Empowerment in counselling defined as a five-part process of awareness, skill and capacity, exercise, non-infringement, and support for others' empowerment¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article defines empowerment in counselling by drawing on social work, community psychology, education, multicultural counselling, and feminist literatures. Empowerment is "the process by which people, organizations, or groups who are powerless or marginalized" become aware of power dynamics, develop skills and capacity for reasonable control, exercise that control without infringing others' rights, and support the empowerment of others in their community. The article elaborates each component and stresses the process is not linear and does not conclude with an "empowered" state.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Counsellor critical awareness of power dynamics within the counselling relationship and the client's larger social context is stated to be prerequisite to facilitation of client awareness.

Constraints¶

• The article states many clients will not be ready for or interested in the empowerment of others at termination, and this must not be considered a failure; counsellors meet clients where they are in the process.

Target Learners¶

• counsellors-in-training
• counselling clients who are powerless or marginalized

Target Learning Objectives¶

• awareness of power dynamics
• skills and self-efficacy for reasonable control over one's life
• supporting the empowerment of others

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Peer counselling empowerment as a process by which people, organizations and communities gain mastery over their lives
• McWhirter's four-requirement empowerment model as a framework for adventure therapy programs
• Empowerment theory with relational and cognitive dimensions frames the predicted benefits of peer discussion
• Five Cs model of counsellor education: Collaboration, Competence, Context, Critical Consciousness, and Community

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Ellen Hawley McWhirter. (1998). An Empowerment Model of Counsellor Education. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 32(1). https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/