Jane Warren

The Use of Bookmarks in Teaching Counseling Ethics

This column is designed to underscore relationally based creative teaching practices used by counselor-educators in the classroom. Our intention is to provide examples of novel, innovative ways for counselor-educators and students to deepen their learning while collaborating toward a spirit of connection and cooperation. If you have implemented a creative teaching method or if you have adapted an existing method that you would like to share with readers, please follow submission guidelines in the author information packet available at http://www.creativecounselor.org/Journal.html This article includes a description of the bookmark as a creative arts experiential strategy useful in teaching counseling ethics education. Three bookmark examples illustrate how counselors-in-training utilized bookmarks to conceptualize their counseling ethics understanding. Illustrations and written feedback from the counselors-in-training suggest that the bookmarks reflect developmental aspects of understanding of counseling ethics knowledge integration and enhance creativity and self-expression. Implications for counselor education and suggestions for further research are discussed.

The Poisoned Tree: Infidelity as Opportunity for Transformation

Therapists working with couples will likely have opportunities to help couples dealing with affairs. Affairs present significant challenges not only to couples but also to therapists. Using a traditional Buddhist story as a metaphor, a three-stage model for working with couples after an affair is presented. The metaphor and model suggest a perceptual shift from seeing the affair as a relationship-ending event to viewing it as a transformational process and opportunity for growth. Each of the three stages is explained conceptually along with suggested interventions to help couples move through each stage in rebuilding a new, healthier relationship. The importance of mindfulness for both the therapist and couple is outlined, and limitations are suggested.

Enhancing Case Conceptualization Through Film: The Addiction Web

Self-reflection, creativity, and experiential education are effective teaching strategies for counselor educators. Understanding and conceptualizing client cases can feel overwhelming for counselors-in-training. This article describes how the process of case conceptualization can be enhanced through the use of film. A case example is provided of how one student was able to creatively conceptualize a client through the use of film. The students creation— The Addiction Web—is a serendipitous and visual diagram illustrating a comprehensive and compassionate understanding of a client with complex addiction issues.

Applying Buddhist Practices to Advocacy: The Advocacy-Serving Model

Creating and retaining empathic connections with the most disenfranchised among us can take a toll on the wellness of counselor advocates. The Advocacy-Serving Model is introduced as a creative approach to strengthening the ability of advocates to serve through enhancing awareness, focusing actions, and connecting to community. The model integrates Buddhist practices into advocacy work. This article includes a brief description of advocacy, an overview of applicable Buddhist approaches, and an illustration of the model used in individual advocacy work.

Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning in Counseling Ethics Education

Abstract This chapter highlights the perspectives, examples, and applications on the current trend in teaching and learning counseling ethics education in a more effective way. The trend utilizes inquiry-based learning concept and educational activities to foster counselor education training programs fast-forward in meeting the social demands and global challenges. The discussion is based on the theme emerged from an interpretive case study research conducted by the authors, in addition to the insightful literature authored by the profound educators and counseling researchers, globally. Teaching and learning counseling ethics education is an integrative effort and is more than just content acquisition from textbooks. In addition, the inquiry-based teaching and learning approach can be a tool in finding solutions for authentic problems through in-depth investigations while learning counseling ethics education. This chapter hopefully will improve counselor educators’ ability, strengthen counselor education training programs’ capability, and expand counseling students ethical competency; for creating innovations and adaptations in teaching and learning counseling ethics education, utilizing inquiry-based learning toward enhanced professional ethical practice in counseling realm.

Year two: The impact of addictions education and experiential activities on attitudes of students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of education and experiential learning on counseling student’s perceptions of substance use and counseling those with substance-related problems. Some counselors report having had negative experiences and beliefs about substance use, abuse, and persons with substance related-problems. A counselor’s negative beliefs and experiences can impair their capacities of working effectively and empathetically with persons who seek help for substance abuse problems. Research reports that education can assist helping professionals to be able to work more efficiently with clients with substance abuse struggles by increasing awareness of substance abuse problems, enhancing empathy, increasing professional’s ability to relate with what clients may be experiencing, training in appropriate interventions, and referral skills. Design/methodology/approach – This study measured changes in students’ attitudes toward addictions following completion of a 15-week addictions counseling course, which incorporated multiple experiential activities in conjunction with information about the effects of various substances and different treatment modalities. Findings – The results revealed significant changes in treatment intervention and non-stereotyping. Originality/value – These changes suggest education might affect attitudes toward substance abuse. The implications of this study can guide counselor educators in designing effective addictions courses and can lead to future discussions on how to use experiential learning in the classroom.

Using Expressive Arts in Online Education to Identify Feelings

ABSTRACT The authors of this article present two creative teaching activities to illustrate how online counselor education can use expressive arts to promote awareness of how one feels. Included is a discussion of this awareness of feelings, the downside of expressing feelings, creative arts in counselor education, and how counselor education can promote feeling experiences. Two examples of expressive arts are offered with a brief discussion.

Counseling Ethics Education for Enhanced Professional Identity and Development: Guidance and Counseling Teachers Lifelong Learning Acquisition Empowered

Counseling ethics competency is an essential part of counselor identity development as required by the counseling profession, and counseling ethics education is one major component of knowledge acquisition in counseling profession training standards. The purpose of this qualitative research was to conduct an interpretive case study to explore, understand, describe, and interpret how guidance and counseling teachers learn, understand, experience, and apply counseling ethics education to their evolving professional identity and development in the counselor education training program. The main author was the primary instrument for data collection and analysis. Coding categories were developed and tentative themes emerged, were refined, and became the five emergent master themes for this research: education foundation, education integration, education application, education assimilation, and education appreciation. The discussion and interpretation are grounded in the principles of effective adult learning in counseling ethics education; to empower lifelong learning acquisition among guidance and counseling teachers toward enhanced professional identity and development.

A Creative Model: The Three-Selves

ABSTRACT This article presents a Three-Selves Model illuminating ways the self can be expressed: closed, absorbent, and flexible. This model integrates three counseling approaches which are described, and a creative poster is offered to illustrate the model. Then, the model is applied to a hypothetical case to reveal how the model can promote awareness, congruence, and choice.

Using The Mirror Story to Understand Self

ABSTRACT Research indicates self-esteem reflects many factors in a person’s life, such as relationships with parents or parent figures, attachment types, experiences of worth enhancement, ethnicity, generation, and cultural values. However, debate continues on whether self-esteem is simply a reflection of Western culture and may not be a universal factor of human nature. This research was undertaken to understand how four persons of diverse ethnic, gender, and age categories may each perceive the self from reading the same story. First, the authors offer a brief overview of how self-esteem is viewed and explore a few cultural, gender and age aspects of self-esteem. They then present our pilot study with the methodology, results, and discussion, and offer implications for mental health counselors.