The Evolutionary Nature of Counseling and Values

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to discover the evolutionary nature of Counseling and Values, the professional journal of the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling. The authors used 4 recorded telephone interviews conducted with previous editors of the journal over the last 25 years as the principal source of data. Findings suggest that the evolutionary nature of the journal is characterized by a dynamic tension among 6 interrelated categories of influence. Implications of this research suggest the need for increased collaborative participation in support of professional journals between institutions and sponsoring associations and between diversity in readership and the professional forces that influence publication decision, as well as an increased openness between professional associations and the society that they serve.     

Values in Counseling and Psychotherapy

The purpose of this article is to consider the various ways that values enter into counseling or psychotherapy, with particular attention to the goals of the process and the methods or procedures by which the counselor or therapist implements the process.     

The Values of Counseling: Three Domains

This article examines how values, as orienting beliefs about what is good for a client, group of clients, or a nation, affect the delivery of counseling services. Specifically, this article explores the role of value assumptions within such areas as counselor-client interactions, psychometrics, career services, and the transportability of counseling theories across national boundaries.     

The Role of Values in the Counseling Situation

A client's problem can be conceptualized as a values problem. Yet there is still much confusion surrounding the concept of values, and closely related issues have not been adequately defined or researched. This article reviews various meanings of values and the authors' preferred distinction between terminal and instrumental values. A case illustration describes the usefulness of the Rokeach Value Survey and of the “method of self-confrontation” in value therapy. Research on the Value Survey and the method are summarized, with suggestions for their use with different types of clients and in different settings. C. Gilbert Wrenn gives his personal reactions to the article. These range from “frustrating” to “most satisfying.”     

Values and Social Justice in Counseling

The construct of social justice in counseling is defined and operationalized in this article. This is followed by a discussion about the intersection between social justice in counseling and philosophy, ethics, and spirituality. A call to action for counseling professionals is offered.     

The Developmental Perspective in Integral Counseling

The process of making meaning is a core determinant of human experience. Understanding this process, developmentally, is a vital part of integral counseling. In this article, the authors introduce the concept of ego development stages as increasingly complex and flexible systems of meaning making. An understanding of ego development stages can help counselors to assist clients in a way that recognizes that people not only come in different “types” but also differ significantly in the level of their meaning‐making capacity.     

International Counseling Introduction

The growth of counseling around the world is one of the major and most exciting emerging trends in the counseling profession. Although it was once thought to be primarily a U.S. phenomenon, other countries located on virtually every continent are developing counseling services to meet their unique mental health needs. The globalization of communication technology, transportation systems, and business has stimulated the initiation and growth of governmentally and privately sponsored mental health programs. Many nations throughout the world recognize that positive mental health is a valuable social/economic asset regardless of a country's political orientation.     

Introduction to the Special Issue on Genetic Counseling: A Global Perspective

This special issue of the Journal of Genetic Counseling is focused on the global genetic counselling community and includes commentaries, original research and multiple brief reports describing both established formal genetic counselling services and training programs as well as services and programs that are currently in development.