Meaningful Experiences in the Counseling Process

Abstract

This study identified the fundamental lifestyles adopted by a university community in Malaysia. Rapid growth and expansion of higher education in Malaysia is inevitable as the country moves from a production-based economy to one that is innovative and knowledge-based, requiring the development of a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce. Research universities in Malaysia are leading the way in the generation of intellectual property and wealth for the country, as well as enhancing the quality of life of its people. A case study approach found that the university community's lifestyle is focused on recognitions. Implications for university personnel are discussed.

An Exploration of Young Clients' Experiences in Counseling With Post‐Master's Counselors

“…Although it is possible that supportive accountability is important to young clients as compared with adult clients, this finding might also reflect the developmental differences of the counselors included in these studies. The findings generated in prior studies (e.g., Sackett & Lawson, 2016;Sackett et al, 2012) were with clients who were receiving counseling services from CITs, whereas the clients in the current study were all working with post-master's counselors. As such, the ability to hold clients accountable in counseling may reflect a more advanced clinical skill.…”

“…As did Sackett and Lawson (2016), we used significance sampling to identify meaningful experiences of clients in counseling, which is preferred in exploratory research and involves the examination of units that have noteworthy meaning or therapeutic impact to the participants (Elliott & James, 1989). At each interview, similar to Sackett et al (2012) and to Sackett and Lawson (2016), we used questions about a single counseling session (i.e., two sessions and two interviews) and about within-session meaningful events and session impact, as recommended by Elliott and James (1989). Reflecting on their most recent session allowed clients to provide more depth and better understanding than they would have if reflecting on sessions from which they were farther removed (Cook et al, 2019).…”

“…Despite the high rates at which counselors provide services to child and adolescent clients (SAMSHA, 2019), prior research on clients' meaningful experiences in counseling has focused exclusively on adults (e.g., Sackett & Lawson, 2016;Sackett et al, 2012). Sackett et al (2012)…”

The Working Alliance and Experiences of Clients and Counselors‐in‐Training

“…We then examined the WAI scores and the interview material to determine whether higher ratings on the WAI, in comparison with other client and CIT participants, corresponded to greater depth in meaningful experiences and whether lower ratings of the WAI corresponded to less depth in reported meaningful experiences. Themes of meaningful experiences of clients and CITs were established and reported in a separate article (Sackett et al, ). The most meaningful experiences for each participant were determined by the number of times a theme was present in the participant's interview.…”

“…Specifically, poor alliances lead to poor outcomes, including premature termination, and good alliances lead to good therapeutic processes and outcomes. In a recent qualitative study, Sackett, Lawson, and Burge () found that, from the clients' perspectives, happenings related to the counseling relationship were among the most meaningful in counseling. For these reasons, the priority of counselors is to establish a collaborative, strong therapeutic bond with their clients (Audet & Everall, ).…”