.

The therapist’s function is to aid the client in the exploration and discovery of his or her own inner resources.”

There are two specific empirically supported wellness models which influence the field of counseling and counselors’ work with clients: the so-called Wheel of Wellness as well as the model of the Indivisible Self (as cited in Myers & Sweeney, 2008, p. 483). The goal of a counselor’s work with clients is to help the latter achieve a state of optimal wellbeing which consists of an equilibrium between physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health (Myers & Sweeney,

Working as a therapist can be exhausting, but yet, rewarding at the same time. As a therapist we deal with daily encounters of other people’s lives, issues, problems etc. Taking multiple cases of providing therapeutic interventions has an effect on the human body and the psyche. The wear and tear over time begins to haunt us without recognizing how neglectful we can be towards ourselves because our focus is for the sake of other people’s sanity. The profession is hard, and can be detrimental to professionals who do not take care of themselves. Self-care is an important aspect when working as a therapist. Our health, mental health, spiritual values, etc. should matter just as the client’s health, mental health and spiritual values matters

Therapeutic relationship is defined as the collaboration and attachment between the client and therapist that focuses on meeting the health care needs of the client (Bordin, 1979). In this relationship, the therapist without prejudice shows Empathy, insight, understanding and acceptance of the client. Duan and Hill (1996) defined Empathy as “feeling into” the experience of the client. Over the years, the research evidence keeps piling up, and indicating a high degree of Empathy in a Therapeutic relationship is possibly one of the most potent factors in bringing about positive outcome in the therapy

Because mental health counselors are susceptible to burnout, which may negatively affect their clients, it is ethically imperative that they practice self-care. There is a growing body of research supporting the positive effects of mindfulness in facilitating counselor effectiveness, but little is known about the link between the practice of mindfulness and the rate of counselor burnout. The research proposal discussed in this article seeks to examine the link between mindfulness and counselors’ ability to practice effectively without experiencing

Counselor impairment can be caused by multiple factors. Vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and professional burnout associated with impairment, because it can changes the way the counselor thinks and behaves in maladaptive ways (Newell, Gordon & MacNeil, 2010; Kadambi, 2004). All counselors have a legal and ethically responsibility to prevent this form happening (ACA, 2014; LPC Act, 2014; State of Oklahoma, 2007). Although there is some research on how to identified vicarious trauma, there is still a void cohesive preventive treatment compared to the need (Newell, Gordon & MacNeil, 2010). Professionally, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and professional burnout is high risk for affecting highly trained, previously competent counselors (ACA, 2014; LPC Act, 2014; State of Oklahoma, 2007). This issue should be at a high priority level for counselor, because it can change thinking processes (Newell, Gordon & MacNeil, 2010; Kadambi, 2004). Therefore, it can alter client’s care significantly. However, the counselors have to know the concepts associated with negate impairment and know preventive measures (ACA, 2014; LPC Act, 2014; State of Oklahoma, 2007).

This application paper will discuss my personal theory of counseling or psychotherapy in a number of different areas. Specifically, I will discuss the seven areas of interest. First, I will discuss and describe

There are many values this writer wishes to incorporate into a counseling relationship. The fundamental values this writer wishes to incorporate are: flexibility, self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy. The ability to be flexible and alter what one does in order to fit the client’s needs is crucial to establishing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship. Flexibility can be demonstrated in many different ways, such as the way the therapist interacts with the client, the tone of voice that is utilized, down to the way the therapist provides material to the client. In being flexible, treatment is able to remain focused on the client and his or her needs (Egan, 2014).

Licensed professional counselors have a unique occupation in that not only do they interact with their clients on a highly personal level, but they also momentarily share their client’s burdens, worries, and concerns. This vicarious aspect of counseling creates the possibility for a counselor to continue sharing the client’s troubles long after the session has ended. According to Norcross and Guy (2007), “The person of the psychotherapist is inextricably intertwined with treatment success” (p. 2) meaning that if we desire more positive outcomes than negative ones we must figuratively become one with our clients. Due to this fact, “self-care is not simply a personal matter but also an ethical necessity, a moral imperative” (p. 6). If we fail to leave work at work at the day’s end, then other facets of our lives are in jeopardy of becoming tainted.

Yalom, Y.D. (2009). The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients: Harper Perennial

The purpose of this assignment is to review the case study of the therapeutic session of Dr Carl Rogers and his client, Gloria. I will give a brief account of the presenting problem and some theory of Person Centred Therapy to enable me to observe and analyse the techniques used as a strategy to self actualisation. Using transcripts, I will identify some of these skills and observe how effective they were by observing Gloria. I will discuss my opinion of the counselling session and evaluate Dr Rogers’ strengths and weaknesses. In closing I will provide my thoughts as to how he could have improved the therapy.