Wheel Of Wellness Paper

The counseling profession is dedicated to helping clients gain their fullest potential through a multitude of methods. In the beginning stages, the counseling profession had a difficult time determining itself from those with related responsibilities. As Mellin, Hunt, & Nichols (2011) have suggested, a clear identity and role for professional counselors was not determined until a majority proposed a wellness approach to their identity. This has given the profession a more unique character apart from those professions closely related. Oftentimes, counseling professionals from different specializations will work together to provide the most beneficial service to their clients. This allows professionals to the ability to reach goals and see positive

Panacea believed in treating an existing illness, and her sister believed in positive living habits as a form of prevention (Myers & Sweeney, 2007). Throughout time, the idea of a wellness centered approach flourished into an established process of the counseling profession. The history of wellness models dates to Bill Hettler, the father of the modern wellness movement (Myers & Sweeney, 2007). This initiated the foundation of the wellness models, but over time and developmental growth within the counseling profession, changes have been made to further the credibility of these wellness models. Myers, Sweeney, and Witmer (2000) created The Wheel of Wellness, the first wellness model based in the counseling profession (Myers & Sweeney, 2008). The Wheel of Wellness compromises various components of life, all of which are directed towards optimal healthy living for the individual. At the center of its focus, is spirituality, which is considered the most important characteristic of well-being because it sets the foundation for all other aspects of life (Myers et al., 2000). Aside from spirituality, self-regulation, work and leisure, friendship, and love are the other components of the wheel that correlate to our overall wellness. This model is extremely useful in treating clients overall mental health because it covers many aspects of life and allows them to be a part of working

Wellness, resilience, and prevention are vital components that help to gain success in practice. Wellness is a broad term used to describe the positive state of mental health and overall well-being of an individual (Myers & Sweeney, 2008). This aids in the focus on mental health for patients, as opposed to only mental illness as a purpose for treatment. Counselors seek to encourage wellness for their clients for various reasons. The wellness counseling approach has shown to help achieve a better connection with one’s life, communities, and the world in general, which explains why the field of mental health counseling has given so much support to the aspect of wellness (Meany-Walen, Davis-Gage, & Lindo, 2016). Resiliency is another key philosophy of the counseling profession which aids in positive development. Resiliency is the ability to overcome and recover from outside stressors without experiencing negative consequences in development (Rak & Patterson, 1996). Throughout life there are various factors that can impact the developmental outcomes of patients directly, and the ability to be resilient can positively buffer these results. This is a valuable trait to have, and detecting this early on can prevent complications down the road. Counselors can teach resiliency skills to their clients and identify