PART I: COUNSELING: A PROCESS AND A PROFESSION 1
Chapter 1: Counseling: Helping as a Professional Practice 3
Introduction 3
Helping as a Natural Human Experience 4
Counseling as a Helping Profession 5
The Formality of Professional Helping 6
Professional Helping's Expanded Goals 10
The Process of Professional Helping 13
The Focus of the Helping Process 16
The Characteristics of a Professional Counselor 18
Self-Awareness 18
Facilitative Values and Disposition Procedural Knowledge and Forward Thinking 24
Professional Identity 29
Challenges Encountered on the Road to Being a Professional:
Recognizing One's Responsibility 41
Maintaining Professional Competence 42
Employing Best Practice 42
Advocating for Improved Quality of Life 42
Fostering Improvement of Counseling as a Practice and Profession 43
Taking Care of Self 43
Counseling Keystones 43
Additional Resources 44
References 44
Chapter 2: Counseling: The Practice of Facilitating Change 49
Introduction 49
Counseling: An Intentional Process of Change 50
Elements of the Counseling Process 54
A Caveat 54
The Elements 56
Working Jointly 59
Discovering the Client: Needs, Goals, and Resources 63
A Plan, a Strategy, and Then Action 67
Case Conceptualization 68
The Treatment Plan 71
The Organic and Dynamic Nature of Helping 72
Change: Movement Along a Continuum 74
A Continuum of Change 74
Counselor Interventions Along the Continuum of Change 75
The Fluidity of Stages 81
Challenges Encountered: Counseling Is Not Formulaic 81
Working With Children 81
Counseling Clients With a Multicultural Background 82
Working With Reluctant or Resistant Clients 85
Counseling Keystones 87
Additional Resources 88
References 88
PART II: THE ELEMENTS AND DYNAMICS OF COUNSELING 91
Chapter 3: The Counseling Relationship: A Unique Social Encounter 93
Introduction 93
Counseling: More Than a Social Encounter 94
The Counseling Relationship: Intentionally Created and Purposively
Directed 94
Setting the Stage 95
The What, Why, and How of a Working Alliance 99
The What: Characteristics of a Working Alliance 99
The Why: Understanding the Value of and Need for a Working Alliance 100
The How: Counselor Disposition and Skills Necessary for Creating and Maintaining a Working Alliance 101
Counselor Attitudes and Dispositions Supporting a Working Alliance 101
Counselor Skills of Communicating Genuineness, Nonjudgment, and Empathetic Understanding 107
Challenges to the Development and Maintenance of a Counseling Relationship 120
Challenges Emanating From the Client 120
Challenges Emanating From the Counselor 122
Challenges Emanating From the Client–Counselor Dynamic 123
Counseling Keystones 123
Additional Resources 124
Readings 124
Web Resources 125
References 125
Chapter 4: Identifying What Is: Probing the Client's Issues 129
Introduction 129
The Obvious Is Not Always So Obvious 130
Moving Toward Intimate Disclosure 130
Exception to "Normal" Progression of Disclosure 134
Skills Used in Identifying the What Is 135
Questioning 135
Encouraging 139
Clarifying 141
Challenging 142
Summarizing 143
Informing 148
Interpreting 152
Moving From the Facts of the Story to the Meaning 156
Focusing the Client Inward 157
Probing for Meaning 157
From What Is to What Is Desired 161
Counseling Keystones 161
Additional Resources 162
Readings 162
Web Resources 162
References 163
Chapter 5: Goal Setting: Identifying What Is Desired 165
Introduction 165
Why Goals? 166
Goals: Clear, Concrete, and Achievable 167
Specifi city 168
Measurability 168
Attainability 170
Result 170
Time 170
Gain 171
Optimism 173
Appropriateness 175
Legitimate 177
Simplicity 178
Change Model and Goal Setting 179
Special Challenges and Considerations 180
Client's Constricted Views 180
Client's Confusing Strategy With Goals 181
Not Knowing Where to Start 182
