Promoting wellbeing : a counselling perspective

Abstract

The counselling profession with its roots in humanistic psychology embraces human flourishing and actualisation rather than psychopathology. This chapter sounds a clarion call both to students new to the area of wellbeing as well as to counselling professionals in the field who may have bowed to the increasing expectations on them to focus on symptoms and distress. The authors offer practical recommendations as to how professionals can adapt their practice to focus on the value of wellbeing in the community. One of the challenges of putting into practice the authors’ proposed approach is the need to move beyond the traditional forms of data collection from individuals and to include opportunities for capturing research participants’ own experiences of themselves in the process of knowledge production. The chapter emphasises synergy between research and practice in order to more fully understand and more effectively promote wellbeing among human beings, thereby locating counselling psychology into the heart of the community.