Counseling Psychology: An Integrated Positive Psychological Approach

Counseling Psychology: An Integrated Positive Approach introduces a new dimension in counseling psychology by integrating theories and skills on treatment with positive aspects of diverse groups into a comprehensive and integrative approach; in this way, the book guides readers to enhance clients positive potential, and attend clients symptoms and strengths, rather than focusing solely on the treatment of clients negative symptoms. Previous counseling models can often miss why, how, and how far clients go to successfully manage living. Counseling tackles how clients manage day to day living, and how they can thrive despite severe symptoms. Empirical evidence has demonstrated that in failing to acknowledge these issues, current counseling psychology can often fall short of maximizing clients strength to reduce symptoms and prevent relapses. It can also overlook their critical dimensions of hope, resilience, and stamina, and in turn fail to take an overall perspective. This book includes traditional counseling psychology and positive psychology to comprehensively cover varied theories and then enhance students integration of different theories in counseling.  

Finally, as client populations increasingly diversify, the book s integration of traditional counseling approaches with positive psychology enables counselors to tailor integrative counseling to multicultural clients, helping graduate students and mental health professionals become more culturally sensitive in their practice.

Ruth Chu–Lien Chao is Associate Professor at the University of Denver where she teaches diversity, Psychopathology, counseling theories, and counseling practicum. Dr. Chao is the author of Multicultural Competencies in Counseling: A Statistical Exploration (2008) as well as over 60 publications, presentations and book chapters. She was the 2007 recipient of the American Psychological Fund Award and the American Psychological Association Grant Award. In 2005, she received the Outstanding Research Award from the Division 17, APA. Dr. Chao serves as faculty advisor to international scholars from Uzbekistan and Taiwan.