Counselling as a culture of healing

While clearly upholding the value of the helping professions, this article presents an analysis of alleged shortcomings of present forms of counselling and therapy. Arguments are presented for a New Look in counselling. Counselling, it is claimed, would benefit from redefinition as a culture of healing. It should be conceptualised as a cultural practice rather than as a scientific undertaking. Drawing on new intellectual resources would help re-align counselling epistemologically and practically in order to achieve sensibility in the face of social and historical transformations which have taken place in the second half of this century and which continue radically to alter both social life and our ways of understanding social life.