To determine if counselors integrate clinical behaviors for addressing religious/spiritual issues in counseling consistent with their ratings of the importance of such behaviors, the authors conducted a national survey of American Counseling Association (ACA) members. Seventy-eight ACA members rated the importance of and frequency with which they…

In this phenomenological study, counselor and client participants (N = 14) described the conditions that fostered meaningful therapeutic connections. Among all participants, consistent descriptors appeared that were rigorously synthesized into a detailed depiction of therapeutic contact. (Contains 2 figures.)

Although an ethical sanction is viewed as an incredibly stressful event for professional counselors, the experience of being sanctioned is not well known. This article provides an overview of the sanctioning process, a discussion of professional silence, and a case example of a sanctioning experience for a counselor. The sanctioning experience is…

Forty-four school counselors and school counseling interns participated in a descriptive study that explored whether students include spirituality and religious issues when they see their school counselor and assessed school counselors' comfort and perceived competence in addressing these concerns. Findings indicated that most respondents (86%)…

The purpose of this study was to examine how belief in a just world (BJW), political ideology, religious ideology, socioeconomic status of origin, and race relate to social justice advocacy attitudes among school counseling professionals. A sequential multiple regression indicated that political ideology and BJW were statistically significant…

The authors review the empirical literature on counselors' values, describe values salient to the 4 largest ethnic minority groups in the United States, identify similarities and differences between counselors' values and those of the minority groups, and discuss implications for counseling ethnically different clients. Understanding counselors'…

This article draws from a phenomenological study on the experience of being a bereavement counselor. Ten bereavement counselors shared their experiences in bereavement counseling. Spiritual and emotional aspects of bereavement counseling with grieving and dying persons are discussed as well as the spiritual effects on and growth processes of the…

Although current research indicates that psychotherapeutic change both affects and is affected by spiritual concerns, relatively little is known about the degree to which spirituality is used as an intervention in counseling and how it is perceived by clients and mental health professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions…

The author discusses her experiences seeking consent from 16 clients to use clinical material for publication. Sharing case examples from her practice, she elucidates her process with clients and focuses on the beneficial and detrimental effects on the therapeutic relationship. Seeking consent raises issues of confidentiality and stimulates…

Assessed counselors' and clergy's (n=95) beliefs about depressive religious ideation. Respondents agreed such ideation is a misinterpretation of Judeo-Christian principles, and believed in benefit, right, and ability to challenge such ideation. Expectation of client resistance to such ideation being challenged was more varied. (Author/ABL)

Clients are a major source of influence and serve as primary teachers in the process of counselor development. This article examines the dynamic of how counselors change as a result of their experiences with clients. Two case studies are presented as examples of counselor change. (Contains 15 references.) (Author)

In this qualitative study, 13 master's-level counseling interns were interviewed to understand their perceptions of caring in the counseling relationship. Results suggest that these interns perceive that supporting desired outcomes, a personal capacity for caring, maintaining therapeutic conditions, mutuality in the counseling relationship, and a…

Used multidimensional scaling to investigate how theistic or atheistic values of an analogue counselor influenced trust of the counselor by 49 religious psychotherapy clients and 51 religious leaders. All 100 subjects were Mormons. Results suggest that subjects would be more likely to trust counselors more who self-disclosed a belief in God. (NB)

Advocates humanities-philosophy model of therapeutic practice that emphasizes empowering and promoting understanding in client by encouraging client to investigate and choose between alternative meaning structures in context of trusting human relationship. Proposes integration of existential and postmodern attitudes as template for understanding…