Welcoming the Other: Actualising the humanistic ethic at the core of counselling psychology practice

Mick Cooper

Welcoming the Other: Actualising the humanistic ethic at the core of counselling psychology practice

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper examines the question of how counselling psychology might move forward into the future. It argues that, for many counselling psychologists, the defining feature of our profession lies in a humanistic value-base; and that, to move forward, we need to look at how that could be more fully actualised. The paper argues that this value-base is most succinctly expressed in Levinas's concept of 'Welcoming the Other,' and it proposes five ways in which this ethic might be taken forward: developing our capacity to see beyond diagnoses, enhancing our responsiveness, focusing more fully on our client's intelligibility, taking a lead in giving psychology away, and developing our evidence base. The paper concludes by suggesting that the key issue is not the survival of counselling psychology as a profession; but the survival, development and proliferation of this value-base.

Original language	Undefined
Pages (from-to)	119 - 129
Journal	Counselling Psychology Review
Volume	24
Issue number	3-4
Publication status	Published - 2009

Keywords

counselling psychology, psychologists, ethics, humanistic value-base, 2009, Counseling Psychology, Ethics, Humanism, Values, Counseling Psychologists, 2009

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Cite this

Cooper, M. (2009). Welcoming the Other: Actualising the humanistic ethic at the core of counselling psychology practice. Counselling Psychology Review, 24(3-4), 119 - 129. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mick-Cooper-2/publication/279441772_Welcoming_the_other_Actualising_the_humanistic_ethic_at_the_core_of_counselling_psychology_practice/links/596dddca4585152dd4ab506c/Welcoming-the-other-Actualising-the-humanistic-ethic-at-the-core-of-counselling-psychology-practice.pdf

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abstract = "This paper examines the question of how counselling psychology might move forward into the future. It argues that, for many counselling psychologists, the defining feature of our profession lies in a humanistic value-base; and that, to move forward, we need to look at how that could be more fully actualised. The paper argues that this value-base is most succinctly expressed in Levinas's concept of 'Welcoming the Other,' and it proposes five ways in which this ethic might be taken forward: developing our capacity to see beyond diagnoses, enhancing our responsiveness, focusing more fully on our client's intelligibility, taking a lead in giving psychology away, and developing our evidence base. The paper concludes by suggesting that the key issue is not the survival of counselling psychology as a profession; but the survival, development and proliferation of this value-base. ",

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author = "Mick Cooper",

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Cooper, M 2009, 'Welcoming the Other: Actualising the humanistic ethic at the core of counselling psychology practice', Counselling Psychology Review, vol. 24, no. 3-4, pp. 119 - 129. <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mick-Cooper-2/publication/279441772_Welcoming_the_other_Actualising_the_humanistic_ethic_at_the_core_of_counselling_psychology_practice/links/596dddca4585152dd4ab506c/Welcoming-the-other-Actualising-the-humanistic-ethic-at-the-core-of-counselling-psychology-practice.pdf>

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