Toward a Culture of Counselor Wellness

Lawson, Gerard; Venart, Elizabeth; Hazler, Richard J.; Kottler, Jeffrey A.

doi:10.1002/j.2161-1939.2007.tb00022.x

Cited by 52 publications

(54 citation statements)

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“…Research suggests that when practitioners are actively taking care of themselves, they are better equipped to provide high quality care as their wellness serves as a foundation for their helping work (Lawson, Venart, Hazier, & Kottler, 2007). Even though the importance of self-care is well known, this does not necessarily mean that counsellors actually commit to their own care.…”

Section: Richardson 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, as Lawson et al (2007) reveal, it is more accurate to think of wellness and impairment as existing on the same continuum with marked stages in-between. The usefulness of this conceptualisation is that it provides a useful scale for gauging counsellors ' well-being and stress and how it may be impacting their work.…”

Section: Richardson 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Lawson et al (2007), counsellors who are well experience a balance in multiple facets of their lives, and therefore, may be best suited to provide high quality care to their clients through modelling wellness by living it. Counsellors generally move away from wellness when there are one or more stressors present in the various domains of their lives.…”

Section: Richardson 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is well known that counselling can pose both rewards and risk to helpers' well-being--counsellors get the honour of witnessing stories of growth, and transformation; yet, they are also exposed to stories of tragedy, disempowerment, and hopelessness that can drain emotional resources in both the client and the counsellor. When thinking about the field and it vast potentials, it is important to highlight that wellness and impairment should not be thought of as two separate processes.Instead, as Lawson et al (2007) reveal, it is more accurate to think of wellness and impairment as existing on the same continuum with marked stages in-between. The usefulness of this conceptualisation is that it provides a useful scale for gauging counsellors ' well-being and stress and how it may be impacting their work.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…This individualistic view falls short by not acknowledging the many systemic barriers that can impede counsellor wellness. For example, one exploratory survey conducted by Lawson et al (2007) found that counsellors not only perceived a lack of support for counsellors who are at risk, but participants also felt that it is unsafe for counsellors who were at risk to seek out support because of the fear of reprimand or stigmatization. The idea that counsellor impairment is taboo is also replicated in a study by Theriault et al (2009) which examines 9 feelings of incompetence in novice counsellors.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Helping ourselves: a mindfulness-based self-care group for novice counsellors

Robinson-Weaver¹

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The purpose of this project was to develop a self-care group for new counsellors. The first part of this project includes a literature review that explores foundation concepts including wellness, impairment, mindfulness, and self-compassion. The group outline is organized into two main parts. In the first part of the group, participants are asked to reflect on the experience of counselling. Topics covered include the wellness-impairment continuum, somatic empathy, and stress. Part two of the group focusses on wellness promotion and participants are asked to reflect upon concepts of mindfulness, self-compassion, and creative self-care. Throughout this group, new counsellors will participate in meditations, experiential activities, and discussions. The guiding principle of this group is that if new counsellors are taught tools to broaden their awareness, then they may be better able to recognise when and how they are being affected by helping and intervene with compassionate self-soothing and self-care practices. DedicationThis project is dedicated to all new helpers who understand that in order to help others we need to be able to help ourselves. Vl Part One: The Journey of the New CounsellorCounselling is a unique professional field that requires counsellors to use themselves as a tool in the therapeutic process. In order to be effective, counsellors constantly work to deepen their ability to empathically open themselves up to understanding the experiences of clients so that they can help them on their path of exploration, healing, and wellness. Helpers strive to manage their perspectives, feelings , and life stresses so that they can effectively hold present moment awareness and engage in the therapeutic process with clients. In reality, this is not an easy task and in order to learn how to effectively navigate this field, practitioners often need to deepen their commitment to understanding themselves, others, and the world.For students in counselling, the journey of becoming a counsellor can be both daunting and awe-inspiring. Speaking of my own experience, this period of development has been a time of intense growth and self-discovery, in which I have felt my awareness expanding. This awareness has broadened my self-understanding, and nurtured my appreciation for the complexity of human interactions, and human being, in general. Although I have learned many lessons, I can honestly say that developing deeper self-awareness has challenged me in many ways. The path to becoming a helper is not straight and wide-instead there are many bumps and hazards encountered along the way and this period can be associated with heightened stress, anxiety, and insecurities (Christopher & Maris, 2010; Skovholt, 2001; Theriault, Gazzola, & Richardson, 2009).Skovholt (200 1) describes many of the challenges faced by new counsellors on the road to becoming an experienced helper. The novice counsellor does not necessarily have an established helping identity, therefore, they are in essence, trekking with a crude map that c...

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Section: Richardson 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Richardson 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Richardson 2009)mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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