Wellness Model Paper

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.

“Counseling’s focus on development, prevention, wellness, and treatment makes it attractive to those seeking healthy life-stage transitions and productive lives” (pearson). In the early 1900’s, there was a movement within the counseling profession that centered on promoting the prevention and the objects that provided purpose in a person’s life. The idea was to help individuals avoid problems and “focus on wellness, development, mindfulness, meaningfulness, and remediation of mental disorders” (pearson). This was the beginning of one of the three philosophies that comprises the key philosophies of counseling.

In order for the counseling process to be effective for the client the characteristics and behaviors of the mental health counselor must be effective. To be an effective mental health counselor the process must include both the art and science of helping clients when they struggle. This paper will address both effective and ineffective characteristics of the given transcript along with an explanation of how a counselor’s characteristics or behaviors influence a session with a client.

Now that I have explained why I am interested the Capella, I will explain how my personality, beliefs, values, thoughts, and experiences influence the way I look at the world in conjunction with my role as a future professional counselor. In general, I receive satisfaction from helping others fix their own problems. As I help others, I observe various outlooks on problems and solutions that I would not have noticed alone. I think that fits with the Wellness Model, which states, “the counselor assesses client’s current functioning in several areas and helps determine which factors are interfering with the individual reaching his/her potential.” I look at my

Counseling is defined as ”the use of therapeutic strategies to help clients address personal concerns and mental health issues” (Nystul, 2016). Pursuing counseling as a career involves many years of formal study and certification or licensure. After receiving licensure to practice as a professional counselors it is a requirement to maintain involvement and certification in certain associations in order to hold your license. These association often require further education and/or professional practice in order to maintain membership in these associations. It is quite obvious that counseling requires a large amount of commitment and passion in order to pursue it as a career and maintain a title as a counselor. I have conducted an interview with a professional counselor in order to further understand the experience of being a counselor. The interview that I conducted explores the requirements of maintaining and receiving a counselling career, the experience of being a counselor, and what characteristics or skills a professional may have. The Individual who agreed to the interview was a counselor by the name of Susie Facio. Susie Facio, through this interview, will be giving us a look at what influenced her to become a counselor, what her work entails on a day to day basis, and what qualities and skills she has acquired in order to become a successful counselor.

I believe counseling is a collaborative partnership between client and counselor. Furthermore, this collaborative partnership is built from trust and acceptance of both client and counselor. I hope in conjunction with clients to understand the issues and concerns so to help them tap into their wisdom, creativity, and strengths to meet their current challenges. I believe in a comprehensive perspective through which clients can better comprehend themselves in the framework that our thinking about events can lead to emotional and behavioral upset. Moreover, counselors are to provide a safe environment for clients to explore their challenges and identify ways to move differently in overcoming these challenges.

Each person is unique with different gifts, abilities, and struggles. Counselors are committed to walk with individuals on their journeys to growth and healing without judgement.

As human being we receive and perceive information in a wide variety of different ways. The understanding of communication to one person might be the total opposite to another person. Counselors within the human service field have to obtain the abilities and skills to interact and communicate with clients in a counseling setting. In doing so a counselor has to possession ability to use verbal and non-verbal communication skills, ask open and close ended question during the sessions, use reflective techniques, and identify explorations,

Wellness is a vital aspect to the counseling profession. Lawson and Myers (2011) indicate that counselors are more susceptible to mental and emotional disorders than others within the population. Therefore, it is imperative for counselors to understand wellness and build strategies for resilience. Furthermore, wellness is the healthy balance of a person’s mind, body, and spirit. For counselors to be effective within the profession it is important for them to understand the need for wellness (Wolf, Thompson, Thompson, & Smith-Adcock, 2014). An inability to manage both personal and work life can cause burnout and affect the counselor’s wellbeing and the clients they serve (Lee, Cho, Kissinger, & Ogle, 2010). Research depicts that well counselors are more likely to promote wellness, while impaired counselors are likely to harm their clients (Lawson & Myers, 2011). Counselor educators and students are learning the importance of self-care to help maintain mental, physical, and spiritual health. Self-care is the strategy that an individual uses for relief, which include extracurricular activities that are relaxing and fun to that individual. Self-care includes healthy activities that can include sewing, gardening, exercising, and many other

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,

When attempting to identify as a professional counselor, it is important to understand the basic elements of counseling as it pertains to individual specializations. The wellness model and the key philosophies of the counseling profession: wellness, resilience and prevention are examined. The ability to articulate the roles and characteristics to understand how they relate to the different professional roles is

As a counselor, being aware of the theoretical approaches and which ones best suit your perspective on human nature, complications, and change for an individual is vital. Not only is understanding the approaches important, but the counselor’s own values and personal philosophy are equally fundamental for the counselor to do their job efficiently.

If I was a Mental Health clinician working with Paul to overcome his anxiety issues, I would also make sure to utilize a multidisciplinary team including an addictions counselor since Paul has been exhibiting signs of a drinking addiction. I would collaborate with the addictions counselor to come up with an effective treatment plan for Paul. To ensure working in a collaborative environment, I would encourage Paul to have a session with me immediately after he has his session with the addictions counselor and vice versa. This will allow both me and the addictions counselor to meet after the sessions to review everything and to share ideas with one another to see what is working and not working with Paul and to implement the next steps in the treatment process. Both the addictions counselor and I should be able to evaluate treatment outcomes and set treatment goals to ensure a full and effective prognosis for Paul. In terms of Paul’s addiction issue, I would suggest

Counseling is a relatively young profession when compared to other mental health professions. In my brief personal and professional experience with the field, I have come to define counseling as a process of engagement between two people, both of whom are bound to change through a collaborative process that involves both the therapist and the client in co-constructing solutions to concerns.

Mental health counselors must possess a strong desire to help others as well as the ability to inspire confidence, trust, and respect. Wellness and self-care