Importance Of Wellness In Counseling

Wellness is an essential aspect of counseling. It can be difficult to effectively help a client when one’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being is depleting. When one neglects their own health and well-being they are capable of “burn out”. “Burn out” means that a person has exhausted their wellness and this can likely cause complications in the work place and personal life. It is a counselor’s responsibility to give their clients their highest endeavor, therefore, proper wellness maintenance is imperative. Sweeney and Witmer developed the first model of wellness based on counseling, called the Wheel of Wellness (Myers & Sweeney, 2007). The idea of wellness has been around for many years and can be traced back 2,000 years ago, to the Greek gods. Aesculapius is the Ancient Greek God of healing. Aesculapius has two daughters, Panacea and Hygeia. Panacea believed that treating illness promoted healing while Hygeia believed that prevention was the best way to promote wellness (Myers & Sweeney, 2007). These ideas paved the way for the wellness movement. “The counseling profession is based in values which support prevention, optimum

It is not a new concept and there have been tools and interventions developed to promote its importance. Sweeney and Witmer created the Wheel of Wellness which was the first model based on wellness in counseling. Myers and Sweeney continued to make modifications to the wheel and created other models such as the Indivisible Self (IS-Wel). Studies have shown these models and interventions to be successful even with diverse cultures. “Wellness counseling emphasizes strengths as well as personal choices,[sic] and underscores the importance of daily decision making to achieve the goal of an increasingly healthy lifestyle” ( Myers & Sweeney, 2007, p.2). It is the counselor's responsibility to monitor their own wellness so that they can provide invaluable services to their