Wellness Across the Lifespan

Dr. Cyndi MatthewsCounseling 5670D

Differences between Psychology and Counseling?Psychology

Medical Model

Assessment & Diagnosis

Psychologist is there to fix you

Power in relationships

Counseling

Wellness

Relationships

Strengths based

Client is expert in their own lives

Egalitarian relationships

Group Discussion

What is the Good Life?• What are the essential elements for a healthy

Life?

• What is the relationship between healthiness and happiness?

What is wellness?

Think about self & clients

Correlation between Material Assets and Wellness?

Contrary to personal beliefs, income and happiness are only weakly correlated.

Middle-Income persons report happiness similar to that of the wealthiest individuals

Income has steadily increased since the 1950’s, yet happiness levels have not increased and in some cases decreased.

(Broderick & Blewitt, 2010)

What is the Paradoxical Relationship of Asset Acquisition and Happiness?

Hedonic Treadmill• Wealth is addictive, and new amounts of wealth are

needed for a new “high” which decreases attention to other aspects of life

Effects of affluence on relationships• The more affluence one has, the greater reliance on

paying for support than relying on family/friends/community members.

Control afforded by material assets• When assets increase expectations for happiness for

increase.

What is the Relationship Between Personality and Wellness?

Personality traits correlated with wellness• Introversion/Extroversion

• Optimism/Pessimism

• Conscientiousness

• Neuroticism• Tendencies to be:

• Self-conscious

• Anxious

• Hostile

• Impulsivity

What about Relationships and Well-Being?

Relationships are correlated with well-being not only due to the possibility of receiving social support, but also due to providing social support.

Both quality and quantity of friends is correlated with overall wellness.

Cultural Implications of Social Support & Wellness? (Collectivist vs. Individualist) Persons from western cultures tend to seek

explicit support during stressful times and openly discussing issues.

Persons from Asian cultures tend to seek implicit support; that is, taking comfort in companionship of others without explicitly discussing issues.

Studies indicate that each of these groups demonstrated stress reduction when using their culturally bound method of support seeking.

(Broderick & Blewitt, 2010)

What is Work?

What is the Relationship Between Work and Well-Being?

Correlates of work and well-being• Making progress towards challenging goals

• Autonomy

• Generativity• the sense that one’s skills and efforts are

creatively or productively contributing to the world.

Universal Needs and Values Types of Well Being

• Hedonic Well Being• Subjective well being with an emphasis on happiness and

positive emotions

• Eudaemonic Well Being• Well being related to a sense of purpose, growth, and mastery.

• Psychological Well Being• The striving for the realization of one’s potential

• Six essential Elements• Autonomy• Personal Growth• Self-Acceptance• Life Purpose• Mastery• Positive Relatedness

What is Self-Determination Theory? (need all three)

Three Core Needs• Autonomy

• Feeling that one’s behaviors are self-endorsed

• Competence• Expressing one’s talents and

skills

• Relatedness• Opportunities to feel cared for

and valued by others.

(Broderick & Blewitt, 2010)

What is Meaning?Why is it Important?

Some propose that the essential feature of well-being is a grounding in a life that has meaning.

Meaning is defined by Park and Folkman (1997) as the perception of significance.

Four Proposed reasons for seeking meaning

(1) Purpose (2)Control/Autonomy (3)Values Clarification (4)Development of

Self-Worth

What is Counselor Burnout?

What is Compassion Fatigue?

What is Secondary Trauma?

Typologies of Counselor Burnout Cluster I- The Well Adjusted Counselor

• Demonstrate low scores on measures of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion

• Demonstrate high scores on measures of personal accomplishment

• Demonstrate higher scores/positive responses regarding self-esteem and job satisfaction.

• Monetary compensation was the 2nd highest reported. Cluster II-The Disconnected Counselor

• Medium scores on measures of work exhaustion, negative work environment, and personal life deterioration.

• High scores on measures of incompetence, client devaluing, and depersonalization.

• Reported the lowest income and lowest job satisfaction among groups

Cluster III-The Persevering Counselor• the highest Exhaustion, Negative Work Environment, and

Deterioration in Personal Life scores• moderate to low Incompetence and Devaluing Client scores• reported the highest income, more counseling experience,

and the most positive self-esteem

(Lee, Cho, Kissinger, & Ogle, 2010)

Counselor Burnout

ACA estimates that approximately 10% of professionals are experiencing some degree of burnout.

Implications????

Counselor Burnout and Coping/Response Styles Emotionally Focused

•  lessening emotional distress and includes strategies such as • avoidance, • minimalization • distancing, • selective attention,• positive comparisons, • deriving positive values from negative events.

Rumination Problem Focused

• Am I in Trouble?• What if anything can I Do about it?• Implement Solution

Numbing Behaviors

What are the Protective Elements in Wellness?

