Counselor Education and Supervision Archives

Featured Counseling Program: Colorado Christian University Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program offered through CCU's College of Adult and Graduate Studies combines rigorous coursework, experiential learning, and mentoring relationships designed to equip you with the necessary counseling skills to become a culturally sensitive professional mental health counselor. The program is offered in seat and online.

https://www.ccu.edu/ccu/counseling/

Dr. Ryan Burkhart

Director of Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Associate Professor of Counseling
Dr. Ryan Burkhart Director of Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Associate Professor of Counseling

Modeling Holism in the Classroom

Fostering a life of wholeness through wellness is a philosophical underpinning of the counseling profession and an inextricable part of counselors’ professional identity (American Counseling Association, 2014; Remley & Herlihy, 2016).  The role of counselor educators in nurturing this holistic perspective in counselors-in-Training (CITs) is paramount. According to the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics (2014, F.7.a.), counselor educators carry a dual responsibility in the classroom. We are called to, (a) “conduct counselor education and training programs in an ethical manner,” and (b) “serve as role models for professional behavior.” To grow a holistic mindset in CITs, we train them to care for the whole person of the client and their environment. For this purpose, we infuse the holistic principle into the counseling curriculum. We emphasize holism in different courses and train CITs to conceptualize the life of clients they serve, within a holistic framework.

Concurrently, ACA Code of Ethics (2014) also requires us to model the professional behaviors we teach in the classroom. As counselor educators, we are instruments and facilitators of learning and mandated to serve as role models of wellness practitioners while fostering these qualities in our students. We consider counselor education as an endeavor to educate the whole being. The goal is to teach counseling holistically in order to guide our students to practice counseling holistically.

I would like to provide a few tips as to how counselor educators can be role models in practicing holistic approach in the classroom.

  1. Consider holism as a way of being.
    Because our values, beliefs, and assumptions guide our practice of teaching, the holistic approach needs to begin with us by integrating self-reflection, self-care, self-responsibility, and spirituality (if relevant) for our own lives.
  2. Understand CITs as whole beings.
    We understand CITs as mind-body-spirit beings who need a holistic learning environment to thrive in the program. Their life experiences, cultural background, and worldviews play a critical role in their development as counselors and must be incorporated into their learning experience. This approach helps create a caring environment and can be implemented through mentoring and student-centered teaching.
  3. Develop an empowered learning culture.
    We shift away from behaviorist learning theories and move towards integrating empowered learning in which CITs are co-creators of the knowledge they acquire (McAuliffe & Eriksen, 2010). This can be implemented through strength-based teaching and mentoring and assisting CITs in practicing self-care activities in the classroom.
  4. Provide a multiculturally responsive educational experience.

The classroom is a microcosm of the world where CITs are going to practice counseling. Counselor educators have a critical role to model cultural compassion and sensitivity to CITs in the classroom and empower them to do the same.

To conclude, it is the counselor educators’ ethical responsibility to provide a holistic learning environment by modeling holism in the classroom where CITs are cared for and nurtured, to grow personally, professionally, and clinically and fulfill the calling in their lives.

References

American Counseling Association (2014). ACA Code of Ethics. American Counseling Association

McAuliffe, G., & Eriksen, K. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of counselor preparation: Constructivist, developmental, and experiential approaches. Sage Publications.

Remley, JR, T. P. & Herlihy, B. (2016). Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling. Pearson Education, Inc

Selin-Philip-CES-Sub-Q4

Selin Philip

Dr. Philip is a licensed professional counselor and counseling supervisor in Michigan. She joined CCU’s M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program faculty in 2016. She has worked in various mental health settings, and has extensive experience in teaching and supervising counselors-in-training. She has conducted, presented, and published research in multicultural counseling, spiritual and character formation of counselors-in-training, healing and empowerment of intra- and inter-personal relationships, and teaching in online counselor education and supervision. Currently, she is working on co-editing a book on social justice and advocacy to heal the social justice divide and encourage community action.

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