Questions? Contact the Program Secretary |
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To learn about Ecological Counseling, visit our Ecological PowerPoint Slide Show
Note: This show works in Microsoft Internet Explorer only. If you wish to download the powerpoint presentation, use this link.
The collection of slides contained in the Ecological Power Point Show have been produced for different occasions and scholarly presentations. They also represent a work in progress as we seek to better understand ecological counseling ourselves. In general, the slides elaborate on different aspects of ecological counseling.
Slide 1 shows the value of considering time and development.
Slide 2 emphasizes how an ecological analysis incorporates People, Environments and their interaction.
Slide 3 illustrates Urie Bronfenbrenner's levels of sytems (with a child example).
Slide 4 depicts our way of viewing ecological counseling, which is elaborated in our book published by the American Counseling Association (ACA) on ecological counseling (Coyne & Cook, Editors).
Slide 5 reminds about an important definitional assumption of ecological counseling.
Slide 6 shows how goals and processes are connected.
Slides 7-11 are oriented around ecological assessment from various perspectives.
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FAQ'S
What is Ecological Counseling, anyway?
You may be doing it, or aspects of it, already and not know it! Basically, practitioners think of people being connected with their environments and vice-versa. The famous social psychologist, Kurt Lewin, perhaps said it best: “Behavior is a function of persons interacting with environments” [B=f(P,E)]. The new book edited by Robert Conyne and Ellen Cook of the University of Cincinnati , Ecological Counseling: An innovative approach to conceptualizing person-environment interaction (2004, American Counseling Association) addresses ecological counseling in detail.
People and Environments, why is this new?
For many helpers and researchers, the idea of approaching people within environments, that is, grounded contextually, may not be a new one. Ecological counseling may find a comfortable home with such professionals. For many others, though, people are approached apart from their environments almost as if they have no abiding local or distal context….The poet, Robinson Jeffers, admonished us not to endorse the view of “Not man, apart.” And, John Dunne pointed out so beautifully that “No man is an island, apart from the main…” So, the idea of people and environments is not new but somehow people separate from environments tends to characterize much of helping practice today.
What does “interacting” mean, the P, E?
The word “interacting” is of high importance in that formula. How people interact with and draw meaning from their environments places ecological counseling within the broader constructivist approaches within help-giving. We make sense of our experiences. For instance, in a work setting the director might announce her impending retirement. This fact will affect employees differently, depending on many factors, including how they make sense of that situation.
Is Ecological Counseling restricted to individuals?
No, an important aspect of ecological counseling is that people are connected with many levels of systems. A 3 rd grader is part of many levels, such as a family situation, a school, a neighborhood and community, etc., and is subject to a host of possible interactions and influences within each of those levels and across them, as well. Ecological counseling is concerned with all relevant aspects of those inter-connections within and across levels Therefore, ecological counseling can be implemented at various levels: individual, interpersonal, family, group, organization, neighborhood, community, and beyond—depending on one's focus and intent.
Isn't Ecology a very broad word?
Yes, and that is one of its large attractions to us! Ecology really is inter-disciplinary, crossing many academic fronts: psychology, sociology, biology, law, medicine, planning, economics, political science, the arts…Also, ecology often is thought of in relation to saving, sustaining, or preserving the natural environment, and that certainly is an important meaning and application that we support, too. But, our interest is more focused on how counseling can be applied broadly to benefit people within their environments—to help people become more concordant within environments.
Does that mean that you try to make people adjust to their environments?
Well, those are almost fightin' words! No, not really, unless it might be that personal adjustment is really what is required and what is best. Much of counseling has been criticized for adjusting people to their environments. But, what if the environment is corrosive, sapping, stress producing, numbing, or pathological in some way? We are interested in helping people and environments to reach accommodations that work to benefit both. Sometimes environments need to change in order for that goal to be met.
Can you tell me what the Center for Ecological Counseling is all about?
We have developed what we think is an impressive academic understanding of ecological counseling in the University of Cincinnati 's Counseling Program. But there is much to learn from other disciplines, as our view represents just one vantage point, after all. Just as ecological counseling is interdependent so should its study and application be interdependent and interdisciplinary. So we reach out to others from various disciplines who may share an understanding and appreciation of an ecological approach to help-giving and ask that they become involved with this Center.
What do you hope to do?
We plan on the Center becoming the world's top location for ecological counseling. We would like the Center to help connect sources that are now disparate, through the web site and Listserv, as well as through scholarly work. We intend to continue defining the concept in practice and to spin off research projects to explore it. We hope to educate through training and workshops, to deliver services through consultation and research, and to study ecological counseling through grants and contracts.
How can people become involved?
There are two options for involvement with the Center.
Members: For those who are connected to the University of Cincinnati , they can ask to become a Member of the Center. By becoming a Member, they can attend meetings, participate in any other functions of the Center, and contribute their ideas and energies to current or new projects.
Affiliate Members: For those unattached to the University of Cincinnati and/or are located at a distance—including the other side of the world—they can become affiliate members of the Center. While they would not be able to participate face-to-face with members they can learn of activities here and participate in all other ways.
Advisory Panel: We have formed an impressive panel of advisors from the University of Cincinnati and the Greater Cincinnati community who will assist us in shaping broad directions of the Center. These Panel members also can function as Members, if they so request.
You mentioned a web site and listserv…what are their addresses?
The web site is: www.uc.edu/counselingprogram/ecocenter.html
The listserv is: Eco-Counseling@Listserv.uc.edu To join the Listserv, send an email to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UC.EDU with the command of: SUBSCRIPBE ECO-COUNSELING in the text (not in the subject line).
