Collaborative Counseling: A Conceptual Framework and Approach for Counselors of Adults in Life Transitions

The emerging field of adult counseling generally refers to the applications of adult development and life transitions literature in counseling. To date, numerous definitions that apply a particular theoretical perspective to clients within an established counseling approach have characterized practice. In contrast, collaborative counseling is a term that defines an inclusive theoretical framework and distinct counseling approach. The phenomenology of counselors is defined in terms of three perspectives: (a) developmental—for conceptualizing adult experience and counseling; (b) collaborative—for characterizing counselor-client roles, interactions, and processes; and (c) idiographic—for conceptualizing applicability of theory and interventions to individuals. From these perspectives a specialized practice is derived that emphasizes transitional status assessment, adult processes, counseling outcomes in meaning and behavior, as well as multiple contexts and modalities for delivery of service. The implications for curriculum and training provide the basis for defining a specialization in adult counseling.