Educated parents No history of alcoholism in Family

of Origin and Married Family Not having to raise children alone Friends/Social Support Stable/Upwardly Mobile

Employment (Broderick & Blewitt, 2010)

What is Stress?

Life Events• Discrete traumatic events,

with a specific onset.

Daily Hassles• Chronic, problematic

situations

Kindling Behavioral Sensitization?

The Process of becoming increasingly sensitive to stress triggers.

Example:• An initial episode of depression/anxiety is

triggered by stressful events (death of family member/unemployment).

• This individual then undergoes neurological changes during depression (changes in neurotransmitters/receptors)

• This individual is now more susceptible to depression, and the cycle spirals.

What are the Biological Responses to Stress?

Autonomic Nervous System Response• Hormone Production

• Motor Functions

• Sensory Functions

• Immune System

Psychoneuroimmunology

Based on the principle that psychological stressors produce similar effects to that of a biological infection• Fever

• Increased Sleep

• Appetite Reduction

• Activity Reduction

• Depressed Mood

• Cognitive Alterations

Psychoneuroimmunology There is a connection between certain mood

disorders and hyperactivation of the immune system.

While the exact relationship is unknown, it is postulated that immune responses and depression responses may use the same neural circuitry.

What are Effective Ways of Coping with Stress?

Saying “No”

Avoiding Perfectionism

Exercise

Relaxation

Meditation

Finding Support

Finding Time for Yourself

Balance

What is Wellness?

Affect• Positive Affect

• joy, alertness, enthusiasm, confidence, & determination

• Negative Affect• Sadness, nervousness, fear,

anger, & guilt

Build & Broaden Approach to Wellness

Positive Emotions serve as a way to repair and restore effects of negativity.

Once positive emotions are activated, it allows a person to shift from a narrow perspective based on threat, to a broader perspective.

This broader perspective allows individuals to build resources.

Self-Care Survey

Physical Self-Care

___ Eat regularly (e.g. breakfast, lunch and dinner) ___ Eat healthy ___ Exercise ___ Get regular medical care for prevention ___ Get medical care when needed ___ Take time off when needed ___ Get massages ___ Dance, swim, walk, run, play sports, sing, or do some other physical activity that is fun ___ Take time to be sexual—with yourself, with a partner ___ Get enough sleep ___ Wear clothes you like ___ Take vacations ___ Take day trips or mini-vacations ___ Make time away from telephones

Psychological Self-Care

___ Make time for self-reflection ___ Have your own personal psychotherapy ___ Write in a journal ___ Read literature that is unrelated to work ___ Do something at which you are not expert or in charge ___ Decrease stress in your life ___ Let others know different aspects of you ___ Notice your inner experience—listen to your thoughts, judgments, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings ___ Engage your intelligence in a new area, e.g. go to an art museum, history exhibit, sports event, auction, theater performance ___ Practice receiving from others ___ Be curious ___ Say “no” to extra responsibilities sometimes

Emotional Self-Care

___ Spend time with others whose company you enjoy ___ Stay in contact with important people in your life ___ Give yourself affirmations, praise yourself ___ Love yourself ___ Re-read favorite books, re-view favorite movies ___ Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places and seek them out ___ Allow yourself to cry ___ Find things that make you laugh ___ Express your outrage in social action, letters and donations, marches, protests ___ Play with children

Spiritual Self-Care

___ Make time for reflection ___ Spend time with nature ___ Find a spiritual connection or community ___ Be open to inspiration ___ Cherish your optimism and hope ___ Be aware of nonmaterial aspects of life ___ Try at times not to be in charge or the expert ___ Be open to not knowing___ Identify what in meaningful to you and notice its place in your life ___ Meditate ___ Pray ___ Sing ___ Spend time with children ___ Have experiences of awe ___ Contribute to causes in which you believe ___ Read inspirational literature (talks, music, etc.)

Workplace or Professional Self-Care

___ Take a break during the workday (e.g. lunch) ___ Take time to chat with co-workers ___ Make quiet time to complete tasks ___ Identify projects or tasks that are exciting and rewarding ___ Set limits with your clients and colleagues ___ Balance your caseload so that no one day or part of a day is “too much” ___ Arrange your work space so it is comfortable and comforting ___ Get regular supervision or consultation ___ Negotiate for your needs (benefits, pay raise) ___ Have a peer support group ___ Develop a non-trauma area of professional interest

Balance

___ Strive for balance within your work-

life and workday ___ Strive for balance among work,

family, relationships, play and

Wellness Plan

Using your results from the survey,

develop a wellness plan for yourself.

Physical

Emotional

Psychological

Occupational

Spiritual

Social

Intellectual