Humanism is considered by many to be the foundation for the values and practices of counseling. This book explores and presents current counseling issues from a humanistic perspective, providing a valuable resource for counselors and therapists seeking effective approaches, founded on humanistic principles, to use in their practice. Each chapter describes the significance of a specific counseling issue, reviews the humanistic literature on this issue, discusses the theoretical model provided by a humanistic perspective, and concludes with applications and implications for practitioners. Situations considered include, among others, marital/couples counseling, multicultural counseling, and healing trauma, all of which have been shown to benefit from the use of humanistic approaches. Applications in educational settings, such as addressing school violence, working with at-risk youth, and counseling in college and university settings, are also discussed. The book concludes with a section on uses of humanistic approaches in counselor education and training. After reading this book, practitioners will be inspired to advocate for counseling's holistic and empowering approach to helping all individuals across the lifespan.
"What I like about this book is its careful attention to our foundational values and practices. We can get lost in technology and detail and the editors have brought us a solid and very useful summary of our foundational values of humanism. It is time that we had a book like this, and it is TIMELY!" - Allen E. Ivey, EdD, ABPP, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
"The editors are to be applauded for their ambitious goal of raising consciousness to the essential nature of professional counseling. I hope others will read this work and follow their lead by advocating for professional counseling's wellness, developmental, holistic, empowering approach to helping all individuals across the life span." - Tom Sweeney, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Ohio University; Executive Director, Chi Sigma Iota
"Harnessing the expertise of noteworthy scholars in the field, the editors remind us of the critical underpinnings of the counseling profession. This refreshing account effectively melds and synthesizes tradition with innovation in professional counseling." - Sylvia C. Nassar-McMillan, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS, Associate Professor of Counseling and Counselor Education, North Carolina State University
