Week 6

I have been very apathetic towards the last two articles we read for class.  Discussing topics surrounding religion, spirituality, and “meaning of life” have been leaving me feel like a pariah.  In the context of a therapeutic relationship, I understand the necessities of exploring our own biases and beliefs.  That point was made very clear to me early on in my graduate career and explored in a variety of other classes up until this point.  The clinical practice I’ve experienced in and outside of the clinical program thus far has helped me increase my skills of maintaining neutrality and keeping my personal beliefs out of the therapy session.  I find it time consuming to sit and talk about our own personal beliefs when I do not find them relevant to providing psychotherapy or career counseling.  I understand that each client has a different worldview and believe in taking an idiographic approach to therapy.  That all being said, I did not find Bloch’s (2005) article educational or applicable.  I found the beginning very difficult to grasp, but was able to follow the examples of applying the principles to careers.  I believe that we are all intertwined in that the consequences of one’s decisions affects others, but once the article started applying careers to spirituality I came to be at a loss. Coming from someone who is not spiritual what so ever, has never had any education about religions, and does not go searching for a meaning or purpose in life or my actions, I am almost angered that someone would assume this is typical of everyone or that everything is driven by this.  

Bloch's attractors that limit growth was a concept I found interesting and how different "non-linear" paths were used such as the pendulum and doughnut (2005).  Bloch’s implications for applying this theory in practice left me confused.  I felt as though all of the implications listed were generic practices that I would already consider in a therapeutic relationship.  Other than incorporating the terminology of the theory, I did not find any of the implications to be new or unique concepts to the theory.  I did not take anything from this week’s article, nor did I take anything from last week’s article.  I feel as though I am understanding the theories at face value but am unclear how they are relative to future psychotherapy I will be providing for clients other than providing me with another idiographic world view.

Bloch, D. P. (2005). Complexity, chaos, and nonlinear dynamics: A new perspective on career development theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 194-207.