WELLNESS
Counseling for wellness recognizes that our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being are interdependent. The goal of wellness counseling, then, is to help you achieve an optimum level of functioning in life by assessing and exploring how "well" you are in several dimensions. Wellness counseling also helps you explore your relationship to the many "systems" you inhabit. For example, you may feel that you belong to family, neighborhood, community, and church. You may also feel a sense of belonging in the workplace, your country, or the natural world. In short, your satisfaction with life, your sense of well-being, hinges on the health of your relationships in these many contexts.
Years of research support the idea that we can measure and change our overall sense of well-being (Myers & Sweeney, 2008). Our approach to counseling is supported by this research, and explores five dimensions of your Indivisible Self, a term that describes "the central and indivisible core of wellness" (Myers & Sweeney, 2005, p. 12). Each of these "selves"—Creative, Coping, Social, Essential, and Physical—is vital to how we feel from moment to moment.
For example, people who are struggling with depression often feel a low sense of self-worth (an element of the Coping Self) and feel a lack of control in life (Creative Self). In such a case, the goals of wellness counseling might be to seek improvement in the areas of friendship (Social Self), self-care (Essential Self), and exercise (Physical Self). In time, with the return of a balance among the five components of self, a depressed individual starts to get a feel for the good life again.
Assessing the Indivisible Self
One of the reasons many people seek counseling is to get a different perspective on their problems. We often hear people ask, Am I crazy?, and almost without exception, the answer is No! However, most of us can start to feel crazy when events become overwhelming and we discover we have neglected ourselves—our wellness—to the point of crisis.
For this reason, our counseling approach includes at minimum an informal assessment of wellness, an exploration of your creative, coping, social, essential, and physical selves. We may also suggest a more formal assessment of your wellness that provides a detailed profile pinpointing your strengths as well as areas for improvement.
As you read the sections below, ask yourself: How am I doing in this area?
CREATIVE SELF1
The combination of attributes that each of us forms to make a unique place
among others in our social interactions and to positively interpret our
world
Thinking—Being mentally active, open-minded;
having the ability to be creative and experimental; having a sense of curiosity,
a need to know and to learn; the ability to solve problems.
Emotions—Being aware of or in touch with one’s
feelings; being able to experience and express one’s feelings appropriately,
both positive and negative.
Control—Belief that one can usually achieve the
goals one sets for oneself; having a sense of planfulness in life; being
able to be assertive in expressing one’s needs.
Work—Being satisfied with one’s work; having
adequate financial security; feeling that one’s skills are used appropriately;
the ability to cope with workplace stress.
Positive Humor—Being able to laugh at one’s own
mistakes and the unexpected things that happen; the ability to use humor
to accomplish even serious tasks.
COPING SELF
The combination of elements that regulate one’s responses to life events and provide a means to transcend the negative effects of these events
Leisure—Activities done in one’s free time;
satisfaction with one’s leisure activities; having at least one activity
in which “I lose myself and time stands still.”
Stress Management—General perception of one’s
own self-management or self-regulation; seeing change as an opportunity
for growth; ongoing self-monitoring and assessment of one’s coping resources.
Self-Worth—Accepting who and what one is, positive
qualities along with imperfections; valuing oneself as a unique individual.
Realistic Beliefs—Understanding that
perfection and being loved by everyone are impossible goals, and having
the courage to be imperfect.
SOCIAL SELF
Social support through connections with others in friendships and intimate relationships, including family ties
Friendship—Social relationships that involve
a connection with others individually or in community, but that do not have
a marital, sexual, or familial commitment; having friends in whom one can
trust and who can provide emotional, material, or informational support
when needed.
Love—The ability to be intimate, trusting, and
self-disclosing with another person; having a family or family-like support
system characterized by shared spiritual values, the ability to solve conflict
in a mutually respectful way, healthy communication styles, and mutual appreciation.
ESSENTIAL SELF
Essential meaning-making processes in relation to life, self, and others
Spirituality—Personal beliefs and behaviors
that are practiced as part of the recognition that a person is more than
the material aspects of mind and body.
Gender Identity—Satisfaction with one’s gender;
feeling supported in one’s gender; transcendence of gender identity (i.e.,
ability to be androgynous).
Cultural Identity—Satisfaction with one’s cultural
identity; feeling supported in one’s cultural identity; transcendence of
one’s cultural identity.
Self-Care—Taking responsibility for one’s wellness
through self-care and safety habits that are preventive in nature; minimizing
the harmful effects of pollution in one’s environment.
PHYSICAL SELF
The biological and physiological processes that compose the physical aspects of a person’s development and functioning
Exercise—Engaging in sufficient physical activity
to keep in good physical condition; maintaining flexibility through stretching.
Nutrition—Eating a nutritionally balanced diet,
maintaining a normal weight (i.e., within 15% of the ideal), and avoiding
overeating.
1. This section has been adapted from Myers and Sweeney (2008, p. 485).
References
Myers, J. E., & Sweeney, T. J. (2004). The indivisible self: An evidence-based model of wellness. Journal of Individual Psychology, 60(3), 234-245.
Myers, J. E., & Sweeney, T. J.(Eds.) (2005). Counseling for wellness. Theory, research, and practice. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Myers, J. E., & Sweeney, T. J. (2008). Wellness counseling: The evidence base for practice. Journal of Counseling and Development, 86, 482-493.
CALL NOW at (541) 326-0848 or email to info@commensa.org