The Devaluation of Inner Subjective Experiences by the Counseling Profession: A Plea to Reclaim the Essence of the Profession

Abstract

Historically, counseling practice has emphasized understanding the inner subjective experiences (ISE) of counseling clientele. In the last several decades, however, the counseling profession has gradually devalued ISE. In this article, the author traces this devaluation of ISE in counseling. Underlying professional motives for the decline of interest in ISE are proposed, and reasons that ISE must be revalued are specified.

Counseling Theories Within a Postmodernist Epistemology: New Roles for Theories in Counseling Practice

“…However, there are important theoretical differences between humanism and postmodernism (Hansen, 2005b). For instance, a central premise of humanism is that counselors should strive to achieve accurate empathic identification of clients' experiences (Hansen, 2000(Hansen, , 2005aRogers, 1951Rogers, , 1957. Postmodernism, alternatively, posits that experience is always linguistically cocreated within the counseling relationship and does not reside within the skull of the client, waiting to be discovered (McNamee, 1996).…”

“…Notably, the egalitarianism and emphasis on human meaning systems fostered by a repositioning of counseling theories within a postmodernist epistemology, are, in some respects, similar to the traditional values of humanism, which also highlights the importance of subjective reality construction and the counselor and client as equal partners in the counseling relationship (Hansen, 2000(Hansen, , 2005aRogers, 1961). However, there are important theoretical differences between humanism and postmodernism (Hansen, 2005b).…”

Relational and Transcendental Humanism: Exploring the Consequences of a Thoroughly Pragmatic Humanism

“…in terms of practice, humanistic theorists have highlighted particular conditions that are necessary and sufficient to facilitate the emergence of an optimal counseling relationship (Rogers, 1957). Theoretically, the idealization of an authentic relationship is derived from the humanistic emphasis on antireductionism (Hansen, 2005a;matson, 1971).…”

Counseling and Psychoanalysis: Advancing the Value of Diversity

“…During the mid-20th century, counseling began to identify with psychological humanism, particularly in its Rogerian form (Hansen, 2005). Humanism, like vocational guidance, is grounded in modernism because of the humanistic emphasis on using empathic responsiveness to find objective truths about in-dividual selves (Hansen, 2000(Hansen, , 2002.…”