Organized around the latest CACREP Standards, Counseling Individuals Through the Lifespan by Daniel W. Wong, Kimberly R. Hall, Cheryl A. Justice, and Lucy Wong Hernández introduces readers to the fundamentals of the counseling process during each stage of human development. Topics such as the client-counselor relationship, counseling theory, research, and interventions are addressed with a focus on caring for the total person within his/her environment and culture. Emphasizing the importance of intentionality and self-reflection, the chapters include case illustrations and guided practice exercises to further the development of successful 21 st century counselors. Counseling Individuals Through the Lifepan is part of the SAGE Counseling and Professional Identity Series, which targets specific competencies identified by CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs).
This was the textbook used for my graduate level lifespan development class; it is well written and not entirely too dull. My overall impression is that each chapter glosses over the main components of each stage of life and doesn't delve into the nitty-gritty detail that I was expecting. It is a good primer for a lifespan course, but don't expect to go into a comprehensive detail for each life stage.
3.5 stars. The early chapters were stronger than the last 3-4, and there were numerous typos. That said, I found it readable and informative for an introduction to the topic.
I had to read this text for a class and it felt chaotic. The first few chapters are well-organized and as it progresses, it feels like it was thrown together. It is extremely American, which is frustrating at times and a lot of "rules" that feel weird for development, especially in adulthood. They favor the application of Erikson's theory throughout the book and that is basically it. I think there would be better resources out there than this text for lifespan and development.
This book… I learned a bit from it but I also couldn’t help but tell everyone who would listen how much I disliked this as a textbook. From their choice of color for highlights to the excess language throughout, to blanket statements without backing… I was happy to be done with this book, hopefully to never look back.
This book is information light and generality heavy. References are outdated, despite it being written in 2021. I honestly cannot identify a single thing I learned from this textbook.
A useful textbook providing a comprehensive explanation of all the stages of human development and the pursuant counseling issues. Great fodder for personal reflection, too!