Samuel T. Gladding

• Professor at Wake Forest University

Becoming a family counselor requires knowledge of the history, theories, techniques, and trends within the profession. That is not easy to accomplish and requires a dedication of learning where the field has been as well as where it appears to be going. Multiple choice tests, essay questions, term papers, case histories, internships, special projec...

This study assessed, for the first time, the relationship between security attachment and marital satisfaction in an Arab country, Qatar. Accordingly, we used the marital satisfaction assessment, the Experiences in Close Relationships Revised attachment style questionnaire, and the Goldsmith Support Measure. Using a path analysis model, the results...

The physical and mental health benefits of humor and comedy have been widely documented. This article presents a therapeutic framework outlining several clinical applications of comedy designed to facilitate client exploration of racial-ethnic identity. It also discusses how comedy can enhance narrative therapy approaches by serving as an engaging...

Interviews of productive counselors usually do not capture their adult life span in depth. This article examines the life of a prolific counselor over 5 decades in context and through the theories of personal and career development formulated by Erikson () and Super (). It looks biographically at his life and its challenges as well as resolutions t...

Writing takes discipline. Strategies for staying productive over the lifespan change as writers grow older and circumstances change. This article examines 28 strategies a mental health professional employed over five decades to produce over 200 articles, books, book chapters, poems, and film scripts. These scholarly and creative products share univ...

Writing is a therapeutic tool which can be used for dealing with a variety of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, ambivalence, and trauma. A number of counseling theories, like narrative therapy, have incorporated it into their therapeutic techniques. Other approaches to counseling use writing as a way to help clients sort out their t...

Clients bring various religious and spiritual beliefs and practices to counseling and therapy. Some of these are healthy, others less so. Unfortunately, despite advances in knowledge and education about spiritual and religious practices, therapists may not adequately attend to these dimensions of their clients’ lives. In this article, barriers to e...

This latest edition of The Creative Arts in Counseling is a powerful, evidence-based examination of how creative expression can be used in counseling with clients of various ages and backgrounds. It explores the clinical application of all of the major creative arts, including music, dance/movement, imagery, visual arts, writing/literature, drama,...

Much has been written about the general use of humor in counseling. However, while certain types of humor may be helpful, other kinds of humor may be harmful. This article delineates seven types of humor that may be beneficial to counselors in working with clients and five types of humor that should not be employed in therapeutic relationships. It...

In examining the future of counseling, a number of articles point toward new directions in the field both in the United States and in the world. This chapter discusses five of these emerging developments: research, education, identity, interdisciplinary efforts, and technology. Each of these topics will affect not only counseling as a whole but als...

In this detailed examination of the expressive therapies, Dr. Gladding demonstrates how music, dance, imagery, visual arts, literature, drama, and humor can be used effectively in counseling. Combining history, theory, and application, he provides a rationale for using each art form with how-to strategies for working with clients of all ages and di...

While much of this book contains theoretical and pragmatic information, this chapter contains a compilation of many of the creative arts exercises described throughout the text. It is a quick guide for the busy counselor/practitioner who may have skipped over parts of a chapter or simply forgot some of the information provided. Specific creative ar...

In dramatic enactments facilitated by a specialized therapist, clients can preview, review, and revise life roles. In addition, interactive drama may open people up to their biases and awareness with regard to multicultural and diversity issues. This chapter focuses on the formal and informal use of drama, psychodrama, and drama-related techniques...

When creative arts in counseling is examined as an entity, it is crucial to initially explore the nature of creativity. This is because by knowing something about the nature of creativity, counselors may understand and better appreciate creative processes. Additionally, counseling is by its nature a creative endeavor. In counseling and other helpin...

A primary task of counseling is to assist clients in learning how to play appropriately or be more playful with their words and actions, consequently having more fun. This chapter emphasizes that various forms of play and humor can be used in a therapeutic way with children, adolescents, adults, older persons, groups, and couples/families. Play can...

It is true that visual stimuli within art can influence our thoughts and emotions. This chapter deals with both the perception and the product of visual arts and human life. The visual arts offer many mental health benefits for their users, as they can tap the unconscious and help individuals express their covert conflicts. In setting up situations...

Imagery is a popular concept in counseling. In helping people help themselves, imagery may work as powerfully as actual behavior. This type of mental practice is seen most graphically among athletes and actors. Sigmund Freud was among the first in the modern treatment of mental disorders to be concerned with imagery and its meaning, especially in d...

The use of dance and movement in counseling and therapeutic settings has been found to benefit clients in many areas such as resocialization and integration within a larger group system, and nonverbal creative expression for emotional expression. Dance and movement therapy allows for the treatment of complex psychological trauma and contributes to...

The connectedness between health, healing, and literature is significant. Indeed, not only physicians but dramatists, poets, novelists, and diarists throughout the centuries have also made the link between emotion, disclosure, and health. This chapter first examines the premise behind and practices of reading and writing in counseling. Suggested me...