Moving On to Strategies 182
Counseling Keystones 183
Additional Resources 183
References 184
Chapter 6: Moving From What Is to What Is Desired 185
Introduction 185
Intervention Planning: Not Static, Nor a One-Time Event 186
The Use of Theory and Research as Guides to Intervention Planning 186
Theories: Framework for Making Meaning 187
Theories: All Equally Valuable and Useful? 187
Theories of Counseling: A Rich History 188
Contemporary Theories 188
A Model of Change and Goal Achievement 190
Identifying Pathways to Client Goals 190
Working With Exceptions 191
Brainstorming Creative Options 193
Assessing Possible Pathways 193
Implementing a Plan 204
Challenges to Progress 209
Client Resistance 209
Clients With Special Needs 210
Clients Exhibiting Reactance 210
Counseling Keystones 211
Additional Resources 212
References 212
Chapter 7: Practice Accountability: An Ethical Mandate and a Practice Necessity 215
Introduction 215
The Practical and Ethical Impetus to Practice Assessment 219
Responding to Stakeholders 219
Professional Identity 220
Ethical Response 221
Assessing the Progress and Outcome of Counseling 221
Formative Assessment 222
Summative Evaluations and Outcome Measurement 227
Assessment as a Guide to Practice Decisions 232
Supervision 232
Referral 232
Termination 236
Challenges to Accountability 238
Human Complexity 239
Defi ning Issues and Outcome 239
No Consensus 241
Limited Training in and Valuing of Accountability and Outcome Assessment 242
Counseling Keystones 243
Additional Resources 243
Readings 243
Web Resources 244
References 244
PART III: COUNSELOR AS PROFESSIONAL 249
Chapter 8: Counselor Competence: An Ethical Precondition to Successful Intervention 251
Introduction 251
Education, Training, and Supervision: Fundamental to Competence 252
Education and Training: The Fundamentals 253
Supervision: Facilitating Movement of Student to Professional 262
Working With Qualifi ed Professional Supervisors 262
Peer Consultation: Supporting Competence 263
Continuing Education: Avoiding Technical Obsolescence 266
Best Practice as Evidence Based 267
Evidence-Based Practice: A Matter of Ethics 267
From Theory to Empirically Supported and Evidence-Based Techniques 268
A Final Thought 269
Counseling Keystones 269
Additional Resources 270
Readings 270
Web Resources 270
References 271
Chapter 9: Care for the Counselor 273
Introduction 273
Professional Burnout 274
Causes 274
Warning Signs 276
Prevention and Intervention 278
Compassion Fatigue 280
Symptoms 280
Causes 282
Prevention and Intervention 283
Personal Well-Being: Fundamental to Competence 284
Counseling Keystones 285
Additional Resources 289
Readings 289
Web Resource 290
References 290
Chapter 10: The Unfolding Professional Identity 293
Introduction 293
The Why of Professional Identity 294
Value for the Individual Counselor 294
Value for the Counseling Profession 294
The What of Professional Identity 295
History 295
Philosophical Foundations 296
Roles and Functions 301
Advocacy and Professionalism 302
Ethics 305
Professional Pride 306
Developing Counselor Professional Identity 307
Assessing Unfolding Professional Identity 308
Counseling Keystones 311
Additional Resources 312
Professional Associations 312
Readings 312
References 312
PART IV: APPLYING WHAT WE KNOW 315
Chapter 11: Samantha: Finding It Hard to Say Goodbye 317
Background 317
What Happened? 321
First Session: Initial Contact 321
Conclusion 332
Chapter 12: Jamal: The Gym Teacher's Concern 333
Background 333
Precontact Preparation 335
Initial Contact 335
Session II 344
Conclusion 348
Chapter 13: Mrs. Ayame Hoshi: Feeling as Half of A Person 349
Background 349
Intake Session 350
Summary of Middle of the Session 355
Employing Cognitive Intervention 355
Conclusion 360
Final Thoughts 360
Epilogue: From the Authors' Chairs 363
