Wellness Approaches In Counseling

Wellness Approaches in Counseling

John Baptist Advanced Theories of Counseling Spring 2024 St. Mary's University San Antonio, TX

Objectives

• Define Wellness Approach
• Distinguish between Clinical Model and Wellness Model
• Identify Prominent Wellness Models
• Explore the Indivisible Self Model
• Identify the Major Assuptions of Wellness Approach
• Understand Clients' Worldview through the Lens of Wellness Approach
• Engage in a Wellness Exercise - Wellness Worksheet

What is one thing that makes you feel alive and content?

“Recovery is a deeply personal, unique process of (re)gaining physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional balance when one encounters illness, crisis, or trauma...while adjusting attitudes, beliefs, and sometimes both life roles and goals”.

(Swarbrick, 2006)

Wellness approach

• Wellness approach is distinct from the medical model of treating illnesses. Wellness is a strength-focused approach to mental health care (Smith, 2001).
• Wellness is holistic and multi-dimensional, and includes physical, emotional, intellectual, social, environmental, and spiritual dimensions (Swarbrick, 2006).

Wellness model

Medical Model

• A focus on health, strengths, and personal responsibility
• Focuses on the person and overall growth
• Individuals seen in terms of their totality
• People’s interests, skills, abilities, and potential are honored in recovery and growth
• Focus on strengths supports recovery and alleviates the burdens of mental illness or crisis
• Health management
• Focus on “quality of life”
• Wellness-based model

• A focus on dependence and illness
• Narrowly focuses on symptom reduction, rapid stabilization, and intervention
• Individuals seen in terms of their illness
• People’s interests, skills, abilities, and potential are overlooked in recovery and growth
• Narrow focus on limitations often exacerbates the mental illness or crisis
• Illness management
• Focus on “getting ok”
• Deficiency-based model

(Swarbrick, 2006)

Prominent Wellnes Models

Major Proponents

Six Dimension Model (Hettler, 1977)

• Conscious, self-directed, and evolving process of achieving full potential
• Multi-dimensional and holistic
• Encompassing lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment

Wellness Continuum (Ryan & Travis, 1981)

Continuum from illness to wellness. Process of integration characterized by awareness, education, and growth.

• High Level Wellness (Ardell, 1986)

A lifestyle which is consciously chosen and intended to bring about optimal health and life satisfaction.

High Level Wellness Model

Meeting basic needs

Personal responsibility

• Sensible and serene

Physically fit

Having a good time

Openness

Fortunately employed

The Indivisible Self (Myers & Sweeney, 2005)

The Indivisible Self

A way of life oriented toward optimal health and well-being, in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life more fully within the human and natural community.

• The Indivisible model is based on Adler’s Individual Psychology and is a refinement of the Wheel of Wellness model by Sweeny and Witmer. Adler proposed three major life tasks of work, friendship, and love.
• Mosak and Dreikurs (1967) added two additional tasks of self and spirit as integral to understanding Adlerian theory.

• Adler proposed that holism (the indivisibility of self) and purposiveness were central to understanding human behavior
• Whole rather than the elements
• The Indivisible Self model: one higher order factor, five second order factors, 17 third order factors, and contextual variables

1. The Essential Self

Spirituality

self-care

Title here

gender identity

cultural identity

2. Creative Self

3. Coping Self

Realistic beliefs

leisure

Title here

stress management

self-worth

4. The Social Self

love

Friendship

5. The Physical Self

loe

Nutrition

Exercise

Contextual Variables

Institutional Contexts

Global Contexts

Local Contexts

Chronometrical

Education, religion, government, business and industry, and the media

People change over time – Perpetual, Positive, Purposeful

Politics, culture, global events, the environment

Families, neighborhoods, communities

Major Assumptions

+info

Major Assumptions

Major Assumptions

Major Assumptions

Major Assumptions

Major Assumptions

Major Assumptions

Major Assumptions

The Wellness Approach & Clients' Worldview

Informal Approach

Formal Approach

• The Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle Inventory (WEL)
• The Five Factor Wellness Inventory (5F-Wel)

• Conversation
• Clinical interview
• Lickert Scale

Helps to Explore a Client's

• Areas of concern
• Areas of wellness
• Strengths, potentials, hobbies, creativities, spirituality, and other positive aspects
• External contexts and thier impact
• Level of positivity, intentionality, and consistency
• Ways to integrate and move toward holistic health

Wellness Application in Counseling

Exercise: Wellness Worksheet

Life of Wholeness

Medical model is relevant when the damage is done to an individual. Whereas, Wellness model is preventive and growth oriented. The wellness approach is beneficial for counselors and clients. It helps them to look at life, including the rough side, with a holistic vision, capitalizing on their strengths and aspirations to live rich, meaningful, and whole life.

Discovering Wholeness

“Human brokenness is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery and instrument through which we discover wholeness" (Baptist, 2021).

References

• Baptist, (2001). Brokenness to wholeness. Media House.
• Hollingsworhth, M. A. (2015). Wellness: Paradigm for training and practice. Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/article_39835c21f16116603abcacff0000bee5e7.pdf

• Myers, J. E., & Sweeney, T. J. (2005). The indivisible self: An evidence-based model of wellness (reprint). The Journal of Individual Psychology, 61(3), 269–279.
• Smith, H. (2001). Professional identity for counselors. In D. C. Locke, J. E. Myers, & E. H. Herr (Eds.), The handbook of counseling (pp. 569-580). Sage Publications.
• Swarbrick, M. (2006). A wellness approach. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 29(4), 311–314. https://doi-org.blume.stmarytx.edu/10.2975/29.2006.311.314
• Sweeney, T. J., & Myers, J. E. (2005). Conunseling for Wellness. In J. E. Myers & T. J. Sweeney (Eds.), Counseling for wellness: Theory, research, and practice (pp.185-195).

Gracias

jbaptist@mail.stmarytx.edu

Opportunities

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.

Opportunities

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.

Opportunities

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.

Strengths

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.

Strengths

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.

Got an idea?

Use this space to add awesome interactivity. Include text, images, videos, tables, PDFs... even interactive questions! Premium tip: Get information on how your audience interacts with your creation:

• Visit the Analytics settings;
• Activate user tracking;
• Let the communication flow!

Strengths

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.