This chapter describes historical perspectives, the current status, and future directions of the counseling profession in the United States. It also provides information regarding counselor education, counseling practice, and diversity issues in the United States. Counselors in the United States work in various settings, including agencies, hospita...

With the promulgation of the 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling consensus definition of counseling, there is finally profession-wide clarity as to what it means to engage in professional counseling. This article describes the development and discusses the implications of the definition: “Counseling is a professional relationship that empo...

Becoming a man is developmental. Boys model after men in their lives as well as figures they see in the media. When role models are positive, appropriate, and present, boys grow into constructive adults who contribute to society. This article examines how counselors can intentionally help young men mature into well-grounded and prosocial individual...

In the 20th century, a group of talented individuals with the surname Rogers made creative contributions to American society. This article examines the most noted of these personalities and their effect on the mental health of a nation. Although it is unlikely that a group with the same last name will be as prominent again, it is crucial for counse...

This study examined the experiences of counseling students in learning and applying the SCAMPER model for creative thinking. Counseling students from three universities (N = 54) participated in a training intervention on the SCAMPER model and applied the model in eight weekly task group experiences. Participants' journals, which were completed afte...

Courtland Lee is exemplary in his accomplishments nationally and internationally. His academic achievements are notable in multicultural counseling and social justice. His leadership in counseling has been outstanding with his having served as president of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Develop...

This article describes the development of the historic Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the Profession. An outcome of the 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling initiative, this document delineates a core set of principles that unifies and advances the counseling profession. Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the Profession ha...

Group work can be an effective outlet for facilitating client empowerment at individual and systemic levels. This article outlines strategies for increasing attention to social justice issues in group work over the next decade within education, training, supervision, practice, and research. Drawing from historical perspectives, current literature,...

Stories are an essential part of counseling. Through stories, clients and counselors gain a deeper understanding of concerns brought into counseling sessions and strategies used to address them. Through storytelling, catharsis, power, insight, meaning, cultural awareness, and change take place. This article examines the research on stories in couns...

Musical lyrics play a significant role in many people's lives, including those of clients. This article describes ways lyrics can be used to help clients convey feelings of hurting and healing. Examples of lyrics that deal with pain (hurt and grief) and restoration (recovery and healing) are shared. The article then outlines six specific ways lyric...

“Family Snapshots” are 100-words-or-less descriptive memories of times in the lives of families that highlight poignant moments. They complement other exercises within a family counseling course, including the use of genograms. Modeled after the Washington Post Magazine's series “Life Is Short: Autobiography as Haiku,” these snapshots give writers...

Creativity is a crucial component in the advancement of all major cultural entities, including effective counseling. It is through creativity that major theories of counseling and skills in counseling have been developed. Creativity is longitudinal in its impact. If counseling is to progress in the future, it is essential that counselors be rewarde...

Wellness is the result of internal as well as external factors. This article examines 3 internal means for promoting wellness: humor, metaphor, and writing. By using these resources, individuals may stay healthier and happier psychologically and physically. Research on the power of these factors is briefly described.

Groups in high schools that use creative techniques help adolescents express their emotions appropriately, behave differently, and gain insight into themselves and others. This article looks at seven different creative arts media—music, movement, visual art, literature, drama, play, and humor—and offers examples of how they can be used in groups fo...

This article explores the existence of humor in counseling from the perspectives of several leaders in the field. Specifically, the last 5 authors describe some of their thoughts and experiences regarding the emergence of humor in counseling.

This study surveyed 28 graduate students in counseling on the meaning of lyrical music in their lives in a CACREP accredited program at an independent, southeastern university. Results showed that some songs were more popular or better remembered than others. It also showed that while some lyrics are personally meaningful and others convey importan...

This manuscript considers the way that several creative media -including music, videography, visual arts, literature, drama, play, and altar-making-can be utilized in assisting the multifaceted grief process of clients. In particular, attention is given to the ability of creative media to enable clients to maintain a connection to the deceased, to...

Creativity and the creative arts are important to the portrayal of human experiences through a myriad of forms, including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and written expression. While these forms of creative expression vary within and across cultural groups, a unifying element embedded in creative works seems to prevail through a continuous search f...

This manuscript considers the way that several creative media--including music, videography, visual arts, literature, drama, play, and altar-making--can be utilized in assisting the multifaceted grief process of clients. In particular, attention is given to the ability of creative media to enable clients to maintain a connection to the deceased, to...

The effectiveness of the porous inorganic supported lipid membranes was analyzed. Membranes analyzed consists of a mesoporous Y-alumina core, followed by a microporous silica layer. The surface of the membranes was modified by the addition of C18. it was observed that the spherical particles of scaffold having alumina center with around 50 % porosi...

This article provides an inside view of the challenges and rewards of being the editor of the Journal for Specialists in GroupWork (JSGW). In addition, it examines issues that JSGW must confront in the present and future if it is to be relevant to practitioners of group work inside and outside of counseling environments.

In humorous moments, family counselors and families often learn a lot about themselves and their relationships. This article focuses on the importance of levity and learning within family life and family counseling through the use of a series of vignettes drawn from the author’s own experiences.

