Suffering and Meaning in Counseling Service Work: Theoretical Foundations and Therapeutic Responses

Abstract

Working in a counseling service at a college or university often requires counselors to touch the deep foundation of suffering that underlies the human experience. This article will examine the philosophical underpinning of the ways in which our profession helps us respond to human suffering. I will first examine the roots of our daily work found in both Stoic philosophy and Buddhism. The article will then examine how these foundations have been incorporated into the more contemporary approach of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and its approach to suffering. I will then explicitly discuss implications for college counseling, and conclude with several exercises on ways to let suffering be close in our daily counseling center work and to find meaning in our experience.

Keywords:

• counseling
• meaning
• suffering
• theory