Dear Counseling Faculty Member or Clinical Supervisor,
Hello, and welcome to the Wellness Cube Model (WCM)! I am excited you chose to consider using this model as a way to introduce wellness to your students and/or supervisees. As we all know, the idea of wellness sets Professional Counseling and Counselor Education apart from other mental health professions; however, until now no direct intervention existed as to how a counseling program could systematically instill this important philosophical cornerstone into the hearts and minds of counseling students. I hold the belief that wellness may be the most important idea we as counselor educators could pass on to our students. No amount of clinical knowledge or training will prevent counselor burnout; while this training remains vital so students become effective clinicians, they must also learn to become healthy human beings. Part of students’ training should focus on how they will take care of themselves both personally and professionally. My intention for the WCM is to present students and supervisees with opportunities to make choices about living a wellness lifestyle as they progress through graduate school and into their careers. I encourage you to take a moment and read about the following topics of the WCM, especially if you plan to use the model in its entirety:
- Wellness Defined
- The Purpose of the Wellness Cube Model
- Faculty Modeling a Wellness Lifestyle
- Using the Wellness Cube Model
- Contributing to the Wellness Cube Model
- Copyright Agreement
- Disclaimer Statement
- References
By possessing a greater understanding of the WCM’s theoretical underpinnings, stages, and dimensions, you will utilize the model more efficiently. Last, the WCM is a work in progress, so some of the cross marks on its face still do not possess assignments or exercises. I promise to work diligently to fill these gaps in the model. I wish you the best as you begin/continue down this journey in the pursuit of wellness.
My Best to You All,
Thomas Foster, Ph.D., LPC
Assistant Professor in Counseling
Loyola University New Orleans
6363 St. Charles Ave., Box 66
New Orleans, LA 70118
tfoster@loyno.edu