This article describes the nature and importance of creativity in family counseling and factors such as divergent thinking that are a part of the creative process. The SCAMPER model of creativity is then introduced as an atheoretical and practical way of helping clinicians, especially less creative or beginning therapists, shortcut the lengthy proc...

The author relates how he experienced the Ku Klux Klan when he was nine years old and how the event woke him to the evils of racism and its many disguises. The author shares ways in which he has combated the "faceless" nature of racism in his life and in his role as a counselor. (Author)

Using stories, illustrates some universal points regarding counseling. Claims that stories can help counselors understand the process of discovering their own identities and that outside knowledge can create new possibilities that lead to change. Emphasizes the blending of self-understanding with relevant outside knowledge. (RJM)

Group counseling is a rapidly changing field. This collection of 31 digests examines various aspects of group process and group counseling. The digests are arranged under different subject headings. In section 1, the nature of group work is examined, along with the evolution of group work training since 1990. The second section looks at application...

Humor naturally occurs in some counseling situations. The author discusses the rationale and advantages of using humor in counseling as well as cautions and limitations associated with it.

Examines rationale, methods, strengths, and limitations of using fiction in training family counselors. Suggests that using novels, essays, poems, and extended metaphors is a nonthreatening means of teaching human nature and values. Discusses bibliotherapy as a counseling intervention. Describes and evaluates a teaching model utilizing fiction. Inc...

Examines value of using play in counseling. Explores pragmatic ways play is used across life span and in different counseling settings. Discusses limitations of including play in counseling. Reviews premises on which play in counseling is based and some uses of play as therapeutic instrument with children, adolescents, and adults in individual, gro...

Covers practical step-by-step procedures of both traditional and interactive bibliotherapy, with an emphasis on the interactive process. Discusses benefits and problems of setting up a bibliotherapy program in the school. (NB)

The effect of poem selection on therapeutic process and outcome was investigated in this qualitative study of poetry therapy. An analysis of poem-therapist-participant interaction was based on an examination of the use of three different poems by three different therapists in a variety of contexts. The authors conclude that the success or failure o...

This article examines the uses of poetry and metaphor in promoting the human rights of silence/thought; discovery/awareness; communication bridges; being creative; and altering perceptions while promoting hope.

To examine the validity of the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement Brief Form, standard scores were correlated with Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Test standard scores and WISC-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs. Kaufman scores were strongly related to Woodcock-Johnson scores and moderately related to WISC-R scores. Mean comparisons...

Investigated the validity of C. D. Batson's (see record 1976-22201-001) 3-dimensional model of religious orientation, which is based on the dimensions of means (extrinsic), ends (intrinsic), and quest (dealing with existential questions). 64 graduate students completed a religious life inventory by Batson and W. L. Ventis (1982), a scale of religi...

Emphasizes the importance of a "check-out" place within a professional therapist's life to prevent burnout and promote positive wellness and self-renewal. Recommends specific metaphorical and poetic exercises that clinicians can use in dealing with the past, the present, and the future. (RS)

The authors report the results of a survey of 274 counselor education chairpersons asked to respond to a series of questions concerning the current status of marriage and family counseling in counselor education. Respondents indicated that marriage and family programs in counselor education are continuing to grow in popularity, identified courses m...

The authors examine programmatic writing as a method of increasing expertise and success for counselors desiring professional development and recognition through publication.

Describes using poetic expression (metaphor, simile, imagery) to promote increased sensitivity and insight among young children while assisting them in achieving greater cognitive, emotional, and behavioral awareness of themselves and others. Practical aspects of using poetry and appropriate poetic exercises (oral and written expression; enactment;...

Describes how family therapists may make use of popular songs associated with different stages of the family life cycle to help couples and families gain insight into the lyrics they live by and to make constructive changes. A case example of a 32-yr-old male is provided that shows the way change occurs when an individual gains insight into the mus...

Surveyed 274 counselor education chairpersons concerning current status of marriage and family counseling in counselor education. Respondents indicated that marriage and family programs are growing in popularity, identified courses frequently employed in counselor training, discussed accreditation of marriage and family counseling programs. (Author...

-Comparisons with respect to age, sex, religious affiliation, and worship attendance were made using the Gladding, Lewis and Adkins Scale of Religiosity. The sample was comprised of 107 graduate students in education from a private Catholic university; students were categorized by religious preference. Those who attended religious services most oft...

In this article the author describes the humanistic content and integrative nature of a course on imagery and metaphor in individual, group, and family counseling.

This article features an examination of the unique features affecting ethical treatment decisions in the engagement and termination phases of marital and familial therapy.

Family poems are structured poetic exercises that may be used systematically by family therapists from different theoretical persuasions. The “poems” help reflect crucial family issues, such as poorly defined boundaries, intergenerational alliances, power and unresooved developmental family conflicts. The exercises offer both the therapist and fami...

Advocates that a history and systems of counseling course be established in counselor education programs. Identifies potential advantages. Describes five main content areas that need to be addressed in a course of this nature. (Author)