TPC-Journal-V5-Issue4

The Professional Counselor /Volume 5, Issue 4 538 The two of them discussed Richard’s positive and negative reactions to the results. They then processed the possible reasons why scores on certain aspects of wellness were low or high. Sarah explained that positive, high levels of wellness can be used to address lower levels of wellness. Stress Reduction Plan Richard chose to develop a plan, with Sarah’s help, for addressing the stress related to VT. Sarah helped Richard explore various strategies that would support his efforts for improving his wellness in the Coping Self (i.e., stress management) area. Richard and Sarah outlined activities that addressed Richard’s Physical Self, an area in which Richard scored slightly lower than his self-perception in this area. Given the interconnectedness of the domains, Sarah suggested increased physical activity to positively affect his stress management and improve problematic sleeping patterns as a result of VT. Specifically, Richard decided to add resistance training to his normal four-day-per-week cardiovascular exercise. Almost immediately, Richard sensed an improvement in Physical Self and in his sleep patterns. Richard also noticed the indirect effects of these activities on some other aspects of his wellness. For example, he was able to meet more people while at the gym (an improvement in Social Self), and became more grounded spiritually (the time he spent in cardiovascular exercise allowed him time to reflect on the spiritual aspects of his life). However, Richard’s overall stress level had not improved. Despite this change in activity, Sarah noticed that Richard’s stress management skills had seemingly regressed in that he reported an increase in his level of anxiety as he would prepare for his sessions. The two believed that now that Richard spent more time addressing and mobilizing the physical aspects of his life, he had less time to complete work-related tasks, increasing his stress level. Though Richard enjoyed the noted improvements, his concern for his time management and decreased coping suggested to him that these activities were not addressing the negative effects of VT and his overall wellness. Thus, Sarah helped Richard choose alternate activities to address the stress management and self- worth issues related to VT. Richard chose to review the positive aspects of his Creative Self (e.g., work) in determining this plan. They decided that Richard might benefit by examining his work schedule to optimize time devoted to developing other aspects of his life to assist in coping with the traumatic material he was exposed to via his clients. It was hoped that strategically adjusting his work schedule also would provide him an opportunity to reach work-related goals. Sarah became conscious of the number of traumatized clients she assigned to Richard. She also focused the next couple of group supervision meetings on the concept of VT to assist Richard as well as other counselors on staff to process their reaction to their clinical work. Sarah used the time in group supervision to educate the staff of symptoms indicative of the potential harmful consequences of working with traumatized clients. She also added a formal case presentation component to the group supervision meetings to allow further processing and debriefing for the counselors. She specifically encouraged Richard to attend available professional development activities. Richard’s ongoing supervision continually involved discussion of his well-being, focusing on his work with clients as well as his sleep patterns and stress levels. Over a period of a few weeks, Richard’s stress management and self-worth improved. Though initially hesitant to engage in the shift in focus, he expressed appreciation for Sarah’s ability to educate him regarding the interconnectedness of his wellness, her ability to continually evaluate all