Authors: P. Clay Rowell and James M. Benshoff

About the Book: 

In a world hyper-focused on outcomes, counselors often struggle with making meaning out of their sessions with clients. They invest energy into helping clients achieve their goals and choose interventions aimed at helping clients take steps in a positive direction. Although this is certainly an important part of counseling, it can lead to uninspired, ephemeral, or short-term gains. Similarly, clinical supervisors and teachers can spend most of their time imparting information, neglecting critical steps of helping supervisees and students make meaning out of the information, including how to apply this information to their own development and work with clients and students. Basic tenets of experiential education emphasize the importance of a stage in learning that we often overlook: time to make sense, make meaning, and consider how to apply information. 

The editors created this book to help counselors, clinical supervisors, and teachers shift their perspectives toward a process orientation. By focusing on the process (how and why things occur), we create richer, more meaningful experiences for our clients, supervisees, students­–and ourselves. The editors hope that counselor educators and counselors will find this book to be a useful adjunct with their courses. A unique feature of this book is the inclusion of a variety of media designed to enhance readers' understanding of how to incorporate and implement a process orientation in counseling, supervision, and teaching.

About the Authors: 

Dr. Rowell has been a counselor for over 21 years and a counselor educator for 12. He currently is a Professor in the Department of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of North Georgia. He also serves as the Department Head and maintains a private practice. Dr. Rowell has received a university excellence in teaching award, was twice appointed as Faculty Fellow for Innovative Instructional Technology, and was his university’s sole nominee for the Apple Distinguished Educator Program. Dr. Rowell’s scholarship includes numerous publications, presentations, and grants. Outside of work he enjoys dates with his wife, Lisa, and doing anything with his two daughters, Emerson and Ellery.

James M. Benshoff, Ph.D., NCC, LPC is a professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His research interests include counselor education, leadership, and technology in teaching and supervision. Dr. Benshoff has maintained a private counseling practice, served as President of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and held a director position on the National Board for Certified Counseling. He has been a University Teaching and New Faculty Mentoring Fellow, and received awards for teaching excellence and professional leadership.  Outside of work, Dr. Benshoff is a musician and partner in his son’s restaurant business who enjoys traveling and working internationally with his art historian wife, Dr. Amy Kirschke.