Counsellor Development and Spiritual Growth through Journaling.

Abstract

Autoethnography can be described as a combination of autobiography and ethnography. The story of how my life has been transformed during my own exploration of a life that seemed purposeless, and my subsequent training as a counsellor, is reflected upon, analysed and interpreted as a spiritual autoethnography. I have likened the development to that of a tree, my life-tree. While the first few years of growth seemed slow, this growth burgeoned with my deepening self-awareness after I began training as a Lifeline telephone counsellor. Then I cut loose from the security and financial support of my job, completing a psychology degree full-time and moving on to postgraduate study in counselling. Although initially I just wanted to do what was right for me personally, in retrospect I discern a spiritual sap flowing through the tree. Since I began journaling, my sense of meaninglessness has evaporated. Who and where I am right now seems exactly right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)