Teaching Self-Care for counselors through Mindfulness Practices Essay

Teaching Self-Care for counselors through Mindfulness Practices - Essay Example The aim of the research is to analyze and evaluate most popular mindfulness practices and their application in teaching self-care. The practical significance is that counseling work calls for a primary focus on reality external to oneself, and mindfulness practices allow individuals to relief stress and emotional burden. The theoretical significant is a deep analysis of the current methods and practices used in teaching self-care for counselors. The study consists of three parts. The main questions addressed in the study are: What is the importance of mindfulness practices for counselors" what methods can be used in self-care practices What are the benefits of mindfulness practices approach The study is based on analytical assessment tools. Work is a natural part of living, and the issues it raises are important parts of a character. Work emphasizes the here-and-now and those aspects of oneself that have real-world utility. One is employed by a work organization because of one's ability or presumed ability to accomplish some productive goals. Work therefore emphasizes the rational aspects of people and problem solving, even though the affective side may arise from time to time (more so in some occupations than in others) in the attempt to meet those goals. Anxiety, stress, burnout and depression are the main disorders typical for counselors. Counselors who, through poor selection or unanticipated work dysfunctions, become marginal to the major or primary purposes of the organization, are removed, assisted to change, or kept on, although unproductive, in recognition of past accomplishments and contributions or in fulfillment of an actual or psychological contract that promises continuous employment. Critics (Lewis et al 2003) underline that teaching self-care for counselors should be based on mindfulness practices which help to overcome anxiety, stress and prevent emotional and psychological disorders. Anxiety, according to Snyder and Lopez 2002), has been experienced persistently throughout history, reflecting "an inevitable part of the human condition" (p. 134). As with its occurrence in other contexts, anxiety concerning one's work can be transient and situational (e.g., the type encountered in a job interview), or it can be almost incapacitating, preventing one from getting to the workplace or completing a workday without major disruptions (Brown, 1996). The dread may be so great that the client avoids work altogether. In between are multiple variations. A commonly shared theme, however, is the experience of dysphoric affect and the general tendency to avoid situations engendering the anxious feelings. he "stressful events" approach to anxiety, although productive, has incre asingly been questioned for its failure to identify differential responses to the same stressor. Concerning its effect on performance situations, however, anxiety, whether of a state or trait nature, generally serves to lessen the quality of the performance (Brown, 1996). Perceived psychological stress appears to lower satisfaction with work. Apparently, men and women do not differ per se in the experience of occupational stress, although the conditions that are more likely