Integrating flow theory and the serious leisure perspective into mental health counseling |
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| Authors: | Rodney Blake Dieser Jacob Christenson Darcie Davis-Gage |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Leisure, Youth, and Human Services, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA;2. Marriage and Family Therapy, Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, IA, USA;3. Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA |
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| Abstract: | This article explores how flow theory and the serious leisure perspective (SLP) can be integrated into mental health counseling. Although different counseling models have acknowledged the role of leisure in the counseling process, leisure is largely an unknown and superficial concept in the mental health counseling literature. Four broad-based pragmatic ideas regarding how flow theory and the SLP can be integrated into the counseling process include mental health counselors (1) understanding the concepts of serious leisure, casual leisure, project-based leisure, flow (enjoyment), and hedonistic pleasure; (2) becoming aware of various assessment instruments that measure flow and serious leisure; (3) using the provision characteristics of entering flow into the counseling process; and (4) empowering clients to becoming community change agents through serious leisure pursuit, resulting in flow experiences. |
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| Keywords: | casual leisure flow mental health counseling project-based leisure serious leisure serious leisure perspective